I am reading a lovely book by Kelly O’Connor McNees, THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, about Louisa’s choice between marriage and art. As we readers of LITTLE WOMEN know, she did not marry, but pursued her work instead.
I would love to hear what the rest of you think of this question. How do we as artists find a balance between life and art?
Even though we are often not as extreme as Ms. Alcott, artists do allow other things in their lives to fall by the wayside, at least temporarily, in order to do their work.  There is the need to balance time for our work and time for earning a living, often different things, even for published authors. There is the balance between work and home, between the families we write about on the page and the living, breathing families of our daily lives.
I seek more balance between the work I love and the life I love. I suppose that search is never a finished thing. I will not wake up one magic morning with the perfect balance struck in my life. Instead, I wake up each morning with the work of living and the work of writing waiting for me. I will live in both worlds, finding joy in each. Maybe perfect balance is only meant to be sought, and not achieved.
I loved that book.. The tone really fit the era and brought back that whimsical nostalgia feeling for me. Love LMA!
And yes, it is hard to separate our “life’s work” from everday reality of “real work”, but I feel I need to make an effort to allow myself the alone time. If I let the kids and family take over every spare moment of my life, than they lose the real me in the process. Gotta have that peace and quiet in order to bring your own spirit back to life.
Marie, you are so right. Finding that quiet spqace in which to be an artist is a huge necessity…and sometimes hard to find. Bringing your spirit back to life…that is a lovely turn of phrase that really cuts to the heart of the question.
Christy AND Marie (your comment really resonated with me!) — what does this LOOK like in your lives? I am at a crossroads where it feels that the only way I can go forward is to make that choice: marriage or art (I am already married). Family needs draw me out of the “internal world” from which my creative ideas flow. Apparently I am a failure at compartmentalizing. It seems that just being alone is the only true way to get the solitude that feeds my soul. Can anyone share actual schedule/structural boundaries that allow them to both pursue their art and be married?
I think of Picasso – all he had to do was retreat to his studio to create his masterpieces. Women took care of his other needs — he just emerged from his studio to the meals they had prepared. They ran the house, he did his art.
Hey! Maybe I need a wife?
Sabine, I have never been married, but balancing between our art and the world around us is always a difficult task, especially for women. I hope you find the balance you seek, and the joy that lies in both your marriage and your work.