If you’ve never heard of the term ‘body burden’ and you work with any kind of raw materials to make your art, you really need to get familiar with this concept. Body burden refers to the physical limitations our bodies have for dealing with the wide variety of toxic elements we are exposed to through skin absorption, inhalation, and ingestion. The cool thing is, our bodies have a very efficient and effective set of systems for detoxification and can handle quite a lot. Our liver, kidneys, and skin along with various aspects of our immune and digestive systems are continuously breaking down and cleaning out the alien elements that aren’t helping us in our continued existence.

But at some point, we can—and in our culture, usually do—reach a point where the toxins we take in are too great for our bodies to handle. Kind of like, a beer or two here and there is not going to detrimental to your health but a six pack or two every night is going to kill you because your liver and heart just can’t handle the constant barrage of what is essentially a toxic element.

Many artists materials are listed as safe under what is called normal or common use. The problem is, we aren’t usually exposed to these chemical from just one source and so what is considered a safe level in one product becomes toxic when multiplied by the number of products we use that include it.

Take phthalates, for instance. I only discovered the potential risk of this ubiquitous chemical when I started having cognitive issues and started investigating the polymer clay I was working with which used phthalates as a binder. If I was only being exposed to it through the clay, I might not have had any dramatic symptoms. But as it turns out, 80% of every beauty product, household cleaner, and vinyl type material in my house probably had this chemical in it as well. I was not only absorbing it through the clay I worked with daily but was also slathering it on my face, embedding it in my clothes, spraying it into the air I breathed, and wrapping myself in it and eventually, this excessive burden disabled me. I became insulin resistant, couldn’t stay awake, couldn’t speak coherent sentences, and developed a kind of dyslexia.

Not all people deal with toxins the same way, so for some, the same level of exposure may not have affected them in any noticeable way, or at least not as soon. But over time, just as with heavy drinking, the constant battle to clear the body of the toxins will negatively affect the physical system of almost anyone resulting in cancer, diabetes, immune deficiencies, dementia, etc. That’s where thinking in terms of body burden can save your health and even your life.

You cannot keep yourself from being exposed to toxins completely, but you can reduce your exposure enough to let your body do its job and keep you healthy. I highly recommend looking up the MSDS sheets associated with all the chemicals and materials you work with and become familiar with the safety precautions recommended. Investigate safer alternatives if available (most poly clays are being made without phthalates now—if you work with the polymers and want a safe list, write me) and don’t get lazy with the safety gear—keep plenty of gloves and masks on hand and use an exhaust system of some kind, even if its just a window fan, to keep the air you work in circulating out while bringing clean air in.

The next step would be to start rotating out of regular use chemically laden products and start buying healthier alternatives. I was able to reverse the insulin resistance by eliminating all processed foods from my diet. My skin became the clearest I had ever had and my cognitive abilities started improving after changing out all my personal products for truly natural alternatives (being labeled natural doesn’t mean its good for you, by the way—go by the ingredient list, not the package marketing lingo).

Eliminating all unnecessary toxin exposure can be a tall order, especially if you are on a tight budget. I know, I did it, but then, I had to. But even if you just take it one small step at a time—maybe just work on always wearing gloves when painting or only buying natural cleaning products from this day forward—you are working towards decreasing your body’s burden.  And I can almost guarantee that if you are having any physical ailments, you will start to see some measure of relief or reversal when your chemical exposure becomes dramatically lessened. Because the same systems that work at eliminating chemical toxins also support the health and efficiency of the rest of your systems. It only makes sense that unburdening your system in one respect will allow it to assist better in other areas of your body. And if you are feeling better, you will be able to create and live better as well.

I was reading something recently about the harmful effects of high fructose corn syrup on honey bees. Apparently HFCS can transform into a toxic compound under certain high temperature conditions and as it is often used to feed bees on bee farms, may be contributing to the dying off of the bees. My immediate thought, of course, was “Stop feeding them that stuff!”. My second thought was, “I need to get more adamant about getting rid of HFCS in foods as well.”

I don’t eat the stuff myself. I’ve read too many reports and studies from varied sources about its worthlessness as a food source and its contribution to many dire health issues. Now this. But what can I, one tiny little person do against the HFCS industry that is now posting television commercials spouting off about how it comes from natural sources? Well, geez, people, when it comes down to it, EVERYTHING comes from a natural source. Some of the glue I use in my studio comes from corn too but I’m not about to mix it into my morning coffee!

