Out of Office: Is the Grind Worth It?
Design will be there when I get home haha
Hey Friends
How’s it going! Hope everyone is doing well and 2023 has started the way you had planned ( or better even??)
Vacation Mode
I’m on vacation currently but still decided I wanted to write a quick newsletter for y’all.
I’m out in Mexico for my cousins wedding and it’s been super fun.
It’s so nice to take these long breaks this last month and really give my creative energy time to recharge.
It’s wild because from 2020-2022 I was grinding so hard and never really take any legit vacations or time off from work.
To contrast that this past month I’ve been
barely taking on any freelance projects with my move to a new house
Went on a trip to visit my college friends in San Francisco
And now on this trip to Cabo
The logical part of me would have liked to split the trips up across the year more but hey I can’t complain.
It’s pretty jarring for me though as a whole. Like I said I barely took any breaks in the past and it’s nice to have the luxury to do so now… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t itching to get back to designing.
I’m so excited to get cooking in my new office space. I have some exciting client work coming up, cool YouTube videos planned and wanna continue on my “50 graphic design ideas” series I been doing on Twitter and IG.
What’s new with y’all though?? Drop a comment about what kinda stuff you been working on or doing in life!
Overall though I’m so grateful for those late night hours during the Covid lockdown I spent working on client work and YouTube.
It has allowed me the privilege to relax and take more breaks now.
It’s a wierd phenomenon because a lot of people who have accomlphsied their goals seem to preach “healthy schedules” and “mental health” stuff over the so called “grind”
However…
It seems they have all done that “grind mode” during some point in the past. I’m sure there is a healthier way to accomplish your goals and get to the place you want to be but I haven’t figured it out yet.
I almost feel like you have to go through that unhealthy grind mode to get to the state of clarity and a balanced schedule.
I know this sound kinda annoying like those billionaires saying
“Money doesn’t matter”
But I’m just trying to speak on some of my truth. At the end of the day do what works for you and what helps you be the most creative:)
Overall I look at those past 2 years starting in 2020 as an investment. All that time spent building my social channel and my freelance practice has paid off.
None of this would have been possible either without the mad support of all y’all.
Im so grateful for every newsletter reader, patron, and YouTube subscriber.
I’ll be back in the office next week and stoked to see what’s in store for the rest of 2023
These breaks are cool and all but I’m ready to get back into some fun design work. I’m so lucky to have found a career I enjoy and I love this shit and hope you all do too.
Have a great week Everyone!
Grateful.
Much Love, Glue.
Weekly Wrap Up
Reviewing your Design Portfolios Ep.3
Conway the Machine Patreon poster design video!
https://twitter.com/permanentglue/status/1645882390018166785?s=46&t=7VGusXPoIga_XOeyitZnmQ
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I totally agree with this. I am currently in that grind mode but I desperately want to take a break. I dont want to work for big companies anymore but for myself, which again takes a lot of effort. But sometimes taking things slow is the best approach. I burry myself into work way too often and I definitely need to learn to enjoy things a bit more. Its not healthy mindset at all because at some point you cant take it anymore. Learning to do things a bit slower and appreciate life around you, as idealistic as it sounds, sometimes is necessary.
Actually started off my year similarly, I just got back from a backpacking trip around the eastern side of the EU. Talk about eye-opening, I genuinely hope everyone gets an opportunity to do something like that.
As far as what I'm working on now, I'm deep into developing a brand for my own company I'd like to launch soon, working part time really hasn't been it for me and I have been told time and time again I need to use my skillset in the freelance space. To say my passion for design has been reignited is a bit of an understatement. There's still tough days though, for sure, but I'm seeing better days.
Hope everyone here has the year they deserve and want to achieve, sometimes it comes time to just say "F*** it."