The lovely m-c asked me to contribute to a discussion she opened up on her blog here about balancing multiple creative projects at once.  The question:

"How can you, as a creative person, find the right balance in doing many projects simultaneously? How do you manage to complete many projects while keeping a healthy body and mind?"

This is a great question for me because I tend to juggle many creative projects at once.  Right now I am working on a 48" x 60" painting, an assemblage project that involves a mannequin and wire, a book and now, on top of all this, I am re-designing my website.  I prefer to work on many projects at once because it keeps me energized and also because I am a firm believer in walking away from something when I get stuck and/or frustrated.  I have learned that usually the best thing I can do for a piece is let it sit still when I come against blocks or barriers within that paritcular piece.

When left to my own devices I can get totally consumed in my work, and the main way I create more balance in my life on a day to day basis is through friends.  I plan a lot of lunch dates, have regular phone calls with people and also keep in close contact through emails and blogs.  I am also passionate about travel, and getting completely out of my comfort zone always energizes, inspires and excites me.

Taking one giant step back and focusing on the overall picture of my life, I try to see everything I do as part of my creative journey.  I was frustrating myself for a long time when I put different activities in different boxes.  This was called "creative" but that was not; this contributed to my work as an artist but that was draining my resources.  When I compartmentalized like that I had a lot of frustrating days.  Once I tried a different tactic - one where I opened myself up to the possibility that anything had the potential to contribute to my work as an artist, it all flowed easier.  Sometimes the best change we can make is in how we look at things more than what actions we take.

Thank you m-c! 

P.S.  m-c wanted me to tag five more people to answer this question, but instead I'll just open up the floor to anyone who feels inspired to answer the question - I'd love to hear from you!!