Balance
· In this episode, I want to not only discuss balance, but I find it important to talk about goals or purpose.
· This is one of the top topics that affect all of us.
· Where in the world do we find time to do furniture life
· We all would say we are already busy
· I find the most likely reason we have this topic crosses our minds is that we are looking to do more.
· Where does the more come from?
· Over the past 5–6 years I have gone round and round with the concept of going full-time with furniture, and I must admit the conversation in my head doesn’t happen as much of late, here’s why
o I have come to grips that I like my secure life with benefits, retirement, steady paycheck.
o There is no doubt to be successful in the furniture artist life, you need multiple streams of income. That takes time.
o I am actively pushing efforts to multiple areas. 1. Youtube 2. Multiple Booths 3. My overall brand 4. This podcast and more
· So, for us to talk about Balance, it’s critical for you to decide what it is you need to balance.
· My last statement is critical because if you look at the mountain of work ahead of you, I will be honest and tell you that you don’t have time.
· You need a reason to sacrifice time and other things you enjoy.
· It comes down to that. Sacrifice.
· There is no reason to pressure yourself into sacrificing time if it won’t get you to your goals.
· What are your goals?
· If you aren’t sure where things are headed, then take it slow. You’ll never get where you need to be tomorrow. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
· When I started, I had no idea why I was painting furniture. It’s taken a long time to find what I can handle and what I can’t.
· Honestly, please don’t try to set goals if you are just starting out, have fun, make sure fun is there. Without fun, the rest won’t matter.
· Your passion will drive you to put in the time, make the sacrifice, and ignore the pain.
· Balance—
o Here is how I look at projects and get them done.
§ One step at a time.
§ No matter what happens, when you do one step at a time, it’s going to get done.
§ A lot of the furniture art process is that there are many steps and often time is critical between these steps.
§ I recommend having multiple projects if you want to fill time.
o Then—get ready to have complete pieces. What will you do with them next?
o You’ll have all your pieces in your home that you want to be done, then you’ll be looking for other things to paint. —that’s great
· Overall—
o Take breaks
o Have variety
o Family first
o Have fun
o Start slow and easy
o Don’t let others push you to not follow your passion
o Define you
o You will never be someone else—be inspired by but don’t duplicate