It is still hard to pick up a pencil, but I have started doing a month-long exercise, where I am drawing at my own pace. It is mostly tiny simple drawings. Nothing big or serious, I can’t deal with that right now. Apart from waiting for my mojo to come back, I am doing a couple of design commissions. I find it easier to toggle between different kinds of jobs; illustrations, books, design, something else… When I work on the same job for a long time, it tends to get repetitive and I stop growing and I tend to settle. Sometimes I grow bitter at my own incompetence in finding worth in assignments. So a break is good, change of pace is good, change is good.

I have also been remaking my workspace for the past month. I recolored my walls a warm white, got rid of the old carpet that my puppy chewed and peed on, and rearranged the furniture. My body is still a bit sore from all that muscle work. Next, I am going to declutter my space and organize my materials. Also, what I would like, I guess, is to create a calm, aesthetic, and peaceful space for work. I am sure that will happen slowly over the next few months.

Another thing I am trying to do is to create new rituals. I have tried building habits, routines, and systems for my work life, and some have worked and some have not. But this time I want to build rituals that will heal and nurture me and help me to reach my goals.