Would You Like to Make A Living from Your Art
Without Feeling Worn Out from Working All of the Time?

(I know you’re busy - estimated reading time: 20 minutes. Got your cuppa?)

Is it even possible to juggle everything you do
- creating art, running your art business, marketing and selling art -
without being overwhelmed, exhausted
and sacrificing all of your personal time?

Yes, it’s possible.

No, you don’t have to be wealthy enough to have a team of helpers (although that wouldn’t hurt.)

And you don’t have to give up anyone that you love or anything super important to you or (but you could give up some things that are not serving you well.)

It’s all about juggling. Conscious juggling.

What Does Juggling Have to Do with Your Art, Life and Marketing?

When you juggle, you feel a spatial palette with your eyes and see movement with your hands - a lot like making visual art, really. When you make art, you translate what’s in your mind’s eye through your hands.

To juggle the tasks in an art business in the midst of a busy life is much like juggling objects. You have to know what’s up, what’s going down and where things might slide sideways, all the while knowing where you are headed and where you need to be next to get there.

It’s not at all uncommon for artists to struggle to keep up with everything. It’s a human trait to strive to be the best we can be.

Your instinct is to try to hold onto everything, as you add still more to what you juggle. You get a handle on making art and you have to toss studio time up in the air while you grab hold of art marketing and fit in the rest of your life.

From time to time, you miss an opportunity to enter a juried show, exhibit your work in a top gallery or have to decline a commission and it feels like you’ve “dropped a ball.”

But as you become more adept at juggling each part of your life and art business, you drop fewer balls. You find a rhythm in your art, marketing and your life, and for a while at least, there’s enough time for each ball to rise and fall.

That doesn’t mean you never drop a ball. It happens.

The point is that you keep going and pick up any balls you missed, exchange them for others with more bounce or drop some and leave them there.

What’s the Connection Between Juggling and Balancing?

When you juggle, you get the best results from keeping your feet hip-width apart and firmly planted on a flat surface.

Would it surprise you to know that when you think you are standing still, just to maintain an upright posture, your body is constantly making tiny adjustments using stabilizing muscles?

That actually means that there is no such thing as “balance,” as in a still point where everything is in perfect equilibrium.

(Imagine what ballet dancers go through!)

So – you can let yourself off the hook for feeling off kilter some days

Thankfully, other days are better. You choose the size and scope of what you juggle; you decide how far to throw; and you keep adjusting your balance so that you rediscover the joy and flow you felt when you first became an artist.

You do remember that feeling don’t you?

Do You Often Feel Pulled in Two Directions – or More?

One of the common laments I hear from artists is that when they are in the studio, they are distracted by an unending to-do list of business or marketing tasks. Aside from the fact that the list is longer than both arms, they’d rather not go there.

Fair enough. But until you can hire help for some of the business side, those jobs are yours.

Okay that’s only two directions. And those two directions can feel like you are on a tightrope, feverishly going back and forth.

What about more directions?

Well, for one, the tug between being with family and friends and being CEO of your art business.

Most artists work out of home and, besides the title of artist, they are chief cook, bottle washer, gardener, dog walker, sitter and caretaker. And there’s no gender bias here – it applies equally to male and female artists.

I could go on with still more, but I know you know what I mean.

Congratulations – you are now in charge of everything.

Where Do You Stand With What Are You Juggling Now?

If your business is providing the income, results and enjoyment you want, then I congratulate you! You don’t need this program about balancing your art, life and marketing, but thanks for reading this far. (Maybe you know someone else who might, so please share this with them.)

Many of my clients do just fine most of the time and all they need is some periodic art business or art marketing advice. But more and more, I’ve been hearing from artists who can barely juggle what it takes to make art, let alone do more art marketing or get better results in their art business. And then there’s the rest of life calling …

For a while, they do as I did – add the extra duties and worries to a plate that is already overflowing. Determination and denial become close friends as these valiant artists realize that they can’t go on this way forever.

At some point, they realize that it’s time to address the situation, define the new “normal” and figure out how to live there.

Here’s a pop quiz I give them. You can play along too.

Answer yes or no to each question.

