Follow Mr` G
Balancing your creative life with your "real" life can be a bit of a tightrope walk. Creatives never stop. Our minds are in full movement from the time we wake up and often as we sleep. Ideas explode as we stand in line at the grocery store, as we fold the wash, as we cut the grass, as we tuck the kids under the covers, as we work our day job, as we cook dinner and the list could go on forever.
Finding balance between these two lives can often be frustrating, can create animosity, can cause depression or anxiety and can make one reevaluate whether the creative life is really worth the pursuit.
Balance can be found between these two lives as long as you're willing to set some priorities and make some sacrifices.
Carry a notebook. Always. Write down what's lurking around in your head. The few seconds or minutes are worth the time to keep an idea fresh and go back to it when the timing is more suitable.
Create creative time in your daily schedule. If this just means you create on weekends, accept that and don't veer from the commitment. If it means one hour after dinner, accept that. Only you can make the time to participate in your creative life.
Create family time. This is the same application as creative time. Commit to it.
Recognize your down time. Are you watching too much TV to unwind? Are you surfing the internet to release the tension of the day? Are these activities keeping you from your creative goals?
Can you sacrifice an hour of sleep to get back to your creative pursuits? Sleep is just as important as the air we breathe, so ask yourself if you can wake up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later to instill time for your creative life. But keep in mind, lack of sleep can hinder this venture as well as help it. Make sure you get the sleep you need.