In the corporate world for 12 years, working 9-6 every day of the week, employed with a secure salary coming every month, going to the office and having a lot of things organised for me...
I was really curious to know how it would feel to be self employed for the first time in my life.
The fact that we have all been working from home this year helped a lot.
I was always worried at the idea that being at home all the time and isolated would not work so well for me. Ironically life presented us with a testing ground this year and I realized that i was ok with it, 85% of the time. (I will definitely take refuge in cafe and co working spaces once in a while).
I had a few moments of mild panic in the first week, feeling a bit overwhelmed by what's coming ahead and the fact that I am now out of the big boat sailing safely ahead and just a little canoe on the big wild sea of life. This keeps popping up regularly but I am learning day by day to shake it off, kick my own butt and talk myself into embracing fully the adventure ahead and paddle away!
It started with a pretty lazy first week and I am still looking for my rhythm
I am usually a pretty active person going full-on all the time.
Well, there was the day time job, the illustration on the side, the climbing, the social life, etc. Now with 40h of work less every week there is a whole lot of breathing time... and unfortunately a lot less climbing with the constant lockdown closing down the gym every other weeks!
After this very overwhelming year, I was the perfect time for a reset week. This meant very slow mornings mostly, then mainly working on commissions and packing orders.
I am a natural night owl and not much an early morning person so this has turned into stretched out days where I spend my evenings working late.
It's that blurry line where work is also a passion, so where does it stop?
It would be great to both be able to follow my natural body rhythm (which is not quite 9-5) but also be able to reclaim free time on my week-ends and evenings to relax and reset properly, not being always busy-ish.
I truly believe this is the best way to operate: work hard, rest hard!
Having the whole day to focus on the business is soooooo goooood.
Getting the day started fresh and focused on tasks that are otherwise done tired after work in the evenings is a game changer. This makes getting through some things that have populate to-do list for months and months possible and create proper thinking time to build systems, planning strategies, better communication, shop improvements, etc... All the things a tad tedious that are not your priority when time is limited.
It has also been the perfect time of the year to start this venture!
With Christmas being so close, there has been a lot of print orders and commissions, which is the best support I could ask for, I feel so blessed with every order and be part of in creating someone's special gift.
I have also designed my logo, done a new mural, finish a yoga mat design that has been pending more months, made some contacts for future collaborations, and wrote down a long list of ideas for next year and reconfigured my working space to create an improved and more efficient studio space!