Hello again and happy Friday!
I spent a bit of time this week reflecting on my current life situation to help me appreciate how things have progressed over the last year or so.
Here are some of my reflections:
I am working full time.
For the past few years I have been juggling multiple part time jobs plus my freelance work. It has been so nice just having one full time job.
I am working in children’s publishing.
I started my design career working in all different sorts of companies and industries including corporate, advertising, education and religious contexts. It has always been my dream to work in children’s publishing and I am so glad that I have been able to niche down into this industry.
I have just started the illustrations for my fourth published children’s book.
I would not have believed a year ago that I would be a published illustrator. Diary of a Roblox Pro books 1 and 2 are in store, book 3 is at the printer and I am currently working on book 4. This is definitely something that I am thankful for.
I visited a school as an illustrator for Book Week!
I did not foresee this happening a year ago and still can’t believe that I had this opportunity.
My physical and mental health is relatively stable.
You may not know this, but I had some major mental health issues about 8 years ago and have been slowly recovering since then. I still have my ups and downs, but overall I am in a far better place physically and mentally since then.
My art is getting better.
I look back on work that I produced 1 or 2 years ago and I am pleased to see that my art is slowly getting better over time. It is interesting to see how my tastes and abilities have changed. Having said this, I am very aware of my artistic shortcomings and weaknesses. I am trying to sketch every day, to take courses and to keep growing.
How have you seen your life situation change over the last few years? I would love to hear about your journey in the comments.
That’s all for this week. Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate your interest and your support.
always nice to read reflections - looks like you are in a good place, paul!