The Art of Rebecca Wise Girson News

Balance? What Balance?

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:46:08 CDT

Yes, Virginia, I still have thoughts on balance...

...Just not enough hours in the day to write them down. I am trying and will do better. I promise.

For those of you who actually take a glance at my ramblings from time to time, you'll now find my thoughts on balance, as well as thoughts on a variety of topics related to being an artist with a day job, in my new site called....(drum roll, please...)...Artist With a Day Job (I know, how original!).

Yesterday's post titled Time is My Enemy...Time is My Friend gives some insight into where I've been these past few months an my current thoughts on the lack of balance I'm currently experiencing. Whether you are also an artist with a day job, or just someone who is struggling with how to fit in everything you have/want/need to do, take a glance and leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Art Studio and Office Separation

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:02:17 CDT

I think, no...I KNOW I'm a bit obsessed when it comes to moving furniture around. My husband says it's a good thing he's not blind because he would never be able to navigate around the ever-changing landscape of our living room. In fact, we sometimes play a little game I like to call "What has changed" (I know, get a life, right?).

Well, the never-ending quest for the perfect configuration also applies to my office and art studio. When we first moved into this house, I had them separated. But I loved the big picture window in my studio so much, that I decided to move my office there, too.

Here are a few versions of the "office in studio" configuration (believe me, there were more than this):

In retrospect, the office/studio combo wasn't such a good idea. You see, the studio is located directly off our kitchen and there is no door separating the two, so taking conference calls or trying to work on something that required a lot of concentration was a bit problematic when my husband was home.

That said, I cannot blame the challenge of working in the office/studio space (entirely) on him. What I thought would create a more seamless integration between my work and creative selves didn't exactly turn out as planned. You see, the day job always won out over the artwork, even in the evening and early morning hours. The constant feeling of needing to check and respond to emails completely removed that feeling of "losing myself" during the times I wanted to focus on creating. Yesterday, I decided it was time for (yet another) change.

Everything Old is New Again

I'm not exactly finished (as you can see by this very disorganized pic of my studio), but the office has been relocated back to the room where it began. It's in a cozy little spot of my guestroom where I think I'll be much happier.

In my quest for balance, I'm finding that sometimes a little separation and distance between my various "selves" is better.

October NAME IT AND CLAIM IT Contest

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:54:19 CDT

Hello current and *future* A w/a DJ Facebook fans. As you witnessed with last month's NAME IT AND CLAIM IT contest, people really do win REAL prizes. Suzanne Mulford was the fan who submitted the winning name for last month's contest ("Siren of Serenity"). Who will be the fan who submits the winning name this month? Yes, it could be you! There's only one catch- you've got to PLAY to WIN. How hard is that!?!?!

OK, here are the rules (there are only three):

You have to be a fan of the Artist with a Day Job Facebook page. If you're not now, click on this link to become one.
Each fan can submit up to three (3) entries to name this month's painting.
Before the contest ends, you need to let A w/a DJ know which painting you're playing for (this is the one you'll receive if your entry is selected as the winning name...see the Artist with a Day Job Imagekind gallery for options).

This month's painting is one I've had a hard time naming. Sometimes I refer to it as "Green French Fries," but that's not too inspiring. Other times I refer to it as "Two Moons" which is kind of boring. I need your help, Facebook Fans!!!

Balance While on the Road for the Day Job

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:45:03 CDT

To catch you up from the last blog post, the pre-trip to-do list worked. Once I wrote everything down, I realized I didn't have as much to do as I'd thought (WARNING: Things in head appear bigger than they are). The usual pre-trip feelings of overwhelm vanished and I simply did what I knew needed to be done. (Note to self: repeat this process often.)

Focusing on balance prior to my trip helped me to maintain balance during my trip as well. I put in some very long days, but after accomplishing what I came to do, I took advantage of the opportunity my day job presented and spent some time seeing a bit of Israel beyond the walls of my hotel room and borrowed office.

Here's a run down of the highlights:

Flight to Tel Aviv: Was pulled from my "cozy" middle seat in coach prior to take-off and moved to business class. Those who travel can appreciate what a gift from God this was. I made use of the comfort and space by doing a bit of art while sipping wine and listening to some great music (forgot how much I loved Crosby, Stills and Nash).

