I am the Villain: January Rough

I decided the first Disney villain I'd target would be Ursula fairly early on.  For one, I could show the weight I've gained last year.  This won't be popping up again in most of the other villains I've chosen.  Second, the fluid nature of Ursula's character design lends very heavily to my own natural drawing style.  I like things that curl and whip and swirl, so this was a good start.  Finally, when I was three, my very favorite movie in the entire, whole wide world was The Little Mermaid.  In fact, when I went in for my first haircut, I asked for Ariel's hairstyle and was disappointed that the scissors couldn't make my hair red.  I suppose some of that has leaked into my adult life as I now have red hair.

I took several reference photos of myself for this, so I'm very certain that it looks like me in both stature and face (with some minor modifications).  I used a cooler hue of red for my hair in reference to the original character's blue and violet colors, and maintained an overall red and yellow palette for my version.  You may have noticed that I changed the shell out for a starfish.  This is because I have always related to stars more than any other shape.  Expect to see that become a common theme throughout the drawings.

When I decided on the theme, I'm not sure if I saw it as comical or an internal commentary, but the style that seeped out on this one made that decision for me.

Of course, this is just a rough.  Deciding on character stance and design is always the first step for me before moving forward with lines.  Expect an update sometime next week with those!

And for the love of all that is Disney, please do not mention that this looks like Morgana.  That abomination of a movie does not exist to me.

2014 Career Goals: Practice Makes Perfect

Last year, I wanted to focus on saying no to my family and treating my career as an important aspect of my life.  I feel I definitely succeeded with that, completing a section that was at 50% with a perfect 100%.  This year, I placed my mandatory two steps and got to decide what I wanted out of my career.  How exciting!

One of the things about being a caricaturist specifically is that you spend a lot of time working alone.  That is, while I go out and draw for a crowd and talk to a lot of people, I don't get the chance to socialize with a lot of other caricaturists.  When I worked for Kaman's Art Shoppes, my caricatures were at the top of their game because of the friendly competition that fostered artistic growth in artists.  Now that I'm a contractor, I don't get to see how a lot of other artists work.  That friendly competition that gives you that little push is just... gone.

The holiday season is usually the one time all of that turns around.  Working with some of the magnificent and amazing KC caricaturists reminded me how my caricatures may have slipped a bit from their prime.  Part of that is the lack of drawing caricatures 40 hours a week as I once used to.  Part of it is not seeing other artists at work.

My first goal for 2014 is to begin having Caricature Practice Sessions.  My beginning goal is 360 minutes a month, or just six hours.  This breaks down into about 30 minutes three times a week.  Before the year is over, I'd like to compile a folder of about 200 faces, celebrity and friends, that I can use to practice with.

Along with those practice sessions, I'd like to have a test session of one hour at the beginning of each month using a standard 20 celebrity list.  This way, I can compare how my caricatures progress using the same faces.  Here's a list of 20 celebrities that I feel represent diversity between age, gender and race.  This way, I have plenty to work with.

These faces may be changed up at the six month mark if I start drawing them from memory.  That's not the goal of the game!  So suggestions are always welcome!

Finally, I'd like to also spend roughly 30 minutes a week watching other caricature artists work on Youtube.  That's how you pick up tips and tricks!

As with last year, hitting a particular target income goal is important to me.  It shows growth and helps us build our lives, particularly since we're now on the long road to paying off my husband's student loans and saving for a house.

Wait.  Did I just say a house? At the beginning of 2013, I couldn't even imagine us owning a house before our 50's thanks to his student loans.  Now, things look a lot better.  Proof that The Progressive Planner goal plan works!  But we'll get to finances later.

The trend I was seeing when I was putting together my goals for the upcoming year was a few repeating goals that were fulfilled in 2013 yet made their way back onto the list for 2014.  For example, I can't imagine "Target Income" not being a goal I make every year for Career. As I mentioned in the last entry, I now have an ideal goal chart.  I think I'll begin to see that chart fill with standard ideal goals.

Thus, my second goal for 2014 is to Make my Target Income for the Year.

Last year, I wanted to up my number of monthly illustrations and create 12 illustrations for myself, doing just one a month.  Because I assume these are now habit, I will also be adding these to my monthly goal list, but not counting them towards percentage.  They'll simply either be marked as "Done" or "Not Done."  With that in mind, let's go ahead and take a look at what my monthly goal list template should look like for my Career section:

CAREER - 0% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 0/360 minutes – 0% complete.

Caricature test session. – 0/20 celebrities – 0% complete.

Caricature studies. – 0/30 minutes – 0% complete.

Make target income for the month. – 0% complete.

Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | Not Done

One personal illustration. – Done | Not Done

Some notes:  None.

And so it begins!

Next time on The Progressive Planner:

My 2014 Financial Goals.

Question for my readers:

What are your 2014 career goals?

Looking Forward

My husband has been in Michigan all week for training.  In just two short days, he'll be back home, even if "home" is currently the most temporary thing in our lives.  When I asked him how he likes his job so far, he told me he actually really loves it.  Music to my ears, particularly during this chaotic week.

I'm currently sitting here sweating at my desk.  The AC in the rental house is out again for the third time.  I can't wait to live in a place where I can just call a maintenance guy.  And, honestly, even if maintenance isn't fantastic, I can figure an apartment AC out a lot better than the archaic thing we have in the downstairs boiler room.  I honestly wonder if that thing is even powerful enough to cool the house we live in.  Wait, no, I know it isn't because my roommates live on the top floor and it's always sweltering up there.  I think it breaks down so much because it gets overworked.  Despite that, it's significantly cooler tonight.  Not looking forward to packing the kitchen tomorrow in the heat, but I'll cope.

I'm also coping with packing and working at the same time while Aaron's away.  It's tough.  I feel like I need a spare me to get everything done - particularly my commissions, which no doubt are suffering from goingtobelateosis.  I don't like being late on anything.  It makes me feel unprofessional.  Of course, I always give notice and my commissioners have always been so understanding.  Couldn't ask for a better job.

