I got my husband the book "Making your life as an Artist" for his birthday. Another artist/blogger who I admire was posting some quotes from it on her site, and my husbands birthday was a convenient excuse to get us a copy. It is written by Andrew Simonet, a dancer/choreographer, and you can actually download a copy for free on his website Artists.org. It is just beautiful, real lived experience of the life of a creative. The first thing he does is thank you for being an artist. And he reminds you why your inquiry is important. He says "our challenge: build lives as artists that are balanced, productive and sustainable." He offered that one should have a mission statement, which is different from the artist's statement, bio, work proposal, but includes all the things that are important to you in life. What would yours say? I am starting to think about mine. I think it is a brilliant bit of advice. And in addition, the book is a beautifully designed little object. I hope you will check it out.