The Balancing Act...

“Ahhh! It’s Friday! “

I could hear the joy in my kids voices this morning when they struggled to get out of bed so early. The fact that it is getting darker and colder only makes those cases of “Toasty Warm Bed Syndrome” more acute... but already they have “learned” to look forward to the weekend.

The reality of working from home, and for myself, is that those boundaries so often blur. There is the temptation, or sometimes the need, to spend hours at “the office” because it is right here in my own home. In some ways, you never really have the sense of getting away from it all unless you leave home. I am learning, slowly but surely, how to find that balance - how to book off certain nights to spend time with my best friend (who just happens to be my husband) or to indulge in hobbies ( I want to start sewing clothes for the girls since so much of what they can wear being tall is not age-appropriate) or just to recharge those inner batteries.

It never ceases to amaze me that a hobby I picked up to relax with after stress-filled days in advertising before my children were born grew to be a large part of what I do for a living. As an illustrator, I am always looking for ways to make images.. and cross stitch just became a wonderful way to share those images when my other illustrations never seemed to make it past the publishers. I still hope to illustrate children’s books someday when both girls are in school, but cross stitch added a whole way for me to imagine images coming to life.

Even though this has become a business, I have never lost the joy of playing with the materials.. the fabrics and fibers. We crafters are such “touchey-feely” people aren’t we? I was playing with Kreinik #4 braid this morning and watching it sparkle beneath the light as I tried to figure out just which wonderful colour blend I was going to use.

Sometimes, when you love what you do, it can be hard to find that balance... to separate work from who you are. On some level, I am always aware of images, colours, half formed ideas that swirl like mists when I am waking from sleep. Do I want to be able to just shut that off for the weekend?

I think that the trick is learning to leave the work behind... and just keep the creativity.... ahhhh! It’s such a balancing act!