So while I'm in the middle of a bit of chaos, albeit optimistic chaos, I'd like to take a moment to look forward to the future.  Since Aaron's job seems to be working out well, we have some things on a list that we're in desperate need of replacing.  One of them is a part of one of my major goals this year - we need a new mattress, box spring and set of pillows.  Aaron and I have spent the last few years duct taping springs back into his decade old, or maybe even older, mattress.  A couple months ago, I got jabbed to the point of blood.  Never mind that some of the pillows I have came from my grandmother who passed away when I was 12.  You can feel the cotton in them clumped.  I spend many a night sleeping on our futon or my roommate's couch than I do my own bed because it's not comfortable, nor does it feel sanitary given its age.  However, because our previous finances, a mattress just never seemed possible.

Not getting a new mattress was one of the many financial "sacrifices" Aaron and I made every year.  We'd take a look at our budget every year, try to work it in, and then something would explode and we'd scrap the idea.  Not this year.  Instead of moving our old, worn out and broken mattress to the new apartment, we're trashing it and getting a new mattress the first week.  I'm super excited to sleep on a fresh, clean, comfortable mattress!

In addition, my digital camera failed me last December.  This was something I'd had on our list of things to buy this year but scrapped it to pay for car repairs for Aaron.  I'd like to get something decent but still point-and-shoot.  Something that would work great for photographing sabbat celebrations for Witchy Words.

After getting the new mattress and camera, we'll probably batten down the hatches and hold out for late November.  During that time, we'll be able to save up more than I've ever thought possible - in fact, I anticipate having our target savings for the year completed by the time Aaron rounds out his 90 days.  In addition, I really want to make sure this job is a good fit and that his company views Aaron as an asset.  We'll know that by the end of November.  And what better way to celebrate it than participating in our first Black Friday ever!

A few years ago, I invested in a cheap laptop.  The lemon of a thing maybe lasted me 6 months before I was mailing it off for repairs.  When I got it back, it was in even worse shape.  I've taken with me on long trips and dealt with its issues, but it's to the point now where it's not even feasible for me to work on it.  As it is right now, it works to watch workout videos but pretty much nothing else, and that's when you can get the stupid thing to turn on. I desperately need a new laptop.  Being able to work away from home or, hell, even in a different room of the apartment, would be fantastic.  It's something I'm regretting I don't have right now while I sit here in the heat.  I could be downstairs if that damn thing worked.  So there's something I'd like to invest in this year.  This will be my Christmas gift to myself.

Something's wrong with our TV's RCA connection.  Has been for about two years.  We haven't been able to hook up anything that requires it, like a DVD player or some of our game systems, because you don't get sound when you do.  It'd been a problem we've dealt with by simply avoiding it.  This year, I'd like to get a simple, cheap flat screen that actually has working hook-ups!  That will be my Christmas gift to Aaron.

The final thing I'm wanting this year is something I wanted ever since Aaron picked up our first cat, Nyx: a cat tree.  A nice one.  Something tall that Hermes can climb up and hide near the ceiling.  Something that has a stern base so Zeus can take his claws to it.  Something that I can hang toys off of, or drench in catnip.  Artie, my dog, has all the toys in the world and more sweaters than I can even count.  It's time I do something for the cats more than bell balls, feather toys and the occasional catnip dump in the entry way.  That will be my Christmas gift to my fuzzy babies.

And of course there's a few small things sprinkled into all of that.  The pets have their yearly vetting coming up this September/October.  I'd like to find out what I can do for Zeus's asthma and get Hermes a blood test - he hasn't had one since we first got him.  I'd like to go to the Six-Week Slim Down course for the fall session.  I didn't last year and my weight suffered.  I'd also like to invest in some wall shelves for my spiritual room at the apartment.

So quickly and for future reference, here's some items I'd like to have purchased before the year is over:

• Mattress Done!
• Box spring Done!
• Four pillows Done!
• A new sheet and comforter set Done!
• A digital camera
• Laptop Done!
• TV
• Cat tree

The last month of the year will be light.  All the Christmas gifts will be bought and we'll be back to saving again.  Heck, even buying everything I want to buy, we'll still have some spare to save.  At the beginning of the year, I'd like to reassess our finances and our savings.  If we have spare money, I want to throw it at the higher interest student loans Aaron has.

Previously, I made a list of things I want to do next year.  Some ideal goals to achieve for 2014.  I'd like to bring that back and add some things to the list.

Become an active participant in the KC Pagan Community (spiritual).

Attempt to attend all sabbat rituals led by Lushede Grove.

Attend at least four Coffee Covens.

Attend at least two Mystic Treasures classes.

Get my own health insurance, either through Aaron or myself. (health/financial).

Begin looking into investing money and retirement options as a freelancing illustrator (financial/career).

Buy a dining room table (home/financial).

Begin thrift shopping again and update Thrifty Difty (personal).

Make an effort for a weekly post.

Begin a balcony/indoor garden growing the following (health/spiritual).

Herbs: Basil, bay, mint, sage.

Vegetables: Cucumber, carrots, leaf lettuce, tomato, spinach.

Fruit: Blueberries, lemon tree.

Other: Aloe, garlic.

Buy our first tent so we can camp more often (relationship/financial).

Swap all of our storage items and memory boxes from cardboard to tupperware and reorganize (home).

Be able to speak basic Spanish again by taking two courses at the local community college (knowledge).

Spring: Elementary Spanish 1

Fall: Elementary Spanish 2, Latin American Humanities.

Continue in 2015 by taking Intermediate Spanish 1 & 2, and interpreting courses.

Learn how to swim (health).

Attend one convention related to my career (career).

Get a set of armchairs (home/financial).

Maintain savings and add an additional 20% (financial).

Complete a Wreck This Journal (personal).

Pay off 1/3rd of Aaron's student loans, starting with the highest interest (financial).

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

I'm sure most of you remember reading Crapstorm 2013.  If you haven't, let me save you some time.  About half-way through July, we got notice that we would have to move out of the house we're currently renting.  On top of it, my husband's car died, leaving us -$1400 in the hole. On top of that, our insurance came in just the next day, which took another -$1500 out of us. So broke, homeless and with a massive dent in our savings, things were looking a lot like 2012 all over again.

I am admittedly a bit of an open book about the difficulties my husband and I face.  A lot of it is because I never want to face three months of depression like I did in 2012.  Letting it out gives me a chance to gain some perspective, get some feedback and learn from my mistakes, even if there's only two people reading this blog. :)

So my primary solution to Crapstorm 2013 was to begin applying for a second job.  I received some interviews and made quite an impression on one company in particular, but it was hard for me.  Getting a second job meant cutting back on my primary job a bit and losing my spare time to do things I loved, such as Circle of Open Traditions, volunteering or exercising.  And, for the first time in my life, I became angry at Aaron for having student loans.  Why should I have to sacrifice my dream job just because my husband decided to go to school and not pay it back when he had the chance?  Why can't he get a second or better job?  I laid all of this out plainly the day of my successful interview.  Aaron began applying for new jobs and second jobs that night.

Apparently, having that argument was the best decision of our lives.

Aaron heard back from one of the companies that he applied for the next morning, asking details about his knowledge in certain areas.  By that afternoon, he had a Skype interview the following morning at 7 AM.  Imagine his surprise when he finds out he's interviewing in Spain.  Yes, Spain.  They gave him a brief abilities test and he passed with flying colors.  Spain loved him!  They gave him a second interview with a plant here in the US at 1 PM.  In this interview, Aaron found out that they'd been searching for someone for this position for months, but everyone that they sent to Spain came back unapproved.  Spain was technically supposed to be the second interview, but they liked Aaron so much they nabbed him before the US could.  Aaron leaves the interview fairly certain he's got the job, but without a job offer letter, we're simply waiting.

Friday, Aaron gets the job offer letter!  In it, it offers him more money than Aaron has ever made.  At the same time, I tell Aaron that his skill set was perfect for the job, that he has an immense amount of experience for his age, and that he is malleable for the company.  "Ask for more," I said.

They took his request.

So Aaron has a new job and flies out to Michigan on August 19th to train.  He's making double what he's making now.  Don't get me wrong; we couldn't be more appreciative of his current job.  Between our jobs, we've managed to pull ourselves out of seemingly impossible scrapes.  That being said, this job feels like Aaron's first official "big boy" job.  It's real, it's happening and it pays enough.

In my Crapstorm 2013 blog entry, I mentioned briefly a metaphor about swimming.  I said that I felt like all we ever do is splash around in the water, barely being able to bob up enough to catch a breath before being pulled under again.  I said I wanted a raft in the flood.  What we just got was a boat.

Weight loss success and many updates.

Ugh, seriously. What was I thinking with that haircut back then?

My weight loss adventure: 32 pounds down, 20 to go. I'm well over halfway through my journey! This time last year, I'd lost my first 10 and I just could not see a difference. I'm definitely seeing it today. I feel like the person in the photo to the right isn't even the same as the one on the left! On top of that, my best friend and I went bra shopping just shortly after she took that photo.  I'm still a 38 in the strap, but I could definitely see me going down to the 36 before it's over.  I tried on a 36 in the store and it was just a tiny, tiny bit too tight.  A bigger bonus?  It was a D.  I'm going to be a 36D.  To all the people who teased me about being flat chested in high school: Suck on THAT!

Although I was actually in training bras throughout high school.  Shhhh.  I was a late bloomer. Anyway...

Speaking of my best friend, this is a group photo of myself, my husband Aaron, her boyfriend Eric and my best friend Charli (ironically also the set for one of my "before" pictures).  Charli and I met in middle school and she was quite literally my saving grace.  I was struggling with bullies and she taught me how to deal with them.  I attribute my strong will and stubborn attitude to her.  After high school, she followed her dreams of becoming an animator and went to school up near Chicago.  Once she graduated with her BFA she stayed there.  For years, she'd talked about moving back to KC for a cheaper cost of living but it just never seemed to work out.  This year, she put an expiration date on Chicago.  We moved her and her boyfriend down over the weekend of June 1st.

Both Charli and I have had multiple roommates in the past and we've both had somewhat negative experiences. Both of us are cautiously entering the world of roommatedom.  Aaron and I have a roommate agreement that we all signed.  We also have a chore chart, which is actually working out amazingly well.   It's nice to have another person in the house who can cook, taking the pressure off of Aaron from time to time.  I can't cook for beans and my diet almost exclusively requires me to do so.  Not only that, but Charli's diet is very similar to mine.  It makes things much easier.

Friday was a particularly good day.  We had a fantastic morning, Charli and I went shopping for the better part of the evening, then we all went on a double date to Granite City for the night.  If that's foreshadowing how living together will work out, bring it on!

Other than moving Charli in and losing weight, things have been slow.  Every year, I suffer burnout for about a month and a half and a "career crisis" for about a month, though usually not at the same time.  This year, they both hit and it was a double whammy I'm still trying to get over.  Nothing like feeling overworked and thinking your time as a freelancing artist has expired.  It was a tough blow to my already usually low ego to realize I have very few "useful" skills outside of drawing.  I'm over the career crisis now, but should I ever decide to change careers in the future, I will definitely have to go back to school.  Since I already have a BA, I won't be able to get the financial aid I received previously.  That means loans.  And Aaron's student loans already kill us enough as it is.  Might just be better to be a housewife at that point, lol.

And no, despite my mother-in-law's speculation, I am not currently a housewife.  I do work, and very hard might I add.

... Just not apparently when I'm suffering a burnout.

That being said, I have a few cushions I've been using the past month and a half to get by.  The first is probably the cause of my burnout in the first place - I'm well over my target income for 2013 at this point.  I'd have to fully take off another month to be even on target.  That's why I don't feel nearly as pressured to hop back on if I don't feel up to it.  The second cushion has been caricature gigs.  I market myself as a character designer and caricaturist but, this year, I've been heavily focusing character design.  When I noticed signs of burnout, I started to take more caricature gigs.  Instead of working at my own pace from home over the week, I spend time over the weekend at parties drawing people.  It's a nice change and keeps us from going too broke over the burnout months.  Plus, I'm a pretty rocking party artist if I do say so myself.  Two-and-a-half minutes gets you one of my bad boys.

Don't make a face! I will draw it in there.

Today was an odd day - I had my first hypocoma in months.  Slept all the way until 5 pm, went back to bed around 8 and slept until 1 am.  Even for the three hours I was awake, I was in a fog.  I spent a lot of time slumped in my chair in front of my computer staring off into a distance.  When I did interact, I was unintentionally snippy.  We visited my in-laws to pick up a tent for an upcoming holiday, Midsummer.  While there, I bent over to pick up a box and the tent bag fell on me.  Hurt like the dickens.  Instead of asking what happened or make sure that Aaron was okay, I snapped at him with a "THANKS."  I'm never at my best when my thyroid is being a prick.

Even though I've slept so much today, I think I'm going to go back to bed.  I'd like to get some rest and wake up at a semi-decent time to get things done.

Goodnight folks!

So I Updated my Goals Sidebar...

Holy crap, what am I doing to myself?  I am a workaholic!  So much crazy.

To give you an idea of what you should be seeing on the right-hand side, this year is roughly 33% over.  Home through Spiritual aligns with that.  I'm right on target there.

But Career through Health... I just... I don't even.

Look at that number - 61% for Career.  That's almost double where I should be.  And Financial's not too far behind at 45%.  Why am I pushing myself so hard when I'm so far ahead?  And Health... poor Health.  It's suffering at a mere 25%.

It's nothing that I didn't already know: I've been sacrificing exercise and diet to produce.  I guess I just didn't realize how much until now.  Out of all of that, I found out that I've made 53% of my target income for the year.  While that sounds spectacular, the fact that I haven't lost weight in two months is the result.

To be fair, I haven't worked since the 1st.  I'm probably going to go ahead and take the upcoming week off as well.  I need some time.  It's one thing to be invested in your job.  It's another thing to live and breathe it 24/7.  That's what I've been doing.  At this point, the only way to keep myself from bending over backwards to overshoot those numbers is to sabotage my chances.  I don't want to think that there's any way possible to get even 100%.  Then I'll just do what I can.  And that's enough at this point.

Taking time off right now is a great idea too, since I've been diving head-first into my exercise and diet regimen.  I hit the elliptical yesterday and pumped out 500 calories there.  And, while I didn't exercise today, I did walk all over four different stores with my mom.  I didn't log it, but I'm sure it registered some calories.  I've also been keeping with a steady diet and logging with MyFitnessPal.com.  Great site by-the-by for keeping track of your calories.  I've went through a lot of online food loggers and MFP has, by far, the largest food database.  Just about anything you could possibly eat has been added at one point or another.  And, if not, you can always add it yourself, though I've maybe only had to do that two or three times during my year's worth of logging.

I also have to give my mom credit.  She had a knee replacement surgery in early December 2012.  The doctors told her at that time that she needed to lose weight, particularly for the health of the replacement knee.  My mom went from weighing 320 lbs to 243 (weigh-in today!).  That's 77 pounds and she's still working it off!  Super proud, Mom.  Keep up the good work!

If my mom can lose 77 lbs+ with a gimp knee, I can work this last 20-something off, surely.

How to Stay Motivated When Self-Employed

Today is a difficult day.  It's cloudy, you're groggy and nothing seems to be coming to you.  No matter how successful your business is or how much you like what you do, you will inevitably run into days where being self-employed is more like pulling teeth than a walk in the park.  In fact, as a freelance illustrator, I'm having one of those days today!  By looking over this list of things I do to motivate myself, maybe I can get back on track while helping someone like you find your inner drive.

1. Dress to impress.
It's often too easy to stay in your cozy flannel pajamas all day long.  No one's going to see you, so why should you brush your hair or put any make-up on?  Why should you take a morning shower and shave off the 5 o'clock shadow from the day before?  Because studies show that when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you do better work. Sometimes throwing on some slacks and eyeliner, or even just some jeans that you'd wear to the store, can improve your performance when working from home.  It's easy, it doesn't take much time and it's motivating!

2. Lists are your friend.
It's like walking into a heinously messy room: sometimes the problem isn't "I don't want to do anything," but rather "I don't know where to start."  Making a weekly, daily or even hourly check-list can help you focus your energy.  Try any number of programs like Sticky Notes or Daily To-Do List, or simply create a traditional to-do list.  Remember to take the items you need to accomplish and break them down into smaller, obtainable tasks.  By doing so, you can have a clearer vision of your day.

3. Naps and frequent breaks are okay!
Studies how that a nap or some quick breaks can actually boost performance.  Don't feel guilty - the average worker spends 17 of his 45 hours at work being unproductive.  It's okay to take a quick 15 every hour or two.  If you're halfway through the day and can't keep your eyes open, set your alarm for a fast nap.  Not only will you be refreshed after your break or nap, but you'll find that the quality of your work will improve when you're not pushing yourself through the grinder for it.

4. Reward yourself.
Sometimes, just striking a task off your to-do list can be all the reward you need.  If you're looking for something more, however, try to fit it in to your breaks.  It can be as simple as, "If I complete this project, I can play a flash game for 15 minutes."  Make it something non-disruptive but satisfying and you'll find yourself aching to complete your task just to get your reward.

5. Add some background noise.
We've all heard that music can help you study, but did you know it can improve worker productivity?  And it's not just music.  What most Nine-to-Fivers have in an office, freelancers often lack: the sound of keyboards tapping away, phones ringing, chatter among employees.  Ambient noise, music or nature sounds can have a fantastic impact on your motivation.  Sites like Pandora, Rainy Mood, Simply Noise, and Ambient-Mixer all offer ways to improve the sound of your work environment.  Yet another easy way to find some drive and inspiration.

