We all forget to take a break sometimes, we think we’re too busy or don’t have the time to stop. This week on the Thriving Women Artists podcast, Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be reminding you why you need to take a break every now and then and what the benefits of that can be. Listen in for personal tips from three women with different experiences when it comes to choosing or being forced to take a break. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It’s Dorien’s inner critic that in the past has stopped her from taking breaks. Ping considered taking a break from work as selfcare. You don’t need to burn out to take a break. Sarah takes breaks to stop her from getting overwhelmed. 
• There can be such a focus on productivity that it stops us from taking breaks, but taking a break is part of the creative process. If you’re only focused on doing the work then you won’t have time for all the things mentioned in our episode on creativity. 
• Taking a break can give you perspective, it can be a reflective time for you to think about your work and if you’re happy with the direction it’s going in. 
• It’s not just work you should take a break from. Social media can be a big distraction and we all get addicted to getting likes and follows. Ping’s advice is to take time off of it to reconnect with your life. When you do use it, go for quality over quantity.
• If you don’t know yourself then you won’t know what kind of breaks you need. Try lots of different types of breaks, from 5 minutes to taking a whole week to yourself. Do you need time to yourself or do you need to do another creative project? What do you need right now?

BEST MOMENTS

‘A lot of people feel like they need to be producing something to be doing something’ 

‘You don’t want to get burned out’

‘Reconnect with yourself and with your life’ 

‘You don’t need to apologise that you need to go away for a while’

ABOUT THE PODCAST 

A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam.  This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.

www.thrivingwomenartists.com

www.instagram.com/twapodcast

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Ping He 

Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline. 

www.pinghe.art

info@pinghe.art

www.instagram.com/pinghe.art

Sarah van Dongen 

Sarah is a children’s book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.

www.sarahvandongen.com

sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations

Dorien Bellaar:

Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art. 

www.dorienbellaar.nl

hello@dorienbellaar.nl 

www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar