My friends and I are currently at that point in our lives where we are finishing up with our undergraduate degrees and deciding what to move on to next. Most of my friends, with myself included, have recently completed Arts degrees in creative fields such as art history, cinema studies, and writing. With constant funding cuts to the arts, the creative industries have become more competitive than ever as the number of jobs minimises while uni graduates in those fields increase. This means the reality for a few of us is to find work outside of our chosen industries and work on our creative outlets/passions/side-hustle's outside of work. There is the popular idea at the moment to work towards making your side-hustle your day job. However, in order to do this, you need to cultivate your skills in order to get to the point where you can create a full time career of your creative pursuits.
(Yarlaa manu yapa (left) and Ngapa manu yapa (right) by Yulyurlu Lorna Napurrurla Fencer, 1999)
Last week, a friend of mine tweeted asking if anyone had tips on how to pursue your creative outlets while having a day job without feeling burnt out and I realised that I was full of advice for her, as I have been doing the exact thing throughout this year with this blog and my volunteering. I thought that I would share the advice I have with you all in case you are also wondering how to create a balance in your life.
1. Always remember to take time for yourself and don't force it.
You need to remember to take time for yourself and to relax. If you start to become stressed out about how much is on your plate, or you start to feel burnt out, take a day off. Both your job and your creative outlet will suffer if you are not feeling your best.
On a related note, you cannot force yourself to work on your creative outlet if you are not feeling it. If you do, you will later end up having negative associations with your hobby and come to resent it. We do not want this to happen! There have been times this year when I have started so many blog posts to never finish them or even deleted them because they were not at the quality I wanted them to be at. I have come to accept that I can't stress myself out about not posting on the blog multiple times a week. Obviously if you are getting paid to produce content that is a different story in order to meet deadlines. If you are doing it as a hobby and for fun, then you need to make sure it actually is fun for you.
2. Stay focused and make a plan
If you have a goal, whether that be breaking into your creative industry or being able to make your side-hustle your full time job, then you need to stay focused on those goals. This includes accepting that your job for now is just necessary to pay your rent and fund your lifestyle/creative outlet. As long as you stay focused on your creative pursuits and life outside of work is going well, then your job will seem more bearable and you may actually enjoy yourself more.
Staying focused also means taking time to think about what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. Make a plan of how you're going to get there, whether that is by going back to study or doing a couple of short courses, or seeking out volunteer opportunities to widen your skill set and make connections.
3. Always be open for opportunities
As much as I hate to admit it, you can plan all you want and try to be as organised as you can, but life can be pretty unexpected. You never truly know what is around the corner. So, in the spirit of just going along with it, always be open to seek new opportunities, or recognise the potential in an opportunity you weren't expecting. If you know that you are working on it, then you won't have those moments where you stop and think "What am I doing with my life? What if I never get to achieve my dream?" Whether it is writing an article for a publication, or volunteering at an event outside of work hours, go for it! You never know what can happen.
4. Some experience is better than no experience
When I told the people at the art gallery I volunteer at about the job I have now, they told me that having experience outside of the art world, especially corporate, is valuable to have. Which is true! A lot of roles have transferrable skills you can bring along to different industries. Working in retail? Sales experience! In the hospitality business? You have people skills and can work under pressure! Working in admin? You are fluent in the Microsoft Office Suite and have A+ organisational skills! You may not feel like the job you have now is leading you on the right track, but you never know - it may be a blessing in disguise.
Staying focused also means taking time to think about what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. Make a plan of how you're going to get there, whether that is by going back to study or doing a couple of short courses, or seeking out volunteer opportunities to widen your skill set and make connections.
3. Always be open for opportunities
As much as I hate to admit it, you can plan all you want and try to be as organised as you can, but life can be pretty unexpected. You never truly know what is around the corner. So, in the spirit of just going along with it, always be open to seek new opportunities, or recognise the potential in an opportunity you weren't expecting. If you know that you are working on it, then you won't have those moments where you stop and think "What am I doing with my life? What if I never get to achieve my dream?" Whether it is writing an article for a publication, or volunteering at an event outside of work hours, go for it! You never know what can happen.
4. Some experience is better than no experience
When I told the people at the art gallery I volunteer at about the job I have now, they told me that having experience outside of the art world, especially corporate, is valuable to have. Which is true! A lot of roles have transferrable skills you can bring along to different industries. Working in retail? Sales experience! In the hospitality business? You have people skills and can work under pressure! Working in admin? You are fluent in the Microsoft Office Suite and have A+ organisational skills! You may not feel like the job you have now is leading you on the right track, but you never know - it may be a blessing in disguise.
5. Know that things take time
A career spans decades and everyone continues to grow. For myself and my friends especially, we need to remember that we are only 21 and straight out of Uni. We are basically babies in the adult world. There is so many years ahead of us and if you work hard enough, you will eventually break into your chosen creative field. If things don't seem to be working out for you at the moment, that is okay. Eventually the right role will come along and your time will come.
Balancing work and your creative outlet can seem like a struggle at times, but I am a big believer in doing what you love. So if at the moment you have to do what you love separate to your work, that is a-okay. Just keep on working on that side hustle/passion project/creative outlet.
Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
I believe in you.
Do you have any tips for balancing work and your creative interests? I would love to hear them!
Love from Australia,
Grace.
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