At any given moment, you can be sure that I have a bunch of personal projects on the go. Some will never see the “public” light of day, because they’re not meant to. Some are just fun little things I draw for myself to keep practicing or learning new skills and make sure I’m constantly creating something for myself as well as clients.

Other things I’m happy to share both because I’m proud of them and because I want to show what I’m capable of as an illustrator (and find more clients).

Finding the balance between creating for ourselves vs client work is essential for our own motivation and mental well being. I try and make time most days to work on my own projects once the client work is done for the day. It helps keep the love of creating alive, because let’s be real – constantly working on other people’s projects can drain or even kill our motivation and love of art in general.

Make time for your own silly paintings and drawings whether anyone else will ever see them or not. Make art for you, just because you want to without any rhyme or reason and don’t ever feel guilty for making time for yourself – as creators we need to create.

And it will serve us better in the long run because we’ll not only improve our skills, but also feel alive and passionate about what we’re creating – and that passion will show.