1.  Are you struggling to fit in even an hour or two each week to make art?

2.  Do you wish that you could hand over all that pesky marketing, web site and social media to someone else?

3.  Is work and life a tight squeeze when you fit in free time with your family or friends?

4.  Does your head ache every morning from demanding to-do lists for all the parts of your life?   

5.  Do you fret all night and count the things you didn’t get done, instead of counting sheep?

6.  Do you miss deadlines, make mistakes or forget appointments more than once a month?

7.  Do you scramble to find receipts, bank statements and credit card records to file and pay your quarterly taxes?

8.  When you connect with your closest friends, do you talk most about feeling overwhelmed, over-worked and underpaid and only rarely about how wonderful life is?

9.  Do you fear that you may have give up on your dream of making a living from making art so you can have a life?

What was your score? Are you okay with that?

Yes, you are probably strong enough to keep on doing what you’ve been doing. You didn’t come this far to give up now. And nor should you.

No, I’m not saying you have to give your future dreams, or abandon the goals that you’ve set for the next little while.

But I am advocating for a more whole person approach to your life as an artist.

• You deserve to have a life while you are making a living.
• Your art, career and your life do not have to compete.
• You can have it all, but not all at once.

I feel for you and I have been there more than once myself.

In my one-on-one coaching, aside from creating custom art marketing support for my clients, I’ve been spending more and more time helping artists juggle the demands of making art, running a business and marketing – oh – and having a life besides.

These very fine artists have the art talents, business skills and marketing knowledge, but are just not easily able to balance everything on their lists to make a living from their art, take care of their obligations to other jobs or family, and still have time for themselves.

And they feel bad about this situation. Feeling bad is not conducive to great art or creative marketing or a satisfying life.

I know how that is. I make art, manage Artist Career Training and work with artists. Like many of my clients, I have home and family responsibilities that are not always predictable. I do my best to live a healthy lifestyle but I also have a chronic illness that sometimes interrupts my work and life. I also like to make my own art and take music lessons too.

I get a lot done because I’m organized, have well-developed work habits and systems and I outsource a lot of administration. So, I thought that helping artists be more efficient and more effective was the solution. My vision for my clients was clouded by my own lack of personal time. I love what I do, so it was some time before I realized that my life was more out of balance than I wanted to admit.

Juggling art, life and marketing while driving.

You probably know the feeling of trying to get somewhere physically while your mind is somewhere else. Often, you go into automatic pilot, but not always. When your attention is divided with unfamiliar activities, you drop balls – and hope they don’t land on someone you care about.

But let’s say you’ve got juggling (while standing in place) more or less handled. Now if you want to juggle on a bicycle, you have to let go of the handlebars. No problem if you are going in one direction in a straight line, or someone is helping you balance the load.  

Handlebars add front-end weight that throws balance off, so it’s actually easier to juggle on a unicycle – or so they tell me. I’ve never tried it.

I rarely go in a straight line or in only one direction. That’s the blessing and the curse of a creative mind and a full life – you know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?

I have skills, motivation, business systems and a team plus I have consistent work habits I need to get my work done. Even so, I found myself working harder and getting less satisfaction so I decided to do something about it. After all, how could I coach my clients if I was not doing my own development work?

You may not know this, but all good coaches have good coaches.

So, I found a program and a coach to help me refocus my priorities and regain balance. The results were just what I needed. Over several months, I was able to adjust my thinking and redesign my life to accommodate the work with Artist Career Training, add writing a book and living with teenagers – all with less pressure and more time for art and music and the rest of my life.

I’m not saying all my stress went away, but the tools and a skilled guide made it easier to deal with the trials of life a bit better each time with practice, patience and perspective.

The results were so powerful that I enrolled in an 18-month certification program so that I could create a version of this program tailored to artists.

I know – and my clients know – the feeling of being on a tightrope. At either end are the poles of the studio and the business. In the middle, these hardworking artists are also balancing busy lives as siblings, parents, and community members…

Does this sound like you?

I know that you prefer to be the ‘you’ that is the calm, competent, creative member of the human race.

Are you ready for some gentle, clear and heartfelt support?

Introducing the “Balancing Art, Life & Marketing” Coaching Program

I decided it was high time to create an individual, personal one-on-one coaching program to help my clients have a more balanced and spacious life and juggle like pro on a unicycle.

Powerful, Practical and Proven Guidance in Three Simple Stages

I know that you are creative, resourceful and whole and that you just need a bit of help with all you’ve taken on as a responsible adult.