This subject brings me around to a long standing issue I have had with myself about making art. It has to do with responsibility. Artistic expression is, ultimately, about communication and is usually presented to an audience of multiple people, hence it has some level of public presentation. In our interaction with the public, do we as artists and public communicators have any innate responsibility to use our artistic expression to better the world? Should I be making resin pendants from dead bees and empty honeycombs to make a statement about the honey bee crisis? Should my writing bring attention to the error of our ways, rant on about HFCS, chemical toxins in our beauty products, and the utter wastefulness of the mostly unwanted sway companies have produced to promote their products?

These are all issues I’m very concerned about but it’s not usually what I address with my work. I prefer to communicate about beauty, self-reflection, and imagination as an alternate but authentic reality. These abstractions will not likely have a direct impact on environmental, social, or health issues. But when I have the ability to communicate with multiple other people, do I not also have a responsibility to use that to alleviate suffering and hinder impending disasters?

What I determined a while ago is that yes, I do have a responsibility, as a human being, to make efforts to care for others and the world I live in. As an artist, my responsibility is to myself and what I am best at expressing through what I create. I am not a rabid activist type and highly conceptual or descriptive art is not my thing so I can’t see that it would do much good if I tried to make my stand on environmental, social, or political issues through my creations. My writing, however, is a different story and I know I will continue to write about the issues I am concerned with as well as creating imaginative fiction and emotive poetry. Each form to their own best use in my hands.

I do think that even if you are one of those lucky creatives that have been able to focus and perfect just one medium, your responsibility is to be true to your talent no matter what. Offer the world the best work in whatever form and concept range your process and ideas best lend themselves to. If your beliefs and passions also encompass communicating and/or helping with local or world concerns, you certainly have other talents and abilities you can use to contribute as a responsible, caring human being including donating your artistic talents and creative objects to events and groups that support efforts to better our world.

In essence, all I am saying is that you should not compromise your visions or sell-out for any reason, even for a good cause. We have enough falseness in this world already, especially with idiotic commercials about how everything that comes from nature is good for you. I think the bees would be behind us on this one.

It seems these days that every other person I meet has this idea that they want to go into business for themselves. They dream of never having to answer to supervisors with unreasonable requests ever again, making their own hours, taking vacations on a whim, working in pajamas and spending every day doing something they love to do. On the outside, that sounds pretty good. But the reality is that working for yourself is probably the hardest job you could ever have. And there will be days, if you try or are in the process of taking on this goal, when you will day dream about a steady paycheck.

Don’t get me wrong. I will never go back to working for someone else if I have any choice in the matter. But there are certainly days where I wish I could just be an employee. You see, I have the most relentless, unforgiving, annoying boss one could ever imagine. She’s there, in their head all day long, going on about looming deadlines, paperwork that’s backing up, the viability of new ideas, and the state of the company’s finances late into the night and starts back up with the first vestiges of consciousness. It’s horrible.

If you are lucky, and you aren’t the slave driver that seems almost necessary to keep employee #1 on the ball, then there are often the long lonely, sometimes unbearable, hours of tedium cut off from the rest of the world. Knowing that the world spins on outside with all kinds of wheeling and dealing and drama and stories being created by the daily interaction of humanity can be more distracting than the TV or fridge. The world outside is evolving while yours changes only incrementally in the steps it takes to make that pendant or create one more graphic or write another page of text, unobserved, unnoticed as yet, by anyone but you.

Perhaps you are blessed with working with a team of people you are in contact with throughout the day or have a position that allows you a high level of face time with others. Then there’s always the crushing responsibility to get you down. You are responsible for the website working, the packages getting unerringly to their destination, the bills getting paid on time, the invoices being created and recorded correctly, the calculation and payment of sales and self-employment taxes, and your own bookkeeping. For most of us entrepreneurial adventurers, we are our own HR, PR, marketing, accounting, communications, quality control, production, and shipping departments. And if something goes wrong, there is no one to shove it off on, not completely. In the end, the buck stops in our laps, no one else’s.

And what about the luxury of making our own hours and taking vacations on a whim? Most of the self-employed I know work all the time. You’re rarely off the job even on your appointed ‘day off’ and you can’t take a vacation because there is no one to keep things going while you dig your toes into the sand or sip champagne on a sunset lit balcony in France. The hours are long and the associated hourly pay is sometimes less than what your niece makes babysitting.

