Balancing millinery with life

Hi, wondering how you balance your love of millinery with life, work, family.

I have 3 young children 6, 4, 1 and am finding it more and more difficult to make time for my business. I don't even work another job, I am currently a stay at home trying to earn a little income from my millinery work, but it seems as though I just can't put the quality time into my workroom that I need too.

I usually have to take 1 or 2 kiddies to the workroom and although there are toys there for them I get distracted, make mistakes and just feel my workmanship is suffering. I am a huge perfectionist and have been told by many that it is actually a negative to my work as I spend far too many hours making pieces just right.....not happy with 2 stitches, unpick the whole thing and start again. It's just not in me to put out something that I feel is not up to scratch. With my increasingly lack of time, means I feel like I can't complete anything, I actually said to hubby that maybe on his days off he could watch the kids and I could just zone out in my millinery work. That's hard to though as he like us to spend that time as family...AHHH.

Finding the right balance is hard, especially since I have had 6 months off already trying to do right by my family, trying to get back to millinery is more difficult then I thought it would be.

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Permalink Reply by Elaine Mergard May 24, 2014 at 9:30pm

So many young mums are working at their millinery businesses and sure not easy one. For many of us work time has been at night when kids are asleep or sitting in front of TV with hubby but actually stitching away or making a flower. Time management is an issue for all of us with or without kids. Life seems to have constant interruptions to any routine.

Try and pace yourself & work out how many hours of real time you can have in studio to focus on hats. It may be max of 2 hours/day while they have day sleep plus maybe an hour at night. Instead of battling to do hats & kids at same time put hats aside and do housework plus playtime with kids then when you do have specific studio time when the have afternoon sleep you can focus solely on that. This may cut back your time spent to make hats but only take on as much as you can. As a mum of 4 I realized my kids were my greatest creation and they had to come first. It does come to pass and once your 4 yr old is at school or prep that will free up your time & you will reflect on this demanding period in your life and wonder how you did all that you are doing with the kids as well.

If Hubby will help out with kids if you have an urgent order demanding time always talk to him about $ you will make & when finished this will help to pay the Electricity? bill or ?? Hang in there but actually write down a daily plan for 5 days/ week how much time and actual time is studio time and each Sunday night work out what you will do each day in new week. If I write a plan I seem to achieve more......but as a mum & nana my life also has a place for PlanB. Hope this helps - Elaine

Permalink Reply by Kylie McLean May 26, 2014 at 2:25pm

Great advice Elaine.

Permalink Reply by Dianne Barbour May 28, 2014 at 9:00pm

I work full time and at times find it difficult to find time to make a headpiece. I usually find myself starting later in the evening and doing a couple of hours each night. I manage to complete something within in a week. I don't think you can ever be too particular in your workmanship. People appreciate it the detail. Di

Permalink Reply by Theodora Otua Gasu July 1, 2018 at 3:18am

Thanks for the Advice Mum.

Permalink Reply by Tracy Deniszczuk May 30, 2014 at 9:58am

Hi Rebecca, I have been through what you are going through now. It does get better. I too was a designing mother with little one's and thought I would never have enough time to create the work that I wanted to because of all of the distractions. I think we always have some type of distraction in our lives, but as the kids get older, they won't "need" you as much and you will have the time to really do what you love. Be patient. Take your time learning all you can now and use that once the kids go to school you will have the time then for major production. I don't think that perfection is a bad thing either, I think we should strive for perfection in our art and not put out a product that is inferior because if you do it will come back to haunt you later in poor sales because there won't be repeat buyers. Keep on it will get easier to find the time once kiddos go to school, then think about the hours of free time you will have.

Permalink Reply by Alisa Fleming June 5, 2014 at 11:19am

Hi Rebecca, I know exactly what you mean. I spent or should I say wasted two years trying to get balanced,and remodeling for my workshop, but never finding the time to make a hat. It's frustrasting I know. but you just have to stick with it. I did lose some of my craft. so I started taking these classes on hat academy to refresh myself and learn new techniques. Maybe once your 4yr old get into school, maybe you could have a family member watch the 1yr a couple of days a week for a few hours. Or convince your husband that you need 6hrs to devote to your craft on the weekends. Just keep at it. When God sees that you are truly passionate about your craft, he will open doors up for you. It may take me a month to make one hat, because I'm constantly work long hours, can't find the right materials or babysitting the grandkids. but I try to do something everyday whether it is researching millinery, working on my website, shopping for trimming, or just sitting in my workshop trying to search for inspiration. laugh out loud. Well Good Luck, I'm sure you will find a way.

Alisa

Permalink Reply by Jaycow Milliner July 19, 2014 at 1:05pm

Hello Ladies ,

Thank you everyone for all the advise , just what I need , a pat on the shoulder .

Balancing millinery with life

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