I promise that you’ll get clear on how to get from where you are now to what you want most in your art, life and marketing without feeling overwhelmed and wrung out. 

I’ll personally guide you to realign your life, expand your energy, make sounder choices, align your actions with your desires, as well as make better use of your time, money and energy as you juggle only what works for you.

• First, we’ll examine any attitudes, beliefs and thoughts that make you dizzy and keep your art career and life out of balance. I’ll help you substitute new ones that will gently propel you forward as if you had mental stabilizers.
  
  
• Next, we’ll compare where your art, life and marketing are now, with where you want them to be. I’ll guide you make conscious choices about what to stop doing, start doing keep doing, or do differently.
  
  
• Then, we’ll create a pathway to follow from your current art, life and marketing to your desired future. I’ll show you how to create doable plans and break them down into strides and steps to make steady progress on your artist journey.  

End destination: you can make art, make a living and still have a life.

I tested this program for 18 months with artists at various career stages to make sure that it would work for artists with a variety of balance challenges.

I knew that 18 months was too long for most of my clients. The last thing I wanted to do was make life more complex. The magic number to make sustainable choices and changes for a rebirth of energy and enthusiasm was nine months.

And to make balancing soothing rather than stressful the journey takes place in three simple stages.

So the program won’t add to the load you brought with you, we’ll also break each stage into strides and take it one step at a time.  

Stage One: What Are You Juggling Now?

Juggling requires facing the reality of where you stand before you move. When you get super clear on your current situation, then you are in a much better position to think about your next moves.

We’ll start by taking a good look at what’s true for you right now, what’s working - or not working - for you. 

• You’ll identify what you really, really, really want from your art, life and marketing.


• You’ll get your current personal and business challenges out of your head and on paper, where they are much easier to deal with.


• You’ll rate your current satisfaction in eight art, life and marketing areas so you can make changes where you experience most discomfort.


• You’ll take inventory of your skills, strengths, and support system, so you can be rightfully proud of who you are, what you’ve already done and who’s on your side.

Once you have a clear picture of where you really are, and it’s out of your head on paper, you are ready to decide where you want to go next. 

Stage Two: What You’re Juggling Now and the Hand-Over to What’s Next

Juggling involves looking up to see where to put your attention before you take your next action.

When you can see your destination clearly, you can choose the best route to take, what to bring along or leave behind and how to travel to smooth your transitions or avoid bumps.

We’ll name what you’d rather juggle in art, life and marketing and the new heights you want to reach.

• You’ll create a strong vision of what to include and exclude in your art, life and marketing - a "North Star” to help you stay on track.


• You’ll consult your inner wisdom about seven areas of your desired future to create concise, clear, focused guidelines for your next art, life and marketing choices.


• You’ll replace negative beliefs or doubts with true statements about your faith, trust and resilience as you move to a brighter future.


• You’ll move over, under or around obstacles to what you want, so that you can seize opportunities that were previously out of reach.

With a crystal clear picture of your next stage in art, marketing and life, you can begin the process of rebalancing your goals, roles, and responsibilities.

Stage Three: Creating Doable Plans, Actions and Balancing Habits

 Making major life changes or taking new steps in your art and business sometimes gets your heart aflutter. But fear and excitement can both cause such palpitations.

We’ll add safety ropes and invisible wires until balancing on a tightrope (while you try new juggling moves and gain momentum) becomes second nature. 

• You’ll draw a line from your current reality to your future vision to so you can clearly see the direction and pace you’ll need to proceed.


• You’ll create a one-page "big picture plan" with the three main "strides" you need to take first to move towards your desired future.


• You’ll write out doable "mini-steps" for juggling three priority action areas, so all you have to do is work the plan and not worry that you’ve missed anything.


• You’ll make a habit of ongoing, incremental moves that build your confidence as you create a sustainable future vision.

I know that sounds like a lot, and maybe even like some of the things you’ve already tried to make your life easier. Maybe some of those things worked for a while, others didn’t and in fact some made you even more stressed.

Not this time. I promise.

Rest assured that not only will the coaching be nourishing, you won't suddenly be left on your own afterwards. When we get there, I'll let you know what kinds of options there are to continue having support, if you should want some.

Why Choose Me as Your Coach?

