Module 4 / Lesson 4.3: Don’t forget to play
Don’t forget to play
This is our last lesson from our last module…and I think it sums up pretty well what I’m all about. I don’t think we can ever be truly creative if we don’t allow ourselves to play. I see it as accessing my inner child and asking her what would make her happy. There is so much joy to be experienced in life and I don’t think we should miss out. Time is our most precious resource and we need to make the most of it! Now, I hope you have learned a few things during this course and that you will feel more confident in the months and years to come. Again, don’t forget to enjoy yourself and always listen to your gut!
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Take time off
When you work for yourself, it can be hard knowing when to stop. Because, let’s be honest, you can’t possibly be working all the time and even if you could, you really shouldn’t. Your creative mind needs rest and time off work. You’ll get your best ideas when you’ve had time away from your work. I believe it’s important to set up a routine and some boundaries for you to know when you should be working and when you should stop. For example, I never work past 6pm, except if something urgent needs doing (and again, not everything is urgent!) which means I truly have time to rest and chill in the evenings as well as giving my mind a break (although I know it’s hard not thinking about the work all the time!). I will try not to look at emails past 6pm as well, because we all know emails are a lot of work. You should take time off work daily, not only when things are a bit slow but especially when things are very hectic because that’s when you need your mind to feel rested and creative.
The other thing that you should definitely be thinking about is how and when you will take a bit more time off work... Yes, I mean holidays! I never used to think about booking holidays in advance but I do now, because otherwise, they never happen. Trust me, you’ll be so focused on growing your illustration business that you’ll forget to take any kind of time off or holidays. That’s a bit nuts isn’t it?! We all need holidays to explore, rest and nurture our minds, as well as finding inspiration for our work. Make sure to book your adventures or spa days in advance, on your own or with the people you love and make sure you enjoy this time off work without any guilt. You’ve worked hard and you deserve it! I promise you that clients will be there when you come back (just make sure to keep them in the loop) and the world won’t have fallen apart. Oh and take that same time off screens and social media too if you can, it’ll be a lovely break for your mind (unless you want to share pictures of your adventures with your followers, which is more than fine too, you choose).
Enjoy freelance life
There are many reasons why people decide to go freelance. For us illustrators, it usually is the norm because that’s how we can get work in lots of different fields and get commissioned on amazing projects from all over the world. We learn to thrive when freelancing and it can be very rewarding. Being in charge of our own path is an amazing feeling. Most illustrators love being freelance but how many of us actually take advantage of this lifestyle? By this I mean that we can get swallowed up by the work, the opportunities and even the routine sometimes, forgetting that we have total freedom over how we lead our lives and careers. We don’t have to report to anyone most of the time and we can work the way we want too. We can take days off whenever we want to. We can nap in the middle of the day if we need to. We can travel for months if we fancy it. We can move somewhere remote and enjoy life by the sea or in the countryside. We can have kids, raise them and still have a successful career. We can go grocery shopping in between two work calls. We can take the morning off to get our nails done or have a massage. My point is...enjoy freelance life! As long as you’re working hard and delivering great results, making clients happy and keeping yourself sane, you should do whatever you want. This is your life, you get to choose how you live it.
Keep playing
It was tricky knowing what to talk about at the end of this online course but after taking some time off writing (I told you, it’s important to take a step back!) I realised all I wanted to tell you is that you need to keep playing. Play time nurtures creativity and releases endorphins. Playing can make you happy in a way few things can. When I talk about playing, I don’t only mean board games, although they are great. I talk about you feeling free to be yourself and enjoy what you love most, no matter what that is. You and only you know exaclty what playing means to you. Play in your personal life to keep yourself happy and healthy but don’t forget that playing at work can also be super beneficial... We’re lucky we get to be creative for a living, spending most of our days drawing, painting and coming up with ideas. None of this would be possible if we didn’t know how to play. People will notice happiness and joy in your work, so give it all you have. Enjoy it, savour it, adore it. Life’s too short not to be doing the things you love.
My FUN playlist (get those endorphins flowing!)
•Sunny - Boney M
•Dancing in the moonlight - Toploader
•Shotgun - George Ezra
•Sunday best - Surface
•Pretty pimpin - Kurt Vile
•I’m still standing - Elton John
•Animal - Miike Snow
•Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac