Clocking Out

(Or At Least Trying To)

Enjoying a sunny day by the lake, Chelsea relaxes near kayaks and a boat during her vacation in West Michigan.

One of the hardest parts of being a self-employed artist is that there isn’t really a clock to punch. Work follows you everywhere.

An idea for a painting while you’re making dinner. A client email during your kid’s soccer game. A phone call that feels too important to wait until tomorrow. A social media post that “only takes a minute.” Before you know it, you’re working all day without ever really feeling like you’ve worked — or rested. I’ve been trying to create better boundaries. Work hours. Parenting hours. Home hours. My mom’s health. The constant stream of heartbreaking news. The feeling that the world is on fire some days.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed. It’s easy to stay busy because being busy feels productive, even when it’s really just another form of avoiding the weight of everything else. Eventually, that kind of busy leads to burnout. I’m learning that balance isn’t something you find once.

Paddling through the serene waters of West Michigan, Chelsea takes in the picturesque lakeside views from her bright green kayak.

It’s something you practice every day. Some days I get it right. Some days I don’t. Ironically, some of those bigger concerns are exactly why we’re opening Endcap. We want to create more than a building. We want to build a creative community.

A place where artists, makers, small businesses, and creative entrepreneurs can grow together. A place with studios, retail, events, collaboration, and the sharing of ideas. An incubator where people don’t have to build their dreams alone.

Charles is busy setting up the new location for NOW Gallery, arranging artwork in the Endcap space.

Right now, I think that’s what many of us need. Community. We can’t fix every problem in the world. But we can know our neighbors. We can encourage another artist. We can support a small business. We can create something beautiful. We can make one corner of the world a little brighter.

And maybe that’s enough. Maybe if each of us shines our own little light where we are, those lights begin to add up. As I’m writing this, it’s 9:30 at night.

Chelsea working on a wall painting project at the Endcap, adding a fresh layer of color to the space.

Which makes me wonder… Am I clocked in for work? Or am I just a person trying to make sense of life? Maybe tonight, it’s a little of both.

And maybe that’s okay.