Besides my deep background as a trainer, consultant and career guide, I am the first and only certified visual coach for artists.

And because I understand the stress of trying to be all you can be for the people you love, the work you do and the clients you serve, I am in a better position to help you renew your life balance.

My coaching will guide you to take the right actions, at the right time, in a way that will get what you truly want in your life – and with the resources you have or can obtain.

Our dialogues and visual coaching tools will give you support, structure, and suggestions. I can guide you, but the program will work only if you apply what you get.

I will not advise you what you should, or should not do, nor will I provide any psychological diagnosis.  While our work together will be therapeutically beneficial to you, it is not therapy and I am not a therapist.

I operate from the assumption that my clients are creative, resourceful and whole people whose answers and best resources lie within. But there may be times when I challenge your assumptions or am very direct about something that might be limiting your results.

I can help you pull your inner wisdom and strength to the surface. You are in charge of how you use what we discover together.

What Artist Clients Say About “Balancing Art, Life & Marketing”

"Aletta’s deep and respectful listening and her gentle wisdom have been essential components. 
When I talk she is quiet. She is completely present and with me. She doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t impose her own ideas or experience or lingo. She lets me tell my story and think aloud. On an occasion when I am struggling to express a thought she may offer a suggestion, but only to help me get unstuck."

"Aletta’s feedback and notes are startlingly complete. She can summarize what I have said succinctly and thoroughly. And she gets it – the emotional territory, the felt experience as much as the information."

"I find the program easy to work with and I just run with it, needing only occasional help and her active guidance as she helps me through. At several junctures she made suggestions for additional exercises I could use. Her suggestions were insightful and precisely matched my question or issue at the time – nothing felt canned or forced. 
At all times Aletta is encouraging, supportive, sane, and grounded. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to work with her."

"I have always felt listened to with empathy, and Aletta is also able to guide me away from limiting thoughts. She has a knack for getting to the heart of the matter and eliciting answers from me in areas that had seemed hidden or unreachable. I have always felt comfortable with her even when the work in Balancing Art, Life and Marketing was delving into sensitive areas."

"When I look back on the process I realize how extraordinary Aletta's coaching skills are. She listens with her whole being, and with an open heart and mind, and has a knack for getting quickly to the core of an issue. She can identify what I mean even though I'm talking all around it. Often she would listen and then consolidate what I'd said and I'd respond, "Yes, exactly, that's it.

She also has this wonderful ability to laser in on exactly what steps will be most effective, and her solutions are appropriate, creative, cost-effective and easy for me to implement with her suggested resources and my skills and available time.

It's not just her coaching skills, which are extraordinary. She is a consummate professional and Aletta's deep insights and wonderful coaching skills combine with her caring nature and her ability to create a non-judgmental environment that feels safe."

"I find Aletta a joy to work with.  She has an uncanny knack for knowing what makes me tick, which translates to how to motivate me to reach my goals as an artist and as a person. I always feel that she has my best interests at heart and truly cares that I be the best I can be."

"I just returned from presenting two sketches to a committee that is commissioning a large sculpture with two figures. It was such a pleasurable experience, and as I was driving home I reflected on where I was two years ago--before I started working with Aletta as my coach. I learned so much from her that it really gave me confidence to work on these larger projects. She also encouraged me as an artist, and I am much more confident, and as a result, enjoying my life, art and my business more than ever."

Your “Balancing Art, Life & Marketing” Guides and Tools

Regaining balance shouldn’t be dull, feel like drudgery or leave you feeling worse than when you started.

You’re an artist – and a visual thinker - so I’ll give you tools that are visually pleasing and include info graphics.

We all learn in different ways so you’ll engage in auditory, visual and tactile learning.  And variety increases motivation and retention, so this combination of learning tools and methods will engage your whole brain.

Here’s what the program includes:

• Nine 45-minute personal telephone consultations in which you have my undivided attention, caring and support.  Each month, we review your progress and discuss any aspects that need a little clarification or some problem solving. We each take notes during the call so we can refer back to any prior conversation as we work together.
  
  
• Nine downloadable guides to recalibrate your juggling and work-life balancing skills. Each guide is about 25 pages long (they range from 17 to 31 pages) with explanations, case studies, actual examples from previous clients and application exercises with clear instructions for you to complete on your own.
  
