If you’re a creative entrepreneur or a small business owner, you may not think self-care is for you because you don’t have time for a long workout, lengthy meditation, or bubble bath.

However, Allison Ewing of Allison Ewing Photography is here to dispel that myth and explain why taking care of yourself—even for just a few minutes each day—is essential for serving your clients and loved ones well.

Allison Ewing is a wedding and lifestyle photographer and yoga instructor in Cleveland, Ohio. While full-time photography is her dream job come true, Allison recognizes how stressful her career as a creative entrepreneur can be. She first turned to yoga in 2011 to combat anxiety—and she felt joy and relief for the first time in a long time.

But, even if yoga isn’t your thing, you can (and should!) still make time to relieve stress by doing things outside of your business that you enjoy. Even during busy seasons, creative entrepreneurs must nurture their minds, bodies, spirits, and relationships. Like Allison says, “If we aren’t at our best, there’s no way our businesses can be at their best.”

In this episode of Priority Pursuit, Allison shares her story and explains how to prioritize self-care as a creative entrepreneur, including practical tips you can implement in your daily life.

In this episode, Allison discusses: 

1. What “self-care” actually means 
2. How mental health, physical health, & routines apply to self-care
3. How to prioritize self-care as a creative entrepreneur
   1. Put yourself first.
   2. Find enjoyable exercise.
   3. Be consistent with routines.
4. Practical tips for self-care
   1. Start before you’re stressed out.
   2. Consider seeing a counselor.
   3. Put self-care on your calendar.
   4. Limit your excuses!

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s sh