Six Tips for Balancing Your Business and Your Babies

I was sewing patchwork coasters, one of my favorite things to make. I had a mouthful of pins, the machine was whirring, and I was whipping out patchwork blocks like a dervish. I must have been working like this for forty minutes or more, fairly absorbed, when something brought me back to myself. I'm guessing it was the shrieks.

My two sons, ages two and four, had been playing with scraps of fabric and paper at the other end of my work table. By the time I had emerged from the Zone, they were covered in glue and advancing on each other with hole punches.

Ah, parenthood...comes complete with a new sixth sense for impending disaster.

Sometimes, learning how to balance your creative work with your parental responsibilities takes a little, shall we say, practice.  Here are a few tips to keep you crafting and keep your tots out of trouble.

1. A room of one's own

Heather von Marko is the mother of Sage, 7, and Zander, 5. She's also a crochet teacher, a designer/fiber artist, and a community organizer of crafters (The Charm City Craft Mafia) in Baltimore, MD.  Heather has turned the tiny third bedroom of her Baltimore rowhouse into a studio devoted to creative pursuits.

"My kids are welcome in the studio, as long as I am in there too, and they stick to this rule."

Jessica Levitt, a crafter and fabric designer for Windham Fabrics, appreciates the benefits of a closed-door studio as well. Below is a shot of her sewing machine, with her daughter's right next to it.

"I'm lucky enough to have a whole room devoted to my work. I'll admit my studio is not, and never has been, really baby/childproof. Basically, my studio is off limits unless I'm in there with them."

2. Collaborate

Sometimes you want to (or have to) work with your children close by. Kids can play with scraps, play dough, crayons, and other age-appropriate materials side-by-side with you as you work.

Debbie Lee, mother of 9-year-old Jack and 5-year-old Nate, runs her business 60 Bugs from home — that is, when she isn't organizing Washington, D.C.'s Handmade Mart, The Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, and the Holiday Booty Market, or sitting on the board of the non-profit Hello Craft. She admits her work tends to spread out all over the house. But, she says, that can lead to some pretty awesome things.

"Just having my arsenal of equipment around has encouraged them to want to try making things and learn the processes. A couple of years ago when I was getting ready for Crafty Bastards, my oldest asked if he could gocco-print some stuff and sell it, which turned into his own product line called Skate Vampire. We did shirts and bookmarks, which he designed and helped to print, and he collected the profit for whatever he sold. I have to say it was really phenomenal to see him in the booth selling his work, and the response was awesome!"

Heather also encourages parents to work alongside their children.

"I am a big fan of having my kids creating alongside me.  In my studio, I have lots of kid-friendly supplies (mostly donated by friends cleaning out stashes) in their own containers, like mini pom poms, pipe cleaners, beads, sequins, fabric scraps, ribbons, foam shapes, and glue.  I usually just let them loose on those containers, and they make all sorts of imaginative things without any direction from me.  There is certainly a mess to clean up at the end, but they are occupied, creatively, and I know they value their creative time as much as I value mine, so it's worth it to me. My daughter has come up with some great ideas this way, and I even included some of her work for sale in a show I did this past holiday season."

3. Ask for help

Sometimes, though, you need to be able to work without having one eye on the kids. This is when your spouse, partner, family or neighbors (hopefully!) come in.

"I try to plan ahead for when I know I'm going to be really busy," Jessica said. "Luckily my husband can step up and help out more in those times, and things like sleepovers at Grandma's are great."

Debbie agrees: "I have to credit my husband, David, for really taking the helm when I'm busy. We've got a real partnership philosophy when it comes to parenting, so he's always ready to completely take over with the kids."

Myself, I am a fan of baby-sitting swaps or co-ops, especially if you have a friend or neighbor nearby with a kid or kids similar in age who also needs a little free time to get things done. Swaps can be a little tricky to organize when your babies are small (I myself was a slave to the nap schedule) but very worth it for your friendship and your craft.

4. Nanny!

But let's face it. The most reliable form of Responsible Adult Supervision is the one for which you draw up a contract and pay for. If your work is becoming overwhelming in the face of your parenting responsibilities, consider childcare.

"I mean, sure, when you have one newborn who sleeps a lot, you can get some stuff done [during naps], but soon enough that nap is going to be too short for much of anything," Jessica said. "It is possible to work while the kids are awake, but you'll be distracted from and by both the kids and work."

Hire a baby-sitter, a nanny, or sign up for daycare. Having a regular schedule of childcare will free your attention to the creative tasks at hand, knowing your precious darling is in good hands and not trying to drink your Elmer's.

5. Brew some coffee

Sadly, not every creative entrepreneur can afford childcare off the bat - especially when the kids are young and expenses high. In my circle of acquaintances, every creative businesswoman knuckles down to pull a third shift - after the day job, after the kids are in bed, that is when we pull out the crochet hooks, gocco machines or Adobe Illustrator. I find a ratio of 75% regular to 25% decaf works pretty well to keep you going after nightfall yet still fall asleep before dawn.

6. Show 'em how it's done

Keep in mind that, although life seems more like a tragicomedy when the children have fed every last one of your dressmaking pins into an empty screw-hole in your one and only sewing machine (true story! $79.95 to fix!), we are doing this at least partly for their benefit.

"To me, it's really important to model creative outlets for your kids, not only as a source of income, but of mental well-being," Heather said. "I think it sets them up to be more actively creative adults, as opposed to seeing making things as a sort of pre-determined, regimented school activity, something you give up when you're 'grown up'."

Says Debbie: "I really think it's important to expose your kids to the things that make you happy, whether its making music or knitting scarves or making duct tape wallets! Happy parent = happy kids."

Jessica agrees. "It's hard.  Really hard.  I mean parenting in general is hard, and add a creative job on top and it just gets more challenging. But it's also rewarding. I love my work and it helps keep me sane, so I can handle getting less sleep than I really need. Since creativity is one of the values I want to foster in my children, it does help that I get to model that for them. I do feel like I struggle a lot with the exact balance of what I am and am not able to do, and I'll admit that it can lead to frustration and tears, but I know I couldn't be doing anything else. I've worked a 9-to-5 technical job before, and I was miserable, so I'm very grateful that I have the freedom and support to do what I do."

Amen, sister.

We'd love to hear your advice and practical tips on balancing your business with your babies! Leave them in the comments below and remember: we're all in this together, except when we're running away to Minnesota to join the circus. (Or was that just me?).

Mary Beth Eastman is a contributor for TrueUp, writes about sewing and life at Supafine, and sells sustainable and handmade objects for grownups, tots and home at Supafab.

Main photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com.