Comments on: a meeting

By: Victoria

Victoria — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:48:02 +0000

i am so proud of you jamie! to see that you recognize you need time for yourself just makes me (and the boys) so happy, you have no idea. and of course if you ever need help with anything, you have two pugs (and an owner) who would do anything for you!

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:09:56 +0000

Great post. I am at the same exact place of wanting to somehow scale back some areas of the business. I lost my Allison this year so I am going into the holidays with a real need to scale back a wee bit and adopt a new approach to project management. The thing we have to avoid in our desire to offer first rate customer service is to not allow our clients to define our business model for us. We have to set things up in a way that works for us and allows us to have a life too. I am 10 years into my business and this is the 1st year I have taken off weekends. I use to work 6 days a week all year long and more during the holidays. This work ethic has gotten me to where I am today however this type of work-load is just not sustainable over the long haul. Your long winded post has made me pause and realize I need to do some real soul searching too in regards to my business direction. Artist Linda O’Neil recently took a long hiatus from her blog posting and web-life, she is back blogging this week. I missed her on-line presence and yet I find myself envious of her ability to recharge herself offline in a way that will no doubt fuel her creativity in a powerful way. I love to see other artists taking care of themselves … it means there is hope for me too.

By: nicole

nicole — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:43:18 +0000

You are only one person after all. An amazing person, but everyone has their limits. I know you will strike a balance and then you will re-read this one day and be so glad you made changes when you did. Best of luck to you and all you do. Enjoy a MUCH deserved break.

By: Grace

Grace — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:44:07 +0000

Read every single word of this and wish you ALL the SUCCESS, REST & RELAXATION in the world. I admire all your strength generosity and energy! And don’t forget your advice to me about burn-out. Please take that weekend away and spend some time recharging! Doing nothing with some magazines and the dogs sounds yummy.

By: Judy

Judy — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:10:35 +0000

hi Jamie, good job of laying out a plan…and good to have it in writing, that way you can look back at your plan when things get off trackc again.
There are tons of great dog friendly places in our lovely Pacific NW. We love to head down to the Oregon coast with the puppies. Very relaxing and so beautiful. Hugs, Judy (Puglette)

By: Bev Hollis

Bev Hollis — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:36:10 +0000

Jamie
We had this conversation briefly at the September workshop.. You must take care of yourself and find life balance before you will ever begin to reach all that you can do, artistically, professionally and personally. You really can do it all - you just don’t have to do it all at once! Stay healthy!

By: Mia 'thousandhound'

Mia 'thousandhound' — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:12:59 +0000

Jamie….It sounds like you need to redesign your business. Everyone needs to every now and then and I can only imagine how hard it’s been to keep juggling everything. Gees…even I was struggling to keep my business under control before I moved to the USA. I was in the beginning phases of a redesign, much like what you are going through…even though I was nowhere near as busy as you are. Remember to put yourself at No1. If you don’t take care of yourself first, everything else will fall in a heap. Good luck! And I’m sure many of us are willing to lend a supportive ear if you need to bounce ideas or just to vent.

By: Jill

Jill — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:06:35 +0000

All the best to you and Christina! Remember to take time for yourself! You really are a super woman, I wonder where you get your energy sometimes!

By: Pammy

Pammy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:39:02 +0000

Woah. That was a lot of reading! Glad you are sorting out what you need to do to continue! Sometimes you have to put yourself first without worrying about pleasing everyone else around you. Give yourself the breathing room you need–it will benefit both you and your clients in the long run.

By: Jill Beninato

Jill Beninato — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:35:50 +0000

I suppose in the overall scheme of things, these are all good problems to have, but at the same time, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be much good to your clients either. A few days off is exactly what you need to feel refreshed and not so overwhelmed…Just breathe and remember you don’t have to be superwoman and do it all yourself…Delegate what you can and say no when you have to. You are super smart and super talented…you will figure out a balance for yourself…We are all here if you need to vent!