amy, Author at Pikaland - Page 48 of 698

Why going away is the best thing you can do for your sanity

I had my first extended holiday overseas for two weeks after 3 years of working non-stop, and I just came back. Between this and the last time wanderlust bit, I’ve been majorly productive – there was a major website overhaul and redesign, a wedding, a funeral, a major freelance project, teaching assignments, a big launch and lots of other fun and serious stuff in between.

Suffice to say, I needed to go away. I had to – for my sanity’s sake. My engine has been running on full speed for the past few years that I almost found it impossible to stop. What would happen if I did? Would things stop? Would time stop? Would I stop?

And stop I did.

I stopped to look, listen and explore again. And this time it’s without a purpose other than the sole pleasure of drinking things in. I took great joy and pride in re-learning routes on the Tokyo subway, and I stopped caring that my sputtering of Japanese vocabulary had regressed even further since my last trip in 2010. I stopped caring about what others thought of me as I walked around wearing socks and sandals because I was most comfortable walking around in them (my feet can’t quite stand fully covered shoes – they hurt and blister my feet!)

Mainly I stopped beating myself up for taking a break. I used to think that if I stopped just for a while, the balls that I had juggled in the air all these while would all fall on the ground – bouncing off the floor, mocking me as they rolled to a stop. None of that happened. In fact, I felt a lot better for allowing myself to stop and just breathe.

No phone calls.
No SMS’es.
No replying of emails unless it was absolutely urgent.
No social media (except for Instagram – I cheated on that one).

While I was away, I felt that the heart, time and energy that I’ve poured into my projects had left a void inside me. Much like the theory of energy transference, I transferred my hopes and dreams into something tangible, and now I was the one in need of a refuel. Like designers and artists who use their energy to create, their fuel is gathered through the experiences – whether it’s through those that they seek out, or those that seek them. An imbalance in the cycle – whether through a lack of input or output, would cause things to break. People. Relationships. Work. Something always breaks.

The trick is to recognize before that break happens, and do something about it. It’s not always easy to know it before it’s too late. So the best course of action is to go away before you need to step away.

Otherwise you might never make it back.

SHARE WITH ME:

Have you ever been burnt out, and what did you do to overcome it? What soothes your weary soul and recharges you?

[P/s: if you’re on Instagram you can see where I’ve been over here!]

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What’s your reason to not begin?

Back in 2006, there wasn’t an easy way to create blog that worked the way you wanted it to, using your own domain. I couldn’t wrap my head around WordPress, which was essentially a platform for a blog; so I went with Textpattern instead, because it was a more fleshed out content management system (CMS) that could also work as a blog. There were very, very limited templates available, and I learned CSS and HTML so that I could make my website non-ugly. (Want to see how my first blog looked like? Here it is!)

Back in 2006, I couldn’t find an e-commerce site that I could use that’s within my budget (i.e. free) so I deployed ZenCart – one of the ~~ugliest~~ most popular shopping carts out there, and turns out there was a reason for that – it was free. I dived into PHP and changed the template and stripped its functionality to do what I needed it to do. It took me countless late nights (that tipped into the wee hours of the morning) hunched over the computer, while I still woke up at 8am to prep for my full-time job the next day. Etsy wasn’t even born yet.

Back in 2007, Paypal wasn’t open to Malaysians at all. So I researched every single way to open an account, legally. It took a bus trip down south, along with the help of a financial institution overseas, and my gracious aunt to open an account. I finally managed to open one to receive funds and to withdraw the tiny amount I made online – I was in business! Paypal only made it officially open to everyone else here after a couple more years.

Right now, in 2013, there’s so many different options available – for anyone looking to start their own blog, shop, portfolio, and even different ways to get paid online. You don’t even need to dive into any code to make these softwares work the way you want it to. You don’t even need to learn CSS and HTML to make design changes. Everything is done with a few clicks of a button.

The only thing that’s missing is the button you have to push first: YOU.

So share with me: what’s your excuse for not starting?

[Illustration: Till Hafenbrak]

Artists & illustrators: Have you used your superpowers lately?

My first contact with illustrations were from children’s books. Whenever my parents would head out for errands or to the shopping mall, they’d drop us off at the bookstore (this was when the world was much safer) and come pick us up when we’re done. They said that I’d be studying the books – both images and text to the point where it seemed like I disappeared into my own little world.

My mom also frequented a second-hand bookstore right below her office at the time, and brought home all sorts of gems – like Richard Scarry’s books, old classics like the Hardy Boys, Enid Blyton and many others. It was a mixed bag of goodies and I was always enthralled by her finds. Back then, I was more into words and text, rather than images. My parents found out how much I love reading by the way I kept looking at newspapers instead of just normal children’s books – although the latter was much more colorful!

My love for illustration was ignited after I was exposed to publishing. While I was in design school (studying landscape architecture), people often remarked how my skills belonged in the fine arts instead of design – and I couldn’t understand what they meant at all. When I consciously made a decision to take a step into the world of magazines – and publishing – that’s when my appreciation for beauty began to solidify. And it also marked the beginning of an informal introduction into the psychology of sales, marketing and how creativity works in the real world.

So when I discovered illustrations after being in the publishing arena, it was from a completely different viewpoint. It wasn’t a love borne out of pure nostalgia. It wasn’t a love that was with me for a long time. It was new, it was fresh, and it had meaning. Illustrations to me were more than just pretty pictures. It had to be able to “speak” in order for me to feel as though it has completed its transaction. It had a purpose, and it had a voice.

I’ve learned that creativity has a lot to do with communication. And that goes the same with illustration. How you tell the ideas behind your story, is every bit as important as the story itself.

Because let’s face it, everyone can draw a picture. And almost anyone can tell a story. But to tell a story through a picture? Now that’s not something that’s easy to do, and to do well. But that is what makes all of you – artists and illustrators – so powerful. You’re practically a superhero.

But remember this: without the tangible aspects of building a bridge between you and the viewer, your work becomes something that is hard to reach, harder to grasp, and ultimately something that will be forgotten.

So illustration to me is communication. Art is communication. And communication is an art.

SHARE WITH ME:

Have you communicated with others besides yourself lately? Have you used your superpower for the greater good? I’d love to hear your stories!