finding motivation

Happy Saturday everyone!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I can’t believe that Christmas is only a week away! I feel like December crept up on me without any warning and suddenly I’m surrounded by tinsel and fairy lights everywhere.

I wanted to touch on something that I think anyone who has worked in freelance (or work in general) can relate to; motivation.

I’ve often found myself at one of two extremes with being motivated; either I want to do absolutely everything as quickly as possible or I have no desire to do anything at all.

I think a lot of us can find ourselves stuck on the swinging pendulum of motivation - swinging from one to the other and battling the guilt and frustration that comes with both.

As someone with a hidden disability, the most frustrating circumstance is when my health and my desire to work don’t align. Some of my most productive moods arrive during the middle of a bad flare of pain. It’s incredibly frustrating.

It’s like having a cold (which I’m also currently fighting off…the joys of winter!) and trying to sing your favourite song. You desperately want to sing and give it your all but your sickness and fatigue won’t allow it and instead you find yourself fighting between half-singing out of key and sneezing.

One of the joys of doing graphic design is that I can do it anywhere - including my bed if required. But that doesn’t always mean that I’m well enough to work.

When a design or an idea comes to me, I often need to do it or make note of it immediately before I get distracted and forget. But when I’m already feeling rubbish and dosed up on strong painkillers, that’s not always as easy to do as it sounds.

It takes a lot of patience and kindness to myself to manage those moments. The desire to get angry or upset with myself can be tough to fight. I have to remind myself that my worth isn’t directly tied to my productivity, and how can I even work to the best of my ability if I don’t feel my best?

The world prizes success and hard work above everything. There’s a heavy pressure to “hustle” and be working at every waking moment. I regularly recall seeing people brag over how much they have to work or how little free time they have.

But chronic illness shouldn’t be the only reason I don’t adopt that mentality.

Rest is so so important and underrated. Nine times out of ten if I’m feeling out of sorts or overly emotional it’s because I haven’t rested.

It’s okay to take time for yourself - you don’t need an excuse and you shouldn’t be punishing yourself by working constantly.

That being said, my health isn’t an excuse to not work. My partner is frequently frustrated with me for overworking, even when I’m struggling to feel motivated. My work means so much to me and I always feel I have to prove my worth and work ethic when people find out about my condition. In many ways, fighting that stigma motivates me more than anything else.

I think my health has forced me to have a more healthy work life balance; the trick is I have to remember that it is healthy.

Taking a bath instead of writing yet another email? Healthy.

Having a night off to have dinner with family? Healthy.

Sleeping when you’re tired and in pain? HEALTHY.

In the run up to Christmas, it always seems like this rush of motivation and excessive work worsens. Everyone feels they have to achieve all they can, buy presents, be social, etc. It’s near impossible to balance it all.

So make sure you’re taking extra time for yourself over the next couple of weeks.

With that in mind, I’ll be taking a little break from my blog for the next two weeks to spend some time with my friends and family and make sure that I’m resting as I need to. But don’t worry, I’ll still be working on some fun designs to share with you all in the new year!

Thank you so much for all the support this year for Brave Little Foxes. The last few months have been a great adventure for my business and I’m so excited to see where we’ll go next.

I can’t wait to continue sharing with you all in 2023!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

All the best,

- Em x