Make the conditions right….
Creativity pops up all over the blumin’ place!
Yesterday was the annual Good Ship Planning Party. Did you come along? If not, don’t worry, you can catch the replay here.
Pals who plan together, succeed together!
In 2023 my big exciting plan was to stop doing all the big exciting things and slow down.
After a few full-on work years I was feeling frazzled. The work was glorious, with lots of incredible, fun and fulfilling projects. But even happy things take their toll. I was getting migraines, and working long hours on screens was making me feel dizzy. What I needed was a factory reset long holiday.
At one point, I told my agent to pretend I didn't even exist because I didn't want any more offers of new projects that might make me excited, and accidentally say yes.
How did it go? It went great! I said no to everything that wasn't on that bit of paper up there 👆
The best thing was that once I finished my new picture book (Smelly Peggy, out later this year), I took six months off doing any illustration work. And then, surprise, surprise, my creativity popped up in lots of other ways: I made flags for the Good Ship, we spruced up our long-neglected house, did lots of gardening, co-hosted a mouse-making workshop with my pal
, and even wrote a few sneaky stories! That was against the rules, but those stories just popped out of nowhere once the pressure was off! They are with my publisher now, and I am wiggling my fingers with excited anticipation of starting the artwork.So, what’s on the Nice Ideas list for 2024?
More of the same please.
I have realised that if I make the conditions right, creativity pops up all over the blumin’ place!
Have you set any goals/ nice ideas for 2024? Did you come to the Planning Party yesterday? I’d love to hear your plans.
Love Helen
P.S. See the ‘teeth care for brain’ bit on my 2024 list? That’s because of this brilliant Zoe - Science and Nutrition podcast.
It was a great planning party! I did a wonderful creative year-end review in December, based on an outline by Amy Cowen at Illustrated Life substack, and I had some great epiphanies for creative goals this year at the planning session!
This is brilliant Helen! I loved drawing my goals at the planning party :) aiming to make more work that makes me happy and to get it in front of the eyeballs of lovely publishing peoples :) and hug my kids a lot!