  Most clients set aside from 45 minutes to 3 hours each month to do the reading and assignments. Your time will vary depending on the topic, phase of the program and what you are juggling.
  
  
• Nine graphic worksheets that you can use during and after the program, to record your thoughts and feelings, assessments, decisions and future actions. Most of the drawing is done for you so you just need to fill in the blanks in Version 1.0. You won’t have to write essays or worry about grammar.
  
  The worksheets apply directly to your art, life and marketing so they are practical - not theoretical - and designed to help you make steady progress each month. You send me just the graphic summary a few days before each telephone conversation. (Don’t worry about remembering – I’ll send you reminders.)
  
  
• Nine summaries and recordings of your telephone consultations. I also create a Version 2.0 graphic worksheet of our discussion so you can see the evolution of your thinking and actions.

Signing Bonuses

When you register for Balancing Art, Life & Marketing, I'll also send you a few extras that you can use whenever you need a pick-me-up.

“Courageous Stories of Inspiration” Softcover Book (Retail Value $19.95)
Fifteen stories by successful people of what they do when faced with hardships and life altering obstacles and how they set goals, get things done and achieve a balanced life.

“Tapping Your Inner Strength” PDF + recording (Retail value $30.00)
(Includes live TeleClass recording, PDF outline and diagram)


"It has been tough before, but this is worse than other dips." When these words pepper our eyes and ears, it can be hard to persist on the road we chose. Learn what nine artists and art world insiders have to say about managing in tough times by drawing on your inner strengths.

“Out of Your Head: Idea Mapping” PDF + recording (Retail value $30.00)
(Includes live TeleClass recording, PDF outline and diagram)


Being creative brings the "curse" of idea overload. Idea mapping™ is a non-linear way of organizing your thoughts and notes. Adapt to the way that you think, instead of cramping your style. This visual note taking and brainstorming method is a fun, easy way to get your thoughts out of your head and on paper.

The Safety Net Guarantee

My aim is to help you balance your load and feel better about juggling your choices and actions on what you carry while you ride along your art career path and live your life. 

At the start of the program, we’ll agree on what you feel will make the program worthwhile, what you can reasonably accomplish and how you’ll measure success.

At the end of each phase, we’ll assess your progress and make any adjustments that will improve your results.

I’ll provide you with resources, guidance and unwavering support; you’ll do the balancing work.

If you complete the readings, exercises and visual maps; participate with an open heart and mind in the telephone consultations; and apply what you learn, I guarantee that your life will be better.

Sometimes the work we do brings out more than you want to tackle all at once. If that is the case, we'll break it down into more manageable chunks.

Occasionally unexpected events, responsibilities or situations come up that you had not anticipated when you started. If that happens, we’ll adjust the schedule.

If find you need to take a break part way through the three phases of our work together, we’ll do so and if you’ve already paid, I’ll refund your paid fees for any future part not yet completed.

So, this is the Safety Net Guarantee:

If you complete and submit the program steps in all three phases, participate fully in the calls, let me know as soon as something is not working for you but feel that our work has failed to help you reach the level of balancing success you wanted, and we cannot agree on a better way to do so, I’ll refund your fee. You’ll keep the workbooks, recordings and any additional resources I provided so you can continue to get value from what you’ve put in.

Summary Table of What You’ll Get for Your Time, Energy & Money

You can choose either Personal Care – which is already cushy and comforting - or pamper yourself with the Extra Care version of Balancing Art, Life & Marketing.

So, Are You Ready to Make A Living From Your Art
Without Feeling Worn Out from Working All of the Time?

Because I give all of my clients intense, personal attention and because this program is not the usual “add water and eat” program, I want to make sure that this program is a good fit for you and that I am a good fit as your coach. The best way for us to do that is to have a live telephone conversation. No obligation or commitments on either side, other than a really honest conversation.

Here's the next step to find out if this is the program for you. Click here to book a free 30-minute conversation with Aletta de Wal (with no obligation). After that, you'll get some friendly heartfelt support and you'll know if this progrsam is for you. 

P.S. Another big bonus! (And thanks for reading this far – I know that you really want more balance.)

I am so excited about the results this program can bring you.

And I’m eager to get started to help artists with balancing art, life and marketing, so the first three artists who register for Balancing Art, Life & Marketing will get Extra Care for the cost of Personal Care.