When you work at home and run your own business, it’s really easy to blur the boundaries between work and home – especially if you work in a creative feel and want to let life and art intermix. I really never have a desire to get away from the creative aspects of what I do, but it is an ongoing balancing act to keep a healthy balance between getting totally wrapped up in my work and stopping to smell the flowers.
I’ve basically been in full vacation mode for about four days now, maybe five, and it’s been about eleven years since I’ve taken this much time off.
Yesterday I thought back to the days when I worked in more traditional workplaces. There was a time when having every weekend off, having 12 company holidays a year, and having two weeks of vacation time seemed like just barely enough. It was a bit deal to watch employment anniversaries add up until vacation time went up to three weeks. It came as kind of a shock to do the math and add up how many days a year were set aside for non-work, personal well-being time.
But even then, I used a lot of my “non-work” time to build skills and lay the foundation for self employment. Music was also a regular part of my day. Even on work days I had time to make an hour for practice.
My job now is a lot more enjoyable than the last “real” job I had. My boss is a whole lot nicer and I get to choose the direction my work takes (and live with the benefits and consequences of that.) The function of vacation time is a little different – I don’t have any desire to go places or do things. I do, however, need that vacation aspect of stepping back, removing distractions for a moment, recalibrating and recharging.
It’s funny where this particular vacation is taking me – deep into the world of music. Everything from reading the manuals and getting up to speed with electronic instruments and tools, reading thoughtful commentary on music education, and making the decision to actually compose something (anything!) from start to finish, warts and all (because doing anything start to finish for the first time always comes with a few warts.)
And of course I’m coloring. That’s a way of life, not a fad with me. As I type this right now, I have a stack of percussion clips already recorded and a bunch of other stuff too. It’s like having a table full of coloring tools and a brand new book, and time to color, and just getting up the nerve to pick a color and a page and get started. What I’m doing with music today is as easy and as overwhelming as what some new colorist is experiencing right now as they settle in with their first Angie book and wonder if they are ready to dive in.
We’ll get through this! The first attempt doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. It’s about having fun.
(Today’s coloring is from Balance For Crayons And Wide Tipped Markers.)