6. Visualize where you're going.
Vision boards are a great way to see where you want to be and are a useful tool to motivate yourself.  What is a vision board?  It's a combination of notes, photos, magazine clippings and trinkets that "identify your vision and give it clarity, reinforce your daily affirmations and keep your attention on your intentions."  You can easily make a vision board with either poster board or a bulletin board, or you can this online vision board maker.  However you do it, make sure it fully represents pictures and ideas that motivate you and remind you of what you see for yourself and your business in the near future!

7. Change your environment.
Sometimes a certain color, setting or even amount of people can give you energy that you can feed off of to motivate yourself.  For those of you with laptops, this is a simply pick-up and move.  Try working from your dining room table or even your coffee table for a day, or head down to your local coffee shop.  If you can't pick up your workstation and move, try giving it a good cleaning.  Give your desk some small additions like a plant or photos for a small burst of motivation when you need it.  Adding light to your office can actually increase your productivity, so try opening your windows or adding a clear light lamp. If you're experiencing a particularly long lull in motivation - upwards of weeks or even months - try recreating your office by adding new furniture and a coat of paint.  For more information on what colors actually increase productivity, check out this article.

8. Your diet may be your detriment. 
If you're still sluggish and unproductive after making multiple changes, the problem may be with your lifestyle outside of work.  We all know that getting a full night's rest will improve your drive, but what about the food you eat?  Things like caffeine or sugar can help you run fast in the morning, but you may find yourself experiencing a sugar crash when you need to be productive the most.  Sugar can actually even make you sluggish later in the day or even in the days ahead.  The solution?  Protein wakes us up, Omega-3 fatty acids improve our memory, and foods like soybeans, yogurt, walnuts and cheese give us a boost of dopamine that makes us feel better.  In fact, a healthy diet all around can increase our productivity.  How about that!

9. Get moving to motivate.
And while we're already talking about health, exercise can also increase your drive.  Not only does exercise release endorphins which makes us less stressed, but shedding the pounds can boost self-esteem - and we've already talked about how feeling good about ourselves increases our motivation.  The CDC has a guideline for the amount of activity you need in a week, but most experts agree three thirty-minute exercise sessions are enough to do the trick. So bust out the weights and build your cardio, because sweating could be the key to turning around your drive.

10. Find a coworker.
It's a proven fact that support from your coworkers can reduce your stress, which results in increased motivation.  There's nothing like having a shoulder to lean on when things get stressful, or having a friendly competition with the guy in the cubicle next to you.  However, when you're self-employed, you might find yourself coworker-free.  This is why networking is essential to a freelancer.  But exactly how does one who spends all their time alone in the confines of their home office discover self-employed coworkers?  Facebook, Twitter and Linked In offer a variety of options to network yourself. Websites like Meetup and Groupspaces offer the chance to find local meets with like-minded and like-employed individuals.  Not only can finding coworkers and friends keep you motivated by sharing stories and releasing stress, but you can share in the friendly competition and accountability that is present in a 9-5 situation.  Even better, you might find that your friend can push some new clients your direction.  Double bonus!

What every self-employed individual needs to remember is how to forgive themselves.  No one is productive 100% of the time and you are bound to have off days.  When you can afford to take a few days off and regroup, try the strategies above to rediscover your workday passion.

End of the Month To-Do List

Here we are, the week I wanted off this month.  I fell behind last week, so I'm still up thanks to working 16 hours a day two days in a row just to finish my work off.  I did indeed see my income rise high enough, but it came at the price of scheduling commissions for this week.  It's not even a light week of work, plus I have a lot to do if I want to catch up with my February goals.

This month has been tough on the diet.  I had a cheat week on purpose the 11th through the 17th.  Unfortunately, it's been hard to get out of.  I was good for a few days and then junk food was introduced into the house in the form of a delicious brownie cake that I couldn't refuse.  Add a surprise visit from my best friend turning into lunch out and a surprise box of donuts from my husband and well... you get the picture.  The worst part?  Carbs bloat me.  So I don't know where I honestly am weight-wise.  My goal is to work out most every day this week to make up for the fact that I cheated so horrendously much.  We'll see where I am at the end of the month.

And let's not even get into the book I was supposed to read.  Or my meditation.  Bleh.

The point of this journal is to outline everything I need to do this week to polish off my January goals, sectioned by days. Because, honestly, there's only four days left.  So here goes nothing.

Monday

Work.

Plan MDArtist design, pages.

Finish sketching personal illustration.

Exercise for 30 minutes.

Meditate afterward.

Check Aaron's budget for the week.
70% book read.

Tuesday

Work.

Design MDArtist site template.

Clean up and flat personal illustration.

Exercise for 30 minutes.

Meditate afterward.

Organize my desk.

Ask Aaron to organize his.

80% book read.

Wednesday

Work.

Organize and design gallery for MDArtist.

Detail personal illustration.

Exercise for 30 minutes.

Meditate afterward.

Research volunteer opportunities in the area.

90% book read.

Thursday

Work.

Complete other pages, revamp resume for MDArtist.

Exercise for 30 minutes.

Meditate afterward.

Tidy office.

100% book read.

Friday

Check-in, weigh in and create new month's goal list.

Work.

Freelancing Fallacies

"Well, you're home so they can just drop by whenever, right?"

"If you were home all week, why is this place not spotless?"

"You can help out more.  It's not like you really work anyway."

These past few days have reminded me time and time again of what my extended family thinks I do all day.  And, while I love my clients, they can sometimes be no better. These detriments have actually inspired me to write a list of my favorite freelancing fallacies - mistaken beliefs about those of us who illustrate and have the drive to be self-employed.

