101010 Project: The Balance Question ~ Jan Avellana

Welcome to the 101010 Project!  We are ten creative business owners who met through Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons E-Course.  We've come together to share our answers to ten questions pertinent to all creative business owners. Each of us is hosting one of the ten questions, and here on Artful Happiness, we'll be tackling "The Balance Question: What does it mean for you and how it is working for you?"  First up, the lovely Jan Avellana from Hazelnut Cottage!



A little bit about Jan:  Jan Avellana is a mixed-media artist with a passion for art making, books, deep conversations, and seaside adventures with her three favorite men (ages 5, 8 and 42). Jan spent the better part of her adult life trying very hard to be a grown-up with a traditional job. The birth of her two sons released her to follow her heart and reclaim the artist she has always been. In 2007, Jan created a line of silver hand stamped jewelry under the Hazelnut Cottage brand. Today, she revels in mixed-media messes, making heartfelt connections with others through art and words.
 

In print, you can find Jan in “The Pulse of Mixed Media,” “Inside the Creative Studio,” “Artful Blogging, Winter 2011” and “ClothPaperScissors Studios.” In life, you can find her immersed in the studio or at the beach (with paint in her hair). Online, you can find Jan here:

{etsy shop} http://www.hazelnutcottage.etsy.com
{blog} http://www.hazelnutcottage.typepad.com
{twitter} https://twitter.com/#!/hazelnutcottage
{facebook} http://www.facebook.com/hazelnutcottage

So Jan, how do you approach balance?:  “Next question please! Hah. I am so bad about being a balanced individual. For a long time, I have let my business consume most of my waking hours. I do not recommend this to anyone! However, the truth is, when you are building a business—especially when you have no business background and are learning everything for the first time—there is a huge learning curve. If you add to this the need to immediately produce an income as well as care for young children, it can be a very overwhelming venture. Balance for me means that work is done during reasonably sane work hours and that it does not bleed over into all the other aspects of my life. Balance means being able to attend to my family and enjoy them, without feeling the need or guilt to work all the time. Balance means being able to practice self-care, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically.”     

Visit the 101010 Project website to view all the participants and all the questions we'll be covering over the next 15 days, and be sure to hop around to all participants' blogs each day since we are each hosting a different question!