Saturday: Hotel was located right on the Mediterranean sea. Took a long walk (almost to Jaffa) and got some great shots of the sun setting over the water in addition to Israeli versions of my cats.

Sunday: First day of work was a long one. Left hotel at 7:30 a.m. and returned at around 11:30 p.m. The highlight was meeting David, Orly and Ofir, the people at Tzur who will be handling my day job project.

Monday: Another long, but very productive day. Discovered that the person who will likely be my new boss is an art lover (yay!). He took us out for some great Italian and I had the pleasure of also meeting his wife. Getting to see people beyond who they are at work is something that, as you know, is very near and dear to me. I was glad to see the other side of my "pending" boss and it makes me feel more comfortable about the change ahead.

Tuesday: Another very long work day, but back to the hotel in time to do a bit of walking and grab dinner at a side-walk cafe (of which there are many in Tel Aviv). I must say that I felt extremely safe in this city and loved the ability to walk to everything I needed. Kind of reminded me a bit of the days back in Amsterdam.

Wednesday: Worked from the hotel and got in some serious "touring" of Tel Aviv on foot. Discovered that my hotel was only one block from some fantastic art galleries. I met an artist named "Jo-Jo" and spent about 45 minutes talking to him and his son. His work is amazing and I encourage you to check it out. Since this was my last night in Tel Aviv, I took a few last shots of the sunset from my room and finished the day with a great sea-side meal.

Thursday: Heading home today, but not before a day trip to Jerusalem. This trip was too much to convey in this post, but the experience was one I will never forget. The memory of how uncomfortable I was in my middle coach seat on the way home is also something I will not soon forget. My butt is still feeling the pain.

Friday: Back on U.S. soil but not yet home. 7 hour layover in Newark softened by getting to spend it in the President's club lounge. By this time, I must admit that I really looked like Hell, but was so tired that I didn't really care. That is until I realized through Facebook postings that an old boss that I had not seen for years was in the same lounge waiting for the flight back to Jacksonville. It was great to see him and he assured me that not all of my cuteness had faded away, but I think...no... I know that he was just being kind (aka lying through his teeth).

The Art of Balance

I found a lot of personal, professional and artistic inspiration on this trip. The entire experience also reminded me how very thankful I am for my day job and the opportunities it has provided over the years to meet new people and travel to places I never dreamed I would be able to see.

Pre-trip Balance Plan

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:41:58 CDT

I think it's fitting to begin this blog series with the truth. I desire balance. I seek balance. I love the idea of balance. However, actually achieving balance is something I struggle with daily. Each day is a battle between what I want to do and what must be done. Can anyone relate?

Today is a good example. I am traveling on Friday to Israel for the day job. There are alot of things that I must do in order to prepare for this trip (I will not bore you with a detailed list). My flight leaves in the morning, so in essence, I only have today and tomorrow to complete all of these tasks. As the time to prepare grows shorter, the pressure grows more intense. With pressure comes procrastination and so the pressure builds even more. If I'm being honest (and I am) even this blog post is a way to put off the things that must be done.

And what about the things I WANT to do? My husband and I just returned from a weekend in New York. As you can imagine, this trip sparked a tremendous amount of creative ideas that are just dying to get expressed. Will there be any room for that in the time I have before my next trip?

Advice I Would Give to Me if I Were Not Me

Here's your plan of attack:

On your white board, make two lists of what must be done prior to your trip on Friday. One list should have all of the day-job related tasks that need to be completed (emails to send, phone calls to make, projects to complete, etc.). The other list should have all of the non-day-job related tasks (bills to pay, things to pack, errands to run, etc.).
Since time is so short, try to assign a time when you will work on/complete each of these tasks (note that some can overlap, like laundry and email). Note: when assigning times for these tasks, plan to schedule all of them prior to 6 p.m. so that your evening hours are free. Since you typically wake prior to 6 a.m. each day, this shouldn't be much of a problem.
After 6 p.m. is the time to "reward" yourself for all of the things you were able to accomplish. This is when you get to do the things you WANT to do (paint, create, etc).

I will leave you with this quote:

"Well done is better than well said" - Ben Franklin

This plan means nothing if it is not executed. I can do this. I will do this. Here's to my (and your) productivity!