Taylor's Sketchbook of Patterns and Progress.

[Einver]

Yeah I feel ya Taylor, the study/work balance can be tough. For me I realise it's less about time and more about discipline.  I KNOW I can put in 30 mins or an hour at the beginning of the day before I burnout on client work;  do I do it.  haha....nope. Well I'm getting better at it slowly after not doing much consistent study in the last year.

Freelance burnout is a real problem. I am feeling it myself, but there is a consistent feeling I always can tap into, and that is the memory of all those times I got into work or studies and almost always end up loving it because of the love for the process even if I don't feel it before I do it.  meditation has helped me ridiculous amounts in the last year, to feel that sense of equanimity and no judgement about the work itself and my so called progress.  I think it's important to have down time away from the net and screens as well, it's a huge suckage of time and energy.   I'm going to instill a "No tech" or "no net" day for myself at least one day a week, and see how that goes.

Keep it up dude, you're doing all the right things, and great news about the freelance work :)

Haha, the self-discipline is crucial! We're so spent at the end of the day that it's best to get up early for those 30 precious minutes. 

I wasn't all that consistent last year either, it was a very strange year for the craft-- that being said, I feel like a new cycle is about to begin. 

I'm going to do my best to set a simple schedule and stick to it. I like what Even Mehl Amundsen's been doing-- just one well-done piece a day. I'll probably take that and modify it a bit! 

I love the satisfaction of something solid (even if not super finished) getting done each day. That's the kind of momentum that keeps me going, personally. 

It's important to be able to anchor those positive feelings-- especially when the client sends back a laundry-list of revisions! haha. 

Still, I feel so much better knowing that I'm not broken or something for not absolutely loving freelance work.

Also, mediation has become an art to me! Like drawing or making music. It's so fun to explore the inner realms and focus intensely on breath and whatnot. I always come out feeling more balanced. 

Thanks again for the reassurance, Amit! :D.

Here's a few things I haven't posted here:

Two personal pieces from times I was feeling a bit down and two commissions in my drawing style.