This article is an excerpt from a past monthly letter. If you enjoy this kind of grounding support, sign up to receive the monthly coaching package: it includes an article like this one, journaling prompts, creative practices, spiritual rituals and supportive tools to help you navigate your rebellious path as an artist or creative entrepreneur.

Balance can feel like a puzzling concept and impossible destination to reach for us, creative minds. An obscure mirage we can sometimes get to touch for a brief second before it disappears in the foggy lands of our imagination. We may feel like balance is moving in parallel to our nature— the idea of getting to that even, steady, consistent and “just right” state can seem illusory at best.

This month, I would love to share with you a perspective on the topic— not as a means to impose my point of view as an ultimate truth, but as a starting point for us to question, deconstruct and dissect this idealized concept of balance, so we can draw our own definition of it. You’re not the only wild, complex, intense soul in the confusing pursuit of equilibrium. And like anything else in life, you’re allowed to draw a personal definition that takes your humanity, identity and uniqueness into consideration.

Tell me, what does a balanced life look like for you? In what ways would finding this balanced state make it easier to achieve what you desire? How would it allow you to cultivate the feeling you’re looking to wrap yourself into?

Oftentimes, we embark on a journey to find something without first understanding why we seek it. “Balance”, “success” and “freedom” are quests we can easily dive into without first localizing our version of this destination— only to end up circling around detours and cul-de-sacs in what feels like an impossible maze.

We’re desperately hunting for that sacred consistency we so crave as creative humans— aiming to paint this nuanced way of living— a perfect shade of grey, light enough, not too dark. And then there’s the holy grail: the mythical work/life balance— some kind of zero sum game. An absurd puzzle to solve.

Maybe balance is a “both/and” proposition. Maybe we can challenge the idea that balance is an even, uniform, constant result— but rather the process of balancing opposing realities, truths and ideas. Maybe balance is a space waiting for us at the merging of our disparities where all our truths can co-exist harmoniously.

What if finding balance meant knitting our contradictions together?
What if we could finally find that sacred balance by simply accepting our polarities?
What if our very imbalances nourished our ability to colour outside the lines, to carve the path forward, to illustrate other perspectives?
What if our very attraction toward polar opposites strengthened our understanding of nuances?
What if balance looked like an impressionist painting, with its multitude of unblended colours that create this unified landscape when admired from afar? Could this also be balance?
Maybe instead of seeking evenness, we can befriend the extremes and look for harmony. When all parts of ourselves, all parts of our life, all parts of our creative work are in agreement, anchored in our truth, it doesn’t matter how unbalanced, or uneven they may individually be— like a symphony orchestra.

We will inevitably get knocked off balance and we have to learn to trust our ability to get back on our feet, find our center and anchor ourselves again. We have to learn to discern when our imbalances push us off the edge and block our flow, and trust ourselves within the unbalanced reality of creative living. Rather than expecting ourselves to become that calm and collected creative, maybe we can just allow ourselves to flow. Not praying for still waters, but for the inner strength to ride the waves and get back to calm seas.

What if we invested our focus into understanding where our inner balance resides, rather than seeking to balance external things?
What if we worked on building resilience and becoming more flexible, rather than promoting this rigid image of balance?
What if we paid more attention to our needs and internal state of balance so we could choose to respond to our ever changing situation?

Balance needs to be a flexible and responsive concept— it cannot be a fixed destination we’re hoping to reach. We may need to accept our imbalances and wobbliness, while building the ability to recalibrate. We find balance when we follow our natural rhythms and don’t obstruct the flow— when we’re not trying to control the waves, but decide to ride them.

Explore

Journal prompts to find your balance

Be gentle with yourself as you unravel these stories. Take breaks, find ways to self-soothe and allow yourself to explore only what serves you (all while knowing that sometimes we may feel the most resistance towards the most important thing we need to investigate).

What does a balanced life, art practice and business look like for me?
What feeling would this help me cultivate?
How can I find harmony between my polarities, and balance within them?
What needs to be shed so I make it easier for me to restore balance?
Where am I forcing things, and where can I soften?
What would it look like if I were to focus on inner balance instead of seeking balance between the external parts of my life?
How can I set boundaries around my inner balance? What is not allowed in my space?
What may I be resisting that could actually help me restore balance?
When do I know I am off balance? What clues can I look out for?

CARE

This month, I'm inviting you to explore journaling through an investigation of various polarities— without aiming to analyze any of it. Simply observe. Draw a scale and journal about what comes to mind. Some polarities you can investigate: what grounds you / what lifts you up what depletes you / what recharges you what creates traction / what distracts you.