1. Since you use [insert service, website or type of electronic here], you can be my tech support, right?
I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked an Outlook, Access, Adobe or Paypal tech support question.  I don't know why you can't see my invoice in Paypal - I've sent it and sent you a reminder.  Maybe you should double check the e-mail you gave me for a typo.  Or maybe you should contact Paypal support.  I don't own Paypal; I just use it - just like you.

2. If you work from home, you're available to talk business 24/7.
If you e-mail me at 9 at night, chances are I'm not going to answer it until around 9 AM the next day.  Don't get angry with me.  I want to give you the best service possible, but I also deserve evenings and weekends off - just like you.

3. Why can't you just drop everything and see a movie with me? I mean, you get to make your own schedule anyway, right?
I'm generally scheduled down to the last minute of my work day.  If I don't, I can't get everything done.  If don't get everything done, I don't get paid.  If you want to see a movie with me, ask me a week or two ahead of time.  Chances are, I can move some stuff around and see it with you then.  However, if you ask me the day before or the day of, I'm probably going to decline.  I'm working.

4. You don't have the money to see a movie with me? Must be bad business. I bet McD's pays better.
It's called a budget, which is also called being an adult.  It's called my husband's student loans and his car which needs new tie rods.  Much like your parents probably told you when you were a child, money doesn't grow on trees.  It comes from hard work, which I do every day.  Sometimes, that means I have to choose something I need over something I want.  Instead of waiting until the $12 Friday night showing, try asking me about a $5 10 AM matinee on your day off.  And don't forget to talk to me about it in advance!

5. Why does it cost so much to commission you? Drawing just comes naturally anyway, so it doesn't take you a lot of time.
First off, drawing does not come naturally.  Any commercial illustrator will deny the whole misconception of art being a "gift."  I drew in high school so much that teachers would slam my sketchbook shut thinking I wasn't listening to the lecture.  I skipped homework at times to work on anatomy.  I got my first illustration job at 15 and I remember drawing in the middle of the front room floor with tears in my eyes.  "I'm not good enough!  They'll never hire me."  And I got the job, which meant I was drawing every day for 8 hours a day upwards of 40 hours a week during the summer.  More often once I hit college - for illustration.  I have two degrees in art, which took a lot of blood (x-acto knives), sweat (you try drawing outside on a 115F day), and tears (that nagging voice that you're never good enough).  So does it come naturally?  You tell me. Sounds like it took me a lot of time and effort.  And that's why it costs "so much."  You're not just paying for the time it takes me right now, which may or may not be "a lot."  You're paying for my expertise, which took me over a decade to develop.

6. You just draw all day, so work must be an amusement park of fun for you.
This also falls into what you're paying for when you hire me.  I don't "just draw all day."  I have to be a secretary, an art director, the grunt worker, accounting, billing, HR, sales, IT, inventory and even the janitor. So when I spend two hours swapping e-mails with you to make sure I get the details of your commission and put that into your contract, get that signed and file that away, I have to cover that time in your quote.  I have to file the paperwork for my quarterly taxes, review my budget, send an invoice, soothe an upset customer, help another with his Paypal and check my inventory on graphite, then organize my office desk at the end of the day, often all around 6 hours of drawing.  Don't get me wrong - I love my job - but it's not always "fun."  It's often hard work.  Maybe I'm a masochist, but I love that aspect as well.  Doesn't make it any less hard.

7. You're a freelancing artist. Have you drawn anything I've seen? No? That means you're unsuccessful.
My husband and I went on a double date with his coworker and his coworker's new girlfriend.  The first thing she asked me is if I'd drawn anything she's ever seen.  Chances are, as a concept developer and caricaturist, probably not.  "Oh, that's sad."  No, not really.  I work full-time doing what I love.  Business is usually steady and sometimes absolutely monotonous.  Just because I haven't drawn the next big business's new logo doesn't mean that I'm not doing a job I love and making the money I need.  Sustainability and happiness are the definitions of job success to me, and I think I've gotten that pretty well.  Besides, what have you done that I've seen?

8. As a freelancer, you must need more exposure. Tell you what, if you draw this for me for free, I'll pass your name around and you'll get millions of dollars in extra business!
This is probably the most well known misconception out there.  You'd think, after over ten years at this job, people would stop asking if I give out freebies, but it simply never ends.  "My company really wants to hire you as a caricature artist for their next event.  They won't pay, but you can leave a tip jar and pass out all the business cards you want."  You know what that'll get me? A loss of materials and exactly zero contracts.  When you tell them the real cost of hiring you, they want nothing to do with you.  "Why can't you do it for free for me too?" It's like giving one child a cookie when ten others are watching.

9. You're home all day, which means you're a housewife.
This is, hands down, the most sexist thing I've ever been told.  I'm not a radical feminist, but something about this just crawls up my spine and sets my fuse ablaze.  Yes, I keep a good house.  In fact, I keep a great house.  We have two cats and a dog and I'd like to think that you'd barely notice.  You'd be hard-pressed to find grime in my bathtub or dishes in the sink (though seriously, don't look at the laundry room.  No, seriously, don't.).  That being said, that is not what I do all day and certainly not my job title.  I'm also not the only one that cleans.  My husband and I try to share 50/50 of the housework (try being the operative word; sometime's it's more like Aaron: 0, Marietta: 1000).  We also often clean for 30 minutes to an hour every day for upkeep.  That's called adulthood, by the way.  And if my house does get messy, for whatever reason, it's because I'm busy, usually because I'm working.  Shocker.

