Struggles of an Artist: Self-Care

The struggles of an artist are many. They are something I've wanted to discuss for a while now, but I hadn't gotten around to it until only recently. In my last post that I did for this series, I talked about time and how we often mismanage it. If we change our habits, we can fit in everything we want to do in a day, including self-care. Lo and behold, that is the topic of today's post.

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When I started working at my current job, I quickly came to realize how exhausting and draining it could be. In case you don't know, I work at a day program of sorts for people with mental and physical disabilities. They come in and work at their departments, doing whatever that needs to be done, provided they are capable of doing it. It's been fun, but it can also be quite tiring.

It didn't take long for me to come to the conclusion that if I didn't take care of myself on my evenings at home and on the weekends, caring for and looking after my clients on workdays would be that much more difficult. After all, one cannot give what one does not have.

Imagine that you're a glass of water, and other people are more glasses. You can't give them water if you're empty too. This is why Jesus said that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39). If you have no love in you for yourself, loving others just isn't going to work.

We tend to get caught up in the rush of life and focused on things like our jobs, our creative art (whatever it may be), our families and friends, etc. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that! But God didn't design us to run around like headless chickens without ever pausing to take a breath. We are made in the very image of Him (Genesis 1:27), yet even He took a day to rest after creating the entire universe (Genesis 2:2). And you're telling me that you expect that either you or others can keep on running and not take any breaks? I don't think so.

Let me sum up a Bible story in my own words (you can find the original in Luke 10:38-42). Jesus and his followers were out walking around Israel, like they always did, and they enter a village where two sisters live. Mary and Martha are their names, and they wished to host Jesus in their home. I feel like that would be a daunting task, but they set their minds to it. So they invite Jesus over, and Martha kicks into high gear. She's bustling around the kitchen, preparing whatever food they were going to eat, maybe fumbling up a bit and cursing under her breath. (That'd probably be me, because having the actual Son of God over for dinner would have me demanding perfection. And even if she didn't know that He was God's Son, she would at least know Him by what I can only compare to a celebrity status. After all, He was known throughout the entire land.)

Anyway, she's dashing this way and that, working as hard as she can. At this point, she's probably cursing her sister too, because where the heck is she when Martha needs her help? Finally, she abandons her battle station long enough to attempt to track down her negligent sibling. What she finds is Mary sitting the living room at Jesus's feet, listening to Him teach. That's the last straw, and she snarls, "Lord, I have been abandoned by my sister to do all the preparation and work myself. Don't You care that I'm working my fingers to the bone right now? Tell Mary to get up and start assisting me!" (Seriously, does she expect Jesus to command Mary like He did to the demons and evil spirits?)

Jesus gives her a sad smile and gently says, "You are stressed about a lot of things, but those aren't what's most important. Your sister has chosen that which matters, and what she receives today won't be taken from her."

This story has a few meanings, and I think the one that's overlooked is that Mary chose self-care. She was resting at the feet of her Savior, taking in His precious words and refreshing herself. Jesus commended her, and not Martha, who had focused solely on her work. He understands that we need to take care of ourselves, and He had to do that too, believe it or not. He would frequently abandon the crowds of people swarming Him constantly to be by Himself and pray. He had to renew Himself, and we must follow His example.

Be sure to take time out of every possible day to look after yourself. It could be taking a walk and admiring the scenery, getting lost in some music, reading a good book . . . whatever you find that tends to your soul and creative juices. Heck, even what some people would consider work (like gardening, for example) might be what rejuvenates you. For me, I know something that gets me eased up is playing video games. So I'll grab my 2DS XL and spend some time gaming, because I can get lost in that world and forget about reality for a bit. It's quite relaxing, I've found.

Another part of self-care that I find is super important is doing devotions . . . and I'll leave that as the subject for next time.

So what are your thoughts? Have you taken care of yourself lately, and if not, why is that? What relaxes you, and how you can make sure that you're doing it on a regular basis?