Who are ‘we’, most of the week it’s me and Gabriel the cat (below)! When I get really busy with events or orders and I’ve got creative projects on sometimes it’s all hands on deck in our house and my other half helps or any family that might happen to be around!
There are a lot of plates spinning most of the time, there’s usually a commission on the drawing board, orders in my inbox, and a pile of carefully wrapped illustrated shop items ready to go to the post office.
Sometimes it’s hard to fit in personal project time and I’m currently working hard at scheduling some time to get my new projects finished. Although it’s a busy life I remind myself that I am lucky to have my own creative business.
I am regularly asked for advice on how to balance the varying aspects of my business - it’s not always perfect but here are some of my Top Tips!
Top tips For balancing an independent creative business
Have a diary, a calendar, and a notepad. A diary will help you break down the long-term goals into daily to-do’s and achievable aims. A calendar will help you see the bigger picture and a notepad will help you carry creative ideas into the next day!
Have a plan! Three months to a year is usually adequate.
Keep your space comfortable for you. I read recently that some of the most creatively recognised people in history all had messy desks and it’s believed that in some cases it can actually assist your creativity (something I choose to believe!).
Eat well, sleep well and drink well. It sounds simple enough but I think being a creative business owner we can sometimes get carried away and forget to take good care of ourselves!