Oh February. When I think of the months, I assign them each a color in my head. February is a pink month, probably because of Valentine’s Day.
Unfortunately that is the only think pink about February. We’re at the tail end of winter, the winter blues started at a cotton-y ice blue and have bled into something more slate. I’m ready for March. Which is a green month. Green means leaves on the trees and flower shoots in the mocha dirt. It’s also the season of rainbows! Oregon’s lesser known Spring attraction are rainbows. A double rainbow? Yawn, I’ve seen a dozen already. Just kidding, I still get so excited to see them.
The month of February was slow for me. I had just sent off a big ol’ project that was in the works for one whole year! I am not sure how much I am allowed to share. But one thing I will tell you is that I illustrated the whole book in TEN DAYS due to some UNFORTUNATE miscommunication. My wrist kept me up at night with so much pain. My brain was an absolute puddle. I was telling Todd that even though artists aren’t crunching numbers or filing papers or tap tap tapping on a computer, we are constantly visually problem solving.
If you are an artist, you may not realize you are problem solving. The order of color, hues, saturation, and composition are all learned skills. When a piece doesn’t look right, it’s your job to find out why. Is the color the wrong shade? Why does that person’s arm look weird? Your JOB is to make people look at your art for a long time and LIKE it. Sometimes this becomes so seamless to us we do it without thinking.
Therefore, that is the reason I slept in until 11:00 everyday for a week. I only went on a morning walk one time. I only left the house to go to the grocery store on a Wednesday. I was grouchy. I am telling you this because it’s not a good idea to illustrate a book in 10 days (plus other projects previously scheduled). That is the behind the scenes of hustle culture. Tired, grouchy, puddles. It’s 110% normal to ask for an extension when appropriate. Your job as an artist is as a partner not an employee. There are proper times to hustle and other times when it’s outlandish. It’s up to you to learn that balance for yourself! #HealthyHustle
XoXo,
Megan
Three Things I Have Been Enjoying:
-Phoebe's Birthday was on the 26th! She is now 3 years old. (If you are new around here, Phoebe is our American Cocker Spaniel!)
-Todd bought me a large bouquet of pink tulips and I go smell them every time I walk by.
-BYU TV: Artful. An inside look at the studios and creators of lovely art. Maybe you’ll recognize some of them?
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