10. You're home all day, which means you're lazy.
If I had a dime for every time I heard someone call me "unemployed" or any variation there of, I'd be filthy rich.  My mom has been known to stretch the truth of my employment (she used to insist I was an education or graphic design major when I was in school too), and I'm pretty sure my in-laws just flat out think I don't work.  When my mom was in the hospital for a few days after her knee surgery, my dad and I got into a rather large argument. "You could help out more.  You don't really work, anyway."  Not only had I often helped for a good 5-10 hours a day depending on the day, but I was working on top of it.  I've never been explosive with my dad, but I definitely lashed out that time.  It certainly won't be the last, particularly because my family members aren't the only ones that think I'm not drowning in commissions and paperwork.  In fact, the real estate agent for the house we're renting thought he could just schedule a showing whenever because I'm, and I quote, "home all the time anyway."  Just because I'm here doesn't mean I'm not busy.  And I'm honestly not always here.  I couldn't argue it out of him any other way than by saying that my husband and I like to both be home for showings.  Not only was it demeaning to me as a woman, but it was demeaning to me as a freelancing illustrator.  And don't even get me started when someone says, "Freelancing now will make it harder for you to find a real job later."

The truth is that freelancing is anything but "lazy."  I'd like to say I pull 8-hour days but my real work time is probably more around 10-12.  Sometimes it runs into weekends if I can't get everything done.  Sometimes I end up spending an extra hour or two on the phone with or e-mailing a client. Sometimes my cat decides to knock over a glass of water into my computer and I'm suddenly my own IT support, ripping off the side of my computer and replacing whatever the heck just fried. I'm filing, writing, typing, budgeting, organizing, e-mailing, listing, graphing, calculating and even Windexing before I get to the drawing part.  Then I'm drawing and doing all those things on top of it.

So the next time you run into someone self-employed, be courteous.  Chances are that they're overworked, over-stressed, over-employed - and yet they absolutely love it.

Burn Out

The next time I say, "I'd rather make more money than take a week off this month," just punch me in the face.  Maybe this will be a lesson to me in the future.

I'm burnt out.  I'm behind on work this week because picking up the tablet pen is sometimes flat out painful.  It's like pulling teeth to lay down a few lines.  Honestly, sometimes, I simply don't want to draw.  And that's a problem when it's my job.

I think that's the hardest part about freelancing - you're always "on."  Granted, I know a lot of jobs that are high stress and I'm certainly not saying freelancers have it the worst, but we're pretty high up there.  There's no downtime when we work.  No messing around on the internet, playing games or watching a show.  My husband has Steam and every time I see him play a game while he's at work, I get severely jealous.  Why?  I don't get paid to game.

I get paid for my hard work.  Which means that if I'm not drawing or answering a correspondence e-mail, I'm honestly not getting paid.  Even then, I get paid what I ask.  Sometimes, I misjudge projects.  Sometimes, I just want something to look really good.  Sometimes, I invest extra hours for free.  I know, I know, for shame, but it's part of what I consider being a good illustrator for my clients.

Then there's that whole hypocoma thing I blogged about a few days ago.  Sleep really is my worst enemy.  Sometimes I finally find the will to work only to be thwarted by my eyes dragging.  I don't get much of a choice in the matter.  Once my body's tired, I'm done.  Doesn't matter if I actually go to bed; my husband's found me sleeping on my keyboard on more than one occasion.

That's what happened tonight.  I spent the day taking commissions, so most of my work was correspondence.  I cleaned the house a bit.  Then there was exercise night.  Once the girls left, I went to my parents' to get dinner.  After eating that, I finally sat down to draw and... oh god was I tired.  Food coma, most likely.  Aaron went to bed and I went to cuddle, then woke up this morning at 4 am with this terrible thought:

I have to get all of my commissions for this week done today.

I need some time off.  A week to catch my breath would be great.  Unfortunately, my vacation time doesn't accrue like most people's does.  Mine is defined by how much income I've made over my target monthly goal and if that covers a typical week's work of work.  At this point, I've got a week of vacation covered but that's the thing: it's just a week.  Things tend to go wrong at the worst possible time; I'd hate to take a week off now only to need it later and not have the availability.  Or, there's the possibility I may need to cash it out for something that blows up financially.

My check for Monday's gig will cover half a week and will come in mid-February.  If I can muster up the will to bust my rear, I might find myself with enough pay to cover two weeks by the end of February.  It'd then be much more plausible to take a week off.  In that case, new goal:

Take February 24th - March 3rd off without causing any set-backs to my goals.

Hypocoma

Sleep is my mortal enemy.  It regularly screws me over.

Over the past two weeks, I've slowly turned work into a graveyard shift.  Get up at 5 PM, go to bed at 9 AM.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  What a mess!  Sometimes I feel absolutely incapable of normal human functioning.  So I decided to fix that on Friday.  I had to get up relatively early and got about six hours of sleep.  I decided to forgo work, pushing it back to today, in order to get back on a day schedule.  I went to bed around 11 PM and woke up around 9 AM today.  Perfect!  Now to work.

This is where my hypothyroidism laughs maniacally, saying "That's what you think."

I should have known the minute I got up that something was wrong.  I slept for ten hours straight without budging after going to bed early.  It should have been a huge warning sign.  But I happily ignored it for as long as I could - which was about an hour.

Then it hit me like a pound of bricks.  I was not only tired - I was absolutely exhausted.  Yawning with my eyes watering, cold and shivering, and my eyelids would not stay open.  I don't even remember going back to bed.

Then I woke up at around 8 PM.  A whopping 10 more hours later.

This is the side of my hypothyroidism that I absolutely abhor with all my being.  Despite being on good medication, taking my Omega-3's, my vitamins and my supplements, nothing makes it go away.  There's that day, usually once a month, where I simply sleep forever without meaning to.  I call it a hypocoma.

This was a mild hypocoma at 20 hours, unless I make it to 9 PM and can't keep my eyes open again.  Then it'll be relatively normal.  Most of my hypocomas will last around 24 hours on top of a normal 8-hour sleep.  Just ask my best friend.

Last year, I decided to take a break from the hell of 2012 to visit her about 500 miles away.  She was desperate for a new entertainment system, so we went to IKEA for one.  We woke up fairly early and it only took us a few hours.

The minute we got home, something was wrong.  I was tired and cold; I could feel it coming on.  I fell asleep on the couch watching TV within 30 minutes of making it back in.  Not only did I fall sleep sitting up, but I was slouched over to the side with my arms and head on the armrest.  It was not comfortable and no normal human being should be able to fall asleep that way, but I did.

