The Subtle Art of Balancing
Nurturing your Creative Soul while Building your Business
Hello my creative souls,
Ever feel like your creative spark is being smothered by spreadsheets, strategy planning and endless data?
You’re not alone.
As a creative business owner, it’s a tightrope walk between artistic expression and the more data-driven administrative and strategic side.
But, the truth is I don’t believe you have to choose between being creative and being strategic, business-minded or even successful. I don’t see the two sides as mutually exclusive and separate - rather, I see these two sides as pieces of a whole that can be integrated and combined.
The Creative Business Paradox
Many of us started our businesses because of that passion we have for our subject, the love and drive we have to share that with the world. Yet, ironically, running that business can sometimes leave feelings of exhaustion and being so far from any kind of creativity that we sometimes feel we’re just a data slave.
And, while I do think data and spreadsheets are important, the good news is we don’t have to let them take over our lives. There’s no dead-ends here, only opportunities for creative growth.
Understanding the Creative Mind in Business
Before we get into the depths of navigating this, let’s first acknowledge something important - your creative mind is your greatest biggest asset.
When we’re stressed about business demands, we often get bogged down in the day-to-day and suppress our creative tendencies, thinking we need to be more ‘business like’. But, actually, this is the time we need to be embracing our creative nature.
Because if you think about it your creativity can help you:
Solve problems innovatively
Connect with clients authentically
Stand out in a crowded market
Adapt to changing business perspectives
Create unique marketing strategies and approaches
Here are five practical strategies to keep your creative fire burning while you get on with the important job of building a thriving business:
1. Schedule Sacred Creative Time
Block out time slots in your calendar and make them non-negotiable creative times.
Get into a habit of treating these as just as important as client meetings
Start with just 15 minutes every day - consistency is more important than length of time
Create habits and rituals around your creative time - special music, certain location, favourite drink, particular time, etc
Use time-blocking techniques to protect these vital moments
2. Transform Business Tasks into Creative Projects
Approach your marketing as storytelling first not selling
Turn your financial planning into visual mind-maps that are far more appealing than lists of figures
Use colour coded creative layouts when managing projects to give some really interesting and appealing visuals to help boost that creative spark
When presenting work or proposals to clients use beautifully designed presentations - Canva can help with this if you’re not design savvy.
Create engaging social content that feels like an extension of you and your art (I use art to mean any kind of creative work).
3. Create Boundaries that protect your energy
Set specific hours for admin tasks, or if you can afford it, hire a VA
Use automation tools for repetitive work to free up more time
Learn to say no to to people and projects that drain you
Create templates for all those common everyday business tasks
Create clear communication boundaries with your clients, you can’t be available all the time so set up some rules
4. Find inspiration in the everyday
Keep a small sketchbook or notes app handy for ideas, doodles, quick thoughts and plans
Document all those random ideas that pop up during business activities and tasks
Look for creative solutions in those business challenges
Turn client feedback into a creative opportunity, can you share it, can you create some interesting content from it?
Find inspiration in unexpected business moments - when you’re networking, when you’re doing dull tasks, when you’re mapping those processes
5. Build a support system
Connect with other creative entrepreneurs and business owners
Join communities that understand and are also on the journey too
Consider working with a creativity coach who will help you stay on track, motivated and help you deal with blocks and issues
Share your struggles and victories because we all have ups and downs, it’s a good idea to share the downs as well as the ups
Create accountability partnerships to help you and someone else stay on task together
The Power of Integration
The secret isn’t to perfectly balance creativity and business, it’s to integrate them together. When you learn to see your business as a creative outlet, everything changes. Your marketing becomes authentic, your client relationships more meaningful, and your work more fulfilling.
Creating your Integration Plan
Start by asking yourself the following:
When do I feel most creative during the day?
Which business tasks drain my creativity the most?
How can I inject creativity into my routine tasks?
What would my ideal creative business day look like?
What support do I need to make this vision reality?
Don’t give up if you don’t get it straight away, many don’t realise that this kind of integration doesn’t happen by accident, instead it takes intention, strategy and guidance.
Common challenges and solutions
1. Time management issues are holding you back
Solution - use time blocking specifically for creative work
Tip - start your day with creative work when your energy levels are highest
2. Creative blocks during the workday
Solution - keep an inspiration folder for those tough days
Tip - change your environment when you feel stuck. I love nature. What fills your creative well?
3. Overwhelm from wearing multiple hats
Solution - batch similar tasks together to get them out of the way
Tip - Create systems that free up mental space for creative energy
Ready to transform your approach?
If you’re tired of feeling torn between your creative passion and business demands, I can help. As someone who has walked (and failed) along this path many times I know the challenges you’re facing.
Through creativity coaching programmes - I help business owners protect creative time, develop strategies, build confidence, build sustainable systems, and find ways to bring creativity to life in their marketing and creative practices.
Success stories
One of my clients, a graphic designer, came to me feeling completely burnt out from juggling client work, business work and feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Through our work together we developed systems that allowed her to maintain her creative flow, while growing her business. Now she’s busier than ever and loving it.
I’m currently offering special starter creativity boosters for new clients ready to transform their relationship with creativity and business. Drop over and get your free 20 minute breakthrough session to get a taste of what it’s all about.
Remember, you don’t have to choose between creativity and business. You can be brilliantly amazing at both. Your creativity isn’t a side note to your life, it’s the main character.
With creative spirit,
Sara
Read my blog articles on Creativity Coaching, or on the life of an author on my websites
Link with me on social media
Read my historical fiction mystery books
Find out about creativity coaching