So why in the world do we keep at it? Well, I think we all ask ourselves this question quite regularly—sometimes for days on end. Then there is the day when the client’s website goes live, your art work goes on display, you get that email from the appreciative reader of your book, or you simply get that fat check with your name blazing on the “Pay to” line and its all yours. Because yes, you must take all the responsibility but you also get to take all the glory.

So if you can live off those singular moments when all your blood, sweat, and tears turn into some wonderful creation or experience, long enough to do it all again, you could work for yourself. But if you can be happy with a job, the occasional nagging manager, a bit of rush hour traffic, and scheduled vacations, do it. Return what you can to the world and feed your need for fulfillment through that job or some great thing you do with your days off. Let the rest of us fanatical, deranged, deluded fools labor on the roller coaster of self-employment while we both occasionally dream about being in each other’s shoes.

Like most freelancers I know, I check Craigslist on a regular basis. Lately I’ve noticed the gig and jobs lists have become a venting ground for frustrated writers and designers who feel the need to lambaste ads and companies asking for free and cheap services. And this puzzles me. For one, why waste your time? And secondly, if it weren’t for those no-pay and cheap gigs, many freelancers wouldn’t be getting the paid gigs they’re getting today.

Internships and apprenticeships have been around for as long as specialized skills have been in demand. But today’s economy has changed the structure of these long revered traditions where speedy growth and advancement is the name of the game. Instead, the tendency is to offer one time or irregular gigs and newbies in the field use these to build a portfolio of experience they can’t get because no one will hire them without experience. And there’s nothing wrong with it. As long as it’s win-win.

I have a master’s in writing but I still needed to pay my dues when I headed into freelancing. I did a few articles for nothing but publications credits, wrote a few books for what seemed pennies an hour, and did graphics work pro bono for non-profits and friends. These slave wage gigs are what landed me a three month, full-time contract and several articles with a major national magazine and ever since, I have been able to get great contracts with livable fees writing and producing the kind of work I had set out to do.

Now, there are a lot of slime balls out there who ask for the most unreasonable things and are only concerned about what they can get out of the relationship. But there are plenty of fledgling companies and individuals who just need help with basic services to get their business or project off the ground. These are great time investments for a greenhorn freelancer, especially with new companies since it gets you in on the ground floor and if you do good work for them, they are likely to come back to you when they need more consistent or advanced work. Just let the prospect know what you need to get out of the project and if it’s by-line credits, reprint rights, items for your portfolio, etc. be sure you are guaranteed these things in the contract you have with them.

Alternatively, if you are one of those fledgling businesses who are strapped for cash, don’t feel bad asking for low or no cost services, just be certain you are able to offer something of high value in return. Be prepared to give testimonials and references as needed, don’t ask for the entire production to be off limits for use in their portfolio, and if they are a great resource, return a favor and recommend them to others.

No money doesn’t mean no value. There are many things in this world that just can’t be bought. It just needs to be valuable for both sides.

It has been a couple weeks since I posted a blog here. I had not planned to take a break from posting but when life pummels you with one thing after another, you have to pick your priorities and be honest about your limits. The problem is, organization and those well laid plans tend to just fly out the window when that wrench gets thrown into the cogs. But that doesn’t need to be the case. You just need a plan for when your plans don’t work out.

This month I was forced to restructure my work life, I got sick, and ended up with a bigger workload than expected all while working on a new collection of art. Suddenly I found myself having to choose between keeping up my on-line presence and other really important things, like sleep.

Instead of flailing about trying to make it all work, I was able to shift quickly into a plan B because I had already determined my priorities. I decided long ago that I would not compromise the quality of my work by regularly operating sleep deprived so I made sure I was getting 7-8 hours a night. I had also decided that the completion of the new artwork by the end of this month was a priority over all my other work so I headed into the studio first thing every day to be sure I would get done what I had slated for that day. All my other usual activities were relegated to later in the day the most important ones being done first and if bedtime rolled around with a few things still not done, they were at least the items that I already knew I could manage to do without.

If I had not had a clear idea about what was most important for this month and long ago had resigned myself to not being Superwoman, the many unexpected interruptions could have completely thrown off all my plans. Being prepared enabled me to complete some great art work and as a result I won Judges’ Choice for best body of work at the Mile Hi Art Show I participated in this past weekend.

