I'm in a low-stress, but almost-no-pay spot in my career as an artist, but still feel I can relate to many of the stories here. While I could choose not to do any work in my field while my children are very young, I can't seem to shut off the part of my brain that wants to create art the way I used to. And it feels good to still participate in the local arts community. I'm a member of a local gallery, which means I need to devote a certain amount of time to membership duties, including meetings, sitting, volunteering, and of course providing some art for display. Luckily, all the members have been very accommodating and have tried to find work for me that fits into my life right now. Even the small amount of work I've taken on has been a challenge to work into my daily schedule of baby, preschooler and house care.
I've just started to read up (in whatever spare moments I can find throughout the day) on time management, and while mothers have very specific challenges that aren't addressed in the material I'm reading, there are some techniques that I'm finding helpful, like keeping track of my activities for a few days to see where and how I'm are using my time, and making lists of goals, then prioritizing them and breaking them down into manageable steps. This is all in the effort to help me carve out a bit of time for creating art in my days, for at least a few days a week.
So far, I've only managed to find time after the kids have gone to bed for the night. It's not by any means the ideal time for me, but I'm willing to work with what I have. I found I still have something left in me for an hour or so, once I get down to work and have no (or fewer) interruptions. Hopefully, as DD gets a little older (she's only 10 months right now), she will need less physical attention from me, and will also take longer naps, allowing me to have a bit of productive time during daylight hours. DS, is 4 now, but when he was around 1.5 to 3 yrs, he would take a 90 min to 2 hr nap every day, and on some of those days I managed to be quite productive.
I found it's easier for me to give my undivided attention to my children during the day if I can get a little time in for my own pursuits every now and then. I can do a little mental planning and even take a few notes during the day while I'm playing with them, but avoid taking out any art materials that aren't child friendly. They are both in the habit of taking whatever tool I'm using out of my hands and experimenting with it. When they are older, I look forward to sharing creative time with them and teaching them what I know, but for now I have to be patient.
Phone calls for me are luckily few and far between, and I've somehow managed to get through them without any problems (nursing the baby helps!) For meetings and gallery sitting days, I'm so grateful to have my parents close by, who are able to babysit while I'm away. I can't afford any kind of paid help, so without them, none of this would be possible. DH would like to be more available, but he's just too busy with projects right now.
These are such special days/years right now with the l.o.'s, but I'm also looking forward to the time when we can integrate our working lives a little more smoothly into our family lives!