Welcome to Morning Ink, where I share my daily fountain pen drawing and whatever thoughts (sometimes none, mostly reasonably short, occasionally long and very rambling) jump out and onto the screen. If you don’t want daily emails you can toggle them off by going to Manage subscription. 1
I made a ridiculous amount of minestrone last night. I think I should freeze some of it, otherwise some of it will end up in the bin by tomorrow evening. It’s just what I needed though as it is definitely feeling like soup season.
Another day that felt very long and where the hours I logged were not huge. And another day where I am reminded to log my illustration business hours as well as the publishing ones. My money mindset still hasn’t been adjusted enough to accept that work that hasn’t yet earned any money and technically might never to do so can remotely count as work hours. But I really really should be logging them and noting down how much time is spent on different projects, so that when they do make money I have some concrete data to tell me that this piece took ten hours and made £500 and this piece took three hours and made £3000 and this particular month’s work made £X shortly after and £Y over a three-year-period and so on and so on. If I have that data (the positive and the negative) it will help me to do more of it and also to treat it more like (enjoyable) work and less like downtime.
Last night I was sketching more birds, coming up with three separate bird-related mini collection ideas, all with a different feel – one a bit humorous, one with a more picture book and story feel and another very much decorative. I would love to take all three of them to final, but it’s most likely, given time constraints this week, that I will need to pick one. But the other two can sit in my sketches folder to be moved forward at some other quieter point, so it won’t be wasted. Not that any sketch time is ever wasted.
I did also have a bit of a grump that I couldn’t stay up drawing for another hour or two. But I am very aware that this busy period is both nothing compared to busy periods of the past and will be over and done with in just over a week. And then I can draw almost all the time, for a while.
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With you on the time-logging. Also a good reminder of why hourly rates are less useful compared to stuff like project rates. I remember a journalist surprised at a project quote that made it sound to them like £1 per word, when there was so much more to consider around the project (experience, specialist knowledge, discussion and meetings around the writing itself, etc.). The main team weren't phased. If they had been, it would have been my turn to be surprised. 😆
Can there ever be too much minestrone. I love a good hearty soup and getting back into daily (ish) soup making is one of my favourite things about Autumn (that and cardigans lol).