I woke up briefly for my friend's curry, then fell back asleep - almost with the bowl in hand if someone wouldn't have woken me to put it away!  They then pulled apart the entertainment system, vacuumed in front of me, put the new entertainment system together complete with knocking, put both my dog and her dog out for a bathroom break and went to the store.  I didn't wake up for any of it.  I slept through the night and woke up the next afternoon going "Holy hell, what happened?"

I slept for 24 hours on top of normal sleep slouched over and  through all sorts of noise without budging.

I haven't found a solution to this problem.  When I had my one year of insurance, I should have gone to an endocrinologist.  Unfortunately, with no insurance, that won't be happening.  I've tried all sorts of diets, supplements and folk remedies trying to fix this issue with no luck.  I'm doomed to waste one day a month sleeping my life away at this point, and it's very frustrating.

That being said, my eyes are starting to weigh.  At this point, I've lost the day anyway, so I might as well surrender to the hypocoma and finish off my sleep.  I suppose I'll work tomorrow with no weekend this round.  Not very fair, body.  Not very fair.

100% Monthly Target Income!

Actually, 110%.  Things are definitely looking up!

Technically, commissioners pay up front though - not after the fact.  I have a very strict rule about not paying myself until the work is complete.  I won't be able to cut myself a paycheck for the next batch of commissions until next Friday.  That being said, that still leaves me with one week left in the month where I can earn some extra wages.  Plus the caricature gig I have on Monday, January 28th.

I'm super stoked to be able to make a bit of spare cash.  I could easily be looking at an extra 30% income this month.  Maybe I can throw it at my husband's inner tie rods and get them replaced sooner?  Or I could stash it away and use it as padding in case something goes wrong.  Maybe a little bit of both!

The Doctor's Companion

So this is the product my drawing for myself this month.  I like to have covers that I personally design, particularly because I do a lot of networking on Facebook. Almost all of them have involved my pets in some way.  At one point, I was Dorothy and my dog was Toto from the Wizard of Oz.  My cats were flying around in the background from the tornado.  It was simple but I loved it.

At one point, my pets were out to get me because I had the food bag.

And when Nyx passed away, I even did a memorial cover picture.

The truth is, though, that I feel like I kind of wasted my one drawing this month.  I'd like to do something more portfolio-worthy than Facebook covers with my pets.  I really need to sit down and come up with a series of images I can work on over the next 12 months that I would be proud to display on my website.

Something elaborate yet in my style.  Something that focuses on my strengths and can really add to my current body of work.

It's going to take more thought than just a single post.  That being said, I'd like to hear from you guys!

Any suggestions on a series of 10 illustrations you'd like to see from me?

Goals for the month of January 2013

Today, I'm dividing up my goals into achievable steps for this month.  Fairly short and sweet!  Making it a single post will make it easier to access and, come the end of the month, I can tally up my successes as well as not-so-successes.  Expect this post to be updated regularly as I work on these goals.  They will now be updated on weekly check-ins!

JANUARY 2013 GOALS

Month is currently 42% over.

CAREER

Hit target number of monthly illustrations. - 43% complete.

Make target income for the month. - 72% complete.

Draw one illustration for myself. - 100% complete.

FINANCIAL

Make target income for the month. - 72% complete.

Keep budget. - 48% complete.

HEALTH

Begin taking thyroid meds - continue for entire month. - 48% complete.

Lose 3 pounds by eating a salad every day and avoiding take-out. - 47% complete.

HOME

Organize my computer. - 100% complete.

KNOWLEDGE

Begin taking thyroid meds - continue for entire month. - 48% complete.

Begin taking supplements - continue for entire month. - 48% complete.

Begin daily mental exercises. - 25% complete.

Read one book. - 35% complete.

PERSONAL

Begin taking thyroid meds - continue for entire month. - 28% complete.

Begin meditating. - 15% complete.

Draw one illustration for myself. - 100% complete.

Lose 3 pounds by eating a salad every day and avoiding take-out. - 47% complete.

Adhere to my planner schedule. - 48% complete.

RELATIONSHIP

Do one date night: Watch movies in. - 100% complete.

SPIRITUAL

Begin meditating. - 15% complete.

Next time: What happens at Girls' Night most certainly doesn't stay at Girls' Night.

What is one goal you have to be completed in January?

2013 Career Goals: Positive, Quantitative Goals

Let me start with this: I'm a freelance illustrator and I love my job.  I am not half-happy with my current job, but I'm half-happy with the amount of effort I put into it.  Many times, we struggle with balancing our career and our families.  More often, you hear of the person who lost his family because he stayed at the office until midnight every night, but you rarely hear of the people who lost their careers because they spent too much time with the fam.  The second one would nearly be me, particularly with my parents.  I really should learn to say no.  But instead of "saying no to my parents" being a goal, I wanted to make positive, quantitative goals.

The first goal I actually pulled from my financial goals: making my target income for the year.  I would certainly feel better about my career knowing that I made the money I was supposed to make to cover our budget.  See how goals can often cross multiple sections?  I now needed to decide just how I was going to make that amount.

The way I work is by scheduling a certain amount of commissions per month.  I actually say no at my job more often than I do at home.  I have a real job and I need to start treating it that way.  I decided on a monthly number of commissions that I would be happy and comfortable with taking - a number more than last year but that still left me family and fun time.  If I can achieve this number, I will make my target income.  I now had two out of four goals.

As a character designer and concept artist, I'm typically contracted not to show my work until years later.  On top of that, I can't really remember the last time I drew anything for myself.  Creating one drawing a month that's purely for fun could add to both of those.  It would also make me feel much better about my career doing something I love in a relaxed setting.

Finally, because I rarely get a chance to show my work, my portfolio is a little outdated.  By drawing work for myself, I could finally sit down and update my website with work newer than 2011.

Next time on The Progressive Planner:

What are your career-related goals for 2013?