Spending time working on a passion project such as this blog has been an incredible experience, but it would be a disservice to myself and to my readers to pretend that it’s been easy! I started this project during my gap year right out of undergrad. Besides working and studying for my OATs, I had all the time in the world to put my all into this project.
When first starting optometry school, I planned to continue to keep that same energy as well as incorporate my experiences in graduate school as part of the blog. However, I reached my first hurdle once I got to school and realized how much time I did NOT have anymore. During that first semester, I went MIA from social media and was struggling to dedicate time to my creative projects.
This is what I’ve learned so far about balancing creative endeavors with a conventional/traditional career path.
No matter how ‘stable’ or ‘secure’ your conventional career path is, do not give up your creative passions
By the end of my first semester, I felt drained. Of course, it was partially because I was pulling all-nighters and eating all types of junk food by finals week; but in honest reflection, most of why I felt so tired was because I wasn’t managing my time properly. The majority of my time went to studying and I wasn’t expressing my creative side or entertaining any of my hobbies. It wasn’t until a friend pointed out that I wasn’t as active on JoyEnvisioned that it hit me how much I’ve retreated from my creative passions. I spent that winter break reaccessing my goals for this blog and jumping right back into what I enjoyed doing. I went to museums, spent time with friends, wrote more in my journal, and spent LOTS of time creating digital content (which I love doing). My overall energy shifted, and I was able to enter the new semester feeling much more like myself.
Do not feel bad about pursuing a traditional career especially in the digital age of booming creative entrepreneurs
Another struggle I experienced while trying to balance a creative passion while pursuing a ‘traditional’ career was feeling like I always had to choose and if I didn’t, I’d always be behind. Especially during this digital age, I am always seeing people my age start and succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors in a short amount of time. I thought a lot about whether I was doing the right thing by choosing a traditional career path. I had to ask myself several questions: Will I make enough money? Will all the hard work and schooling be worth it in the end? Should I be focusing more on my creative career? Do I have a better chance of living a more stable life with one career over the other? Etc. At the end of it, I realized that I can do both. Nothing is permanent and I can always change and evolve as I need to.
Finding the right balance requires INTENTION.
During my gap year, I had all the time in the world to spend working on my creative passions. However, now working on a tighter schedule, the right balance of time is essential. I can’t spend 7+ hours working on digital content if I have an exam the next morning. However, it is still essential that I do dedicate the time to work on those things in order to remain active and consistent.
So how does one do it?
For me, I personally like to list all the things I need to get done by the end of the week, by the end of the month and my big goals for the year. When I’m studying for long periods of time, I like to schedule in breaks where instead of spending time wastefully on Netflix or on my phone, I work on whatever creative content I need to get done. I also like plugging in my creative projects during times where I know I have the time to spare. This is often at night, right before bed when I’m finished with studying/working on assignments or early in the morning before I officially start my day.
I find that I am happy right now with the duality of pursuing a traditional career path in a field that I enjoy, and also by balancing that with my creative passions with JoyEnvisioned. The ancient symbol of the yin and the yang represents harmony and reminds us that life is a balancing act. We are most fulfilled when we learn to embrace its dualities. The ups and downs, good times and bad, joys and challenges.
With Love,
Jacqui
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