Check In: Booked, Busy, But Not Burnt Out™️
How are you balancing Self Care while pursuing a creative career?
My UO family, it’s time for our monthly self care check in, so how are we (really)? We are well into this year and can we just take a moment to shout ourselves out for pursuing creative careers! I know we have all been in our bags financially, mentally, physically, and spiritually so there is nothing but abundance coming our way from here on out. Last month, I had the privilege of moderating a live Self Care Conversation with UO at the Santa Monica, CA location where we touched on all things being creatives of color and how tough it can be making self care a priority.
The reality is that we never clock out of our work, we may not wear a uniform but our work is a part of us, it is who we are. We take our work home with us, we embody the work we do on and offline for the greater good. But we can’t forget that we are the culture and we need to protect our mental health at all costs. This calls for the need to be resting just as much as we are creating. Every conversation I have with a creative person (models, fashion executives, content creators, artists, film makers, and musicians alike) comes to an honest place of feeling inspired but tired. This leads to a hype session of us affirming just how much it takes to unapologetically take up space in the field you love. In this same breath, you are the CEO so you deserve to schedule in time for radical self care as well. Some examples of this can be surrounding yourself and working with people who respect you, your craft, and your mental health first, saying no to opportunities that don’t align with your mission statement and knowing your worth enough to not settle for less than you deserve. Getting a group of your hardworking friends together, having fun, and celebrating the journey you are all on. Us having these transparent conversations about prioritizing our mental health is paving the way for fellow creatives and those who look up to us to set these boundaries first. We got this.
“If it makes you happy, it is not a waste of time” - @wetheurban
Warmly,
Sophia Valenzuela
@sophiav_
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EACH MONTH I WRITE FOR URBAN OUTFITTERS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE, WHERE WE HAVE TRANSPARENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ALL THINGS SELF CARE.