Must. Find. Balance.
I can’t think that this is a new thing with writers: finding time to write when you have another responsibility (kids, job, etc.) to handle. In my case, it’s a full-time job. One that I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR! Every time I think of shirking some responsibility for personal time to write, I am reminded of the very hard times I went through in getting my degree. I have to think clear and remind myself that work comes first.
The downside to this is that I don’t have much free time to write plays. I’m thinking that a part of my attitude towards this has to be practical, yet have a goal in mind of the reason why I pursued my playwriting degree, and that’s to WRITE PLAYS! A part of my brain did sound an alarm saying, “if it were only that simple!” And maybe it is or it should be. I know that I’m not alone in this balancing act between economic and “soulful” sustenance. There must be a blog or podcast of someone doing the same thing. Must be.
All of this being said, in my new way of zen-thinking, I have to put this in perspective: nothing is unachievable if I put my mind and attitude in the right spaces. 1) My writing time isn’t just a necessity for soul’s work, but for also financial gain. The time writing is done for professional reasons. 2) Writing is to keep my mental health in check! I know that no time spent writing will lead to eventual burn-out. I can’t have that happen again. 3) Be an example for the students I teach. I need to break that artistic myth cycle of writing only when the muse awakens me. I need to have the discipline to be able to write when I need to and not just when there is a deadline. This should be a trait of someone who has transcended the notion that writing is a hobby.
Like most things, I need to view obstacles as opportunities. In this case, the lack of time is the perceived obstacle. In order to make this an opportunity, I need to break up my time in doing the things I need into smaller chunks: an hour here and a half-hour there. Divide and Conquer!
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P.S. I found a pretty cool site called “PhotoPin” (http://photopin.com/) It will allow me to add free photos to my blog as plain entries look plain. For more info on the image, see the info below!
photo credit: chet baker:misty via photopin (license)