I’ve always been imaginative, and I’ve always loved to draw. But it wasn’t until 3-4 years ago that I decided to make a real effort to improve my skills. I started taking classes and practicing regularly, and I was determined to turn my passion into a career.
But there was one big obstacle standing in my way: I already had a full-time job.
Balancing a full-time job with my newfound passion was daunting, but I was determined to make it work. So I started making some changes to my routine and trying to find ways to fit drawing into my busy schedule.
It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience of trying to balance a full-time job and drawing.
Table of Contents
1. Trying to find a balance
I’ve been trying to find a balance between my full-time job and my passion for drawing for the past year. It’s been a struggle, to say the least. I love my job, but it’s very demanding and doesn’t leave me a lot of time to pursue my passion. And when I do have free time, I often find myself too tired to do anything creative.
I know I need to find a better balance, but it’s hard. I feel like I’m either cramming many tasks at once, or I’m too tired to do anything at all. And I know that if I don’t make time for my passion, I’ll start to lose momentum and interest in it. But if I cram all the drawings the work in a short spam of time, I’ll start to feel too much pressure and lose passion as well. It’s a vicious cycle, but I’m hopeful that I’ll find a way to make it work.
2. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it
The road to reaching a big goal is never easy. There will be obstacles and challenges along the way. Sometimes the obstacles are from within myself. But I believe if I persevere and keep moving forward, I will eventually reach my goals.
Procrastination
Procrastination is even more tempting especially when I come back from a busy day. Technically I’m alert and awake, but a little voice in my head is convincing me that “you can reward yourself by taking a breather- just put the drawing off for a little while. You can go back to it later“. And I scroll and scroll through my phone. When I look up, it’s too late. A whole hour has gone by.
Sticking to Schedule
I imagine having a schedule is like this: the schedule is racing to put the idea of what to do in my head, before the procrastination, excuses, and other temptation does.
I suppose a schedule’s effectiveness depends on different personalities. I have always worked well with plans and checklists, while improvisation makes me nervous. Though if you are a person that needs a lot of freedom to work, you can schedule play times instead of work times.
Unexpected Tasks Piling Up
Another obstacle is the unpredictability of life. For example, even when I write drawing at 8 pm, one bit of delay in the afternoon can send all the activities out of order.
At that point, a somewhat stricter schedule is completely out of the question. On the contrary, I need to give myself “buffering times”- and even then it might not be enough.
To-do List is Essential
I have also tried to-do lists instead of schedules. Lists give a much wider range of freedom- because they don’t tell me when I should do the tasks, as long as I finish them at the end of the day.
The downside of lists is that they require more self-awareness. Will I honestly do those tasks during the day, instead of cramming them into the evening? How long should the list be that it can remain realistic and doable?
Schedules and to-do lists are both useful. Personally, I prefer to find a middle ground between the two: a morning task, an afternoon task, and an evening task on the list. If there is more work piling up, I can just prepare lists for the day after and after, etc.
All in all, it’s not easy, but it’s worth it. So don’t give up, keep pushing forward, and reach for your dreams.
3. What I’ve learned
It’s been a little over a year since I started my journey of balancing my work and drawing. In that time, I’ve overcome some big obstacles and learned a lot about myself. I’m not perfect, but I’m grateful for all the progress I’ve made. Other than the technical strategies mentioned before, here are some of the things I’ve learned:
Life is a journey, not a destination.
There are times when I fall into a demotivated state. My eyes are open, and my muscles can still work, but for some reason, my mind just can’t focus anymore. At first, I was quite disappointed in myself (“Is that my true measure? Sitting down and doing nothing just because I don’t feel like it?”). But I picked myself up, experienced these down times more, and listened to other people’s experiences, I found that this is all part of being human. As long as I pick myself up again, the journey has not ended.
The most important thing is to enjoy the ride.
I’ve learnt this since I was in secondary school- where I almost lost my passion because I treated art like any homework. But I feel like I have to emphasis here.
Whenever I see really good and professional artists, I notice they have something in common. Not only do they enjoy the process of drawing, but they also marvel at and appreciate people who produce even greater artworks or are good at fields they are not familiar with. I suppose it all begins with the gratitude and confidence one has for oneself.
Surround yourself with positive people who support your goals.
It’s hard to just look for people to support you, I thought. But then I thought a bit more. Maybe these people are already here in my life.
Whether it’s family, friends, colleagues, or faceless online acquaintances, as long as I am putting myself out there, there are always some feedback and encouragement. Be it a short “wow“, “nice work“, or a constructive critique, they are expressing their encouragement. And I feel absolutely uplifted.
Conclusion
Whenever you’re stuck in a rut, feeling like you’re just going through the motions day in and day out, know that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways to break out of the cycle and make your life work for you. You have the power to choose how you react to what life throws your way. You can either let it defeat you, or you can use it as motivation to become even stronger. It’s up to you.
So don’t give up. Use these tips to make your life work for you and you’ll be on your way to a happier, more fulfilling existence.
No matter what life throws your way, you can always make it work for you. It might not be easy, but don’t give up. figure out how to make it work for you. It might not be easy, but it’s always possible.