Life is one long string of interruptions. Things do not usually go as planned so if you expect to make your long term plans work out, you need to have your priorities predetermined and know what you will be willing to give up when necessary. Then, once you get through the unexpected detour, you can get yourself back on track knowing you have had some success, which will keep you motivated and on track for the long haul.

Since the subject came up a few times yesterday, I thought I’d speak about the usefulness and beauty of the oft maligned ‘mess’ that is so common in creative spaces. My awareness of this issue started with the skimming of a blog that upheld that organization helps creativity. Something about an uncluttered space means an uncluttered mind which will allow your wee brain more room to come up with ideas and create. I shook my head through much of it. Since when are limitations (lack of space in your head or on your work table or in the materials or tools you have) roadblocks to creativity? To me, limitations are inspiring challenges and clutter is simply creativity in action.

Later yesterday I meet an artist and blogger on Twitter, Rosie_Rowe, who spoke specifically to her love of ‘messiness’. I have to say, it shows in her work—in the most pleasing and beautiful way. To add more ‘orderliness’ to her art would be to ruin it. She admittedly works in utter chaos, but I see what comes out of it, and all I can do is applaud.

I can be both messy and organized. I actually love to build organizational systems in my studio and office—it’s like solving a puzzle to me—but I do prefer to keep bits and pieces of what I am working on scattered about, as it would be in an active, busy studio, office, desk, or other creative workspace. The scattered remnants of a craft project on the kitchen table or the pile of resource books and color cards on a designer’s desk is a display of the creative process in motion, of the history of the creator’s progress. A mess means something is happening, possibilities are being transformed into realities, and  and, for me at least, such a sight is exciting and energizing.

Not everyone feels this way, I know. My significant other is partial to neatness and things being in their place more often than not. Although a musician and entertainer of a rather outlandish sort (see Reverend Guy Marvel), he just feels better when things are orderly, when there is some modicum of control in the house. This is just how some people are, just as others prefer to just keep going rather than worry about the debris that results from their creative process. The usefulness of messiness or orderliness is, when it comes down to it, best measured by an individual’s preference.

But like anything, it should all be in moderation. I mean, if you are too orderly while working, you probably aren’t letting yourself go, allowing your mind to slip into the zone where keeping things neat is usually last on the list and where over-thinking your work is usually quenched. But being overly messy often results in delays as you search for tools or files, or mishaps when buried paint jars tip over or client’s notes get tossed with the first sketches.

My solution is to take a few minutes at the end of my time in my studio or at my desk to put away the things no longer relevant to my present project but leaving, where they fall, those tools or references or materials I will need when I return, so I can fall right back into my work. You can try that if the chaos is taking over but, bottom line, don’t let anyone ever tell you that your work space is too messy—or too neat. There is beauty and inspiration in both.

Working for yourself often means you work a pretty crazy schedule. There is always a list (usually a very long one!) of things you feel you personally must get done to keep your business/career going and growing and it can take up all your time. But never lose track of why you are doing this … to live a life by your own terms, one that you enjoy. Don’t let it become the ‘job’ that takes over your life so your life is your work and there is no living outside of it.

Taking time out is one of the hardest things for me, a consummate workaholic, to do. Which makes it all the more necessary that I have a plan for not working as well as for work.

I have a couple of rules, some which you may find apply to you but most likely you will need to devise your own to fit what you need out of your life. The important thing is to have a plan, schedule it like any other appointment, and keep it. It’s necessary for your sanity, your energy level, your creativity, and your relationships.

My Rule #1 is that I take time out at least three nights a week to spend time with my significant other doing nothing in particular—just being focused on us is what is important.

My Rule #2 is that one day a week, I don’t have any work scheduled. I often end up working a bit here and there—catching up on correspondence over morning coffee or networking but just to chat. The key thing is, I don’t make a work list and I give myself no work obligations. This is commonly Sunday because it’s usually the one day clients won’t write or call. Usually. I try to get together with friends on this day.

My Rule #3 is that at least once every three  months, I get out of town. Strangely enough I am very good at not working while on vacation. I don’t know why but it’s the reason I require that I get out of town—I know I will just relax and forget about all I have waiting for me because there is nothing I can do away from the office and studio. It gives me time to recharge and the experience boosts my creativity.

