I am feeling a little stressed this week. People are looking forward to the long weekend, to me it's an opportunity to catch up on backlog. I know a lot of freelancers feel like that. But it can't be right, can it? And yet I fear it is. So I am thinking about working habits and how we can change them. It's not easy. I have been working for myself for 20 years almost. And always seem to be chasing my tail.
And the funny thing is someone at my crit group the other day asked me how I juggle all the different things I am working on so well. The answer was 'Badly'. I came to the conclusion I look like a swan swimming along serenely, but you should see the feet paddling crazily ...
E.B. Lewis said at LA conference that if you really want to be a children's illustrator, then you had better be prepared for your life to suffer. What MORE than it is?? Well ok then.
Everyday I make a to-do list. Paying jobs get priority. Then I try to do some personal drawing each day and work on new techniques. Then there is some marketing, social networking. Oh yeah, and then working on my own books. And researching and reading. Oh and spending sometime with 'im indoors and looking after the animals and house and garden.
OH HECK AND I HAVE NO CHILDREN GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!! How do people with children DO IT?
So there ... I don't have many problems after all :-)
Back to the to-do list.
I leave you with a little greeting card illustration of carefree fairies with (apparently) no-to-do lists else how would they have time to dance?? Unless it was on their to-do list of course.
ToodlePip
Hazel
aka The Wacky Brit
PS. Nothing new on the bedside table. This rotten heat has been putting me to sleep too quick at night.