work/life balance

I've been wanting to write about this for awhile now (since Apr 2nd at least) and since I'm shooting for 10,000 pageviews, I want to get one more post in for April. So here goes, work/life balance...

I've had the [Illustration by Hallie Bateman for Pandodaily] stuck in my mind ever since I first saw it (pun intended).

woman-in-half

Then when an opportunity to speak with the filmmaker of "Lost in Living" at a screening on CMC campus, I knew I had to make time to go.  Also the event was being hosted by CMC Prof. Audrey Bilger and every single event she plans is good.  What an amazing role model.

I cried.  At the end.  I didn't want their stories to end.  I wonder if Mary Trunk felt that way, too.  I have to thank her and the artists who star in this reality-show glamazon escape film.  We see gorgeous artists in full bloom, soaring through the story while doubting themselves along the way.  It was so powerful to see friendships and generations evolve over the course of 2 hours.  Did I mention I love time-lapse photography?

Also, I got a copy of the DVD and I would be happy to have a screening.  Call me, maybe?  Our house is such a mess right now, I think dear husband is completely incapable of making progress towards helping with it. For me, I'm imagining what Henry Ford would have said: "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs."

I'm not a mom, but I'm definitely a woman who struggles with the daily grind of balancing creative time and housework. I'm losing the battle on the home front, but potentially winning it on the outside. But maybe that's what all women feel like. When I read my cards, the image that I saw was King of Swords, an unstoppable force of nature. That's how other people see me, but I wouldn't even describe myself like that.

All the moms in the film judge themselves and their decisions, but all are creatively established to the point that they can handle rejection and even continue to work productively (and successfully) while raising children.  Nothing could have inspired me more to continue writing, even if I do not have a clear picture of my audience.  Let's continue this conversation...