What are your rules for keeping your life balanced?

If you don’t have any specific rules, make some. They can be guidelines like mine above or work hours that you diligently adhere to. It doesn’t matter. As long as you take time out for you and for the ones closest to you. And that you go experience life.

When you work for yourself, you tend to work a lot. Ok, let’s be real … you tend to work ALL the time. Days, nights and weekends can be, and often are, completely taken up by your business tasks–trying to meet a client’s deadlines, getting work ready for a show, or just trying to keep up on orders (and bills!). Having this happen occasionally is just part of the gig. But if it’s happening all the time your life,and work, will suffer.

I had to learn this lesson the hard way, and I’m still working on it. I’m a workaholic. I really do not like to be idle. I have worked myself sick and have, on several occasions, almost ruined my closest relationship because of it. I thought I was going to need a 12 step program! But the solution was a lot simpler than I expected.

Creating under pressure and just creating something for yourself are two different things. So don’t make the mistake of thinking, it’s not like regular job stress because it’s creative. It’s still stress.  You really need to take time out to do things that are purely to feed your soul (or spirit or imagination, or whatever you want to call it). It may be social, artistic, adventurous, vegetative, or zen. It doesn’t matter what it is. The important thing is to get away from work and live life.

In our society we are often made to feel like we’re in a race. But as someone’s mother used to say (my mother didn’t have sayings … she just had ‘looks’) “Haste makes waste”. Extend that idea to working too much and too hurriedly. You will burn out and kill your creativity as well as your motivation. Get out of the race and refuel. You will be more efficient, more successful, and more energetic if you do this regularly. And you will be happier. So will your family.

Consider taking time out EVERY day to do something for yourself, spend guilt-free time with those closest to you, or just to do nothing much. Set one day aside every week where you are not allowed to do ‘work’ and go kick back with friends or have adventures. Get out of town, even for just a day, at least once a month. And have regular vacations–like 3-4 times a year.

You might be thinking to yourself “I don’t have time for vacation!” but consider when you have gotten away from it all, how the new sights and experiences you had got you so jazzed or how calm you were when you returned. You need that, just like you need food and shelter. And for creatives, time out and new adventures is absolutely imperative to keeping your creativity from going stale.

So, go ahead, take time out right now and go plan a vacation or do some creativity work just for yourself. Then notice how you feel when you get back to work. Thinking of it as feeding your creative being and don’t starve yourself.

I left my very well paying, fly me all over and keep me at plush hotels, corporate job to become an artist. Really. And that’s exactly what I told my six bosses and everyone else that asked. I don’t think they quite believed me. Well, not a first.

Then as my last day approached, people started coming up to me with these tentative but strangely admiring looks, and they would eventually reveal to me their own creative proclivities. One woman in quality control revealed that on occasion she wrote short stories, the IT manager manager used to write poetry, one of the vice-presidents revealed he’d bought his last home with space for a furniture making studio he had yet to set up, and even the multi-media guy, who had the most creative job in the place, brought around sketches of these 3-D moving wooden scenes and toys that ran by wooden gears he used to make. Used to. There was a lot of  ‘used to’ and ‘I would like to someday’ comments.

These revelations confirmed for me one of the reasons for my leaving a regular job. The competition and all consuming drive that is perpetuated in large companies stiffles and leaves no room, energy, or time for personal creative expression. I was feeling it myself. With a degree in both fine art and creative writing, it was intolerable to spend weeks, sometimes months without writing even a poem or sculpting a pendant. I can’t not create. But I don’t think I am unique there. Everyone has something inside them they need to get out and put into a tangible form, even if they rarely share it. Food, shelter, companionship and creativity. I believe those are the bare necessities we need to feel whole and to live.

I have never known an wholly  unhappy creative person who was working on their craft. Tortured, yes. Angry yes. But desperately unhappy and frustrated by their life? Only when they couldn’t work.

Perhaps I’m wrong but I have a feeling that if every child in school was required to take a creative class each semester and every person on earth was expected to spend at least a few hours every week creating something new to share with the world, we’d have a much happier, more content world. Yeah, I know. Idealistic nonesense that is.  But I believe it to be true and will live by it. Create, write, sing, dance, sculpt, paint, cook, garden, craft … just do something good for your soul every week if not every day. And see if it doesn’t make a difference.