Fall Ahead

They say that it is springtime when all things bloom and life is renewed.  I never really felt that way.  It seems to me that Autumn is the time when a look behind encourages a look ahead.  Despite the leaves falling from the trees, the pumpkins at our doorsteps and the crispness of air about us, I am always somehow reborn in October.

Mulling over the last year-
It was a good year for Dragonfly. And yet due to a great deal of overworking I found myself at the start of this month feeling quite ill. A cold? A flu? Exhaustion? Who knows, but it got me to thinking about lifestyle and workaholism and some things must change.

Get a life-
Yeah... it can't all be about work.  As much as design is a part of my life, it can't be my whole life.  I'm constantly stressing about finding the time to weed the garden, fix the car, paint the bathroom.  There is never any time to do these things because all time is spend working.  Who's to blame for that?  Nope, not my clients.  It's me.

I read recently (wish I could remember the URL for you) a formula for figuring out one's hours and salary for the self employed.  The author wrote "Most consultants and designers who work for themselves have agreed that a 15 hour week working on billable projects works for them..."  EXCUSE ME.  15 hours?  Are you kidding me? If this is in fact true... then something is totally askew with my 70-80 hour week. The author went on to explain how a self employed person should figure out what they need to make in the course of a week (less taxes etc) and adjust the hourly rate accordingly.  For instance:  An hourly rate of $75/hr X 15 hours a week = $1125 gross/week. The other 25 hours/week is spent on paperwork, admin, learning something new.  Huh, 40 hours a week you say?!  Time for a evening out at the movies?  Pumpkin picking?  A nap?  Yeah well, we'll see about that, but even a 50 hour work week would be a improvement.

Shut off the TV-
Do you feel that there is constant noise in your life?  Honestly, I began to feel that my life was a constant hum.  Turning off the TV provides me time to unwind without distraction.  Sure there are times when I just want some brain candy but living in a certain amount of silence gives me the time to settle down, think, sort things out.  Life with less TV is much less stressful.

Get a hobby-
I received my copy of Taschen's Contemporary Graphic Design last Friday.  Browsing through the book I found quite a few works that were created for Client: Self.  Yes... I remember doing that but I haven't created a design for myself in years... and years.  Eric Karjaluoto at ideasonideas wrote recently "We’re a lot more flexible with client work, now that we have pet projects of our own to obsess over. Start building typefaces, pick up a camera, start a blog, create your own product; whatever it is, find something you can “own”. That way you won’t find yourself putting every drop of your soul into someone else’s project."  I'm really looking forward to drawing and designing for myself once again.  I think this will be immensely satisfying and will also add my own personal colors to my portfolio and to my life.

Comments

[Dan]

I'm with you, Lisa. I've always thought of Fall as the time of new beginnings, and Spring is the time of endings. Fall is when school starts, new friends, etc. Plus I get to wear all my favorite clothes once the weather cools down... :)