A host of factors, developments, and dynamics have made most industries more competitive than ever. As a result so many of us wonder whether there is still such a thing as work-life balance. We reached out to the community to hear perspectives on finding the right balance.

Onajide Shabaka | Artist, Interdisciplinary Cultural Practitioner, Represented by Emerson Dorsch Gallery (Miami)

Like many artists I have worked full-time and part-time jobs while also making art, before and after being a student. In order to do the various jobs with efficiency and professionalism I had to learn to be organized early in life. It helped that I learned a lot of that from my parents as we children had weekly tasks and school work to complete. Now that I am solely active with my art practice I still have to be concerned about balancing the various activities of my life. Around 2007 I decided that I was going too long of a day. I was working on a computer when it’s dark out and it becomes difficult to know the exact time of the day in that case. I had a “smart phone” and set an alarm to remind me of the desire to get a full night’s sleep, and starting off each day wide awake and ready to go, after breakfast. I’ve worked jobs in the late afternoon to after midnight, and midnight to past sunrise, so I’ve experienced plenty of days short on sleep. Read more>>

Violette de Ayala | Founder + CEO of FemCity

When I first launched FemCity, I felt that the only way to be successful and taken serious, was to work 24/7 to the point of exhaustion. I did this chaotic pattern for years until my health started to decay. I started to suffer from anxiety, blood pressure issues, pre-diabetes and found myself ill quite often. It was not sustainable and it was impacting all areas of my life. I know think balance is the key to living a harmonious life and the way to have great success because self-care is the main focus. Through taking care of ourselves, we can then take care of others and our businesses as well. Read more>>