What to do

...when there's just SO much TO do??!

Hello friends,

A short but candid catch up this month as I share some thoughts on juggling the dreaded pressures of comparison, overwhelm and burn-out¹

Aside from actual paid work, there is (we all know) an additional rabbit hole of illustration related tasks/jobs/goals that require continued tending throughout the year, that is if we are to make a success of our skills and small businesses, and seek out those opportunities which can often feel like the tiniest of needles, in the most vast of haystacks. Haystacks made of super-talented and far more go-getter-y creatives than ourselves, it can sometimes seem.

Imagine the scene.

You have a ton of things on your ‘how to be awesome at this illustration thing’ list.

Things like:

1. Finish that piece of art that’s been sitting there since last month - why oh why did you think drawing so many houses was a good idea??

2. Make a solid start on that storyboard you said would be done by now.

3. Finish the final drafts of those PB texts you said would be done by now.

4. New art for your portfolio.

5. Research for the new art for your portfolio.

6. Sort out your EXISTING portfolio (Jeez, I need more new art than I thought!)

7. And then there’s that seasonal mailing your agent asked for…

8. And you haven’t posted anything new to IG for a while… perhaps a bird(?) you don’t draw those very often²

9. An art challenge maybe? Everyone else is making time to join some?

10. What??! #kidlitartpostcard?³ Again? ALREADY?!

11. And don’t forget this month’s Substack post…

…and so on and so forth.

I mean, It can all get a bit, much, can it not?

But what do you do when ‘paralysis by analysis’ hits?

Btw, if you’re thinking that falling to the floor in a despondent heap, followed by a spell of staring vacantly at the ceiling might help. It doesn’t. Trust me.

I wish I could wrap up this little chat with a definitive answer to our collective woes, but I regret to say that I do not have any life changing wisdom to share.

There is support in solidarity however, as I know that I’m not the only person juggling overwhelm with productivity right now (whilst simultaneously balancing precariously on the unicycle of new opportunities.)

If I have any advice to offer it is this:

LISTS.

I find LISTS to be incredibly helpful.

Short and concise lists help order my thoughts and focus my brain, and there is also something inherently satisfying about ticking things off once you have completed them.

In fact, just the promise of a simple tick, can, in and of itself, sometimes be enough to get me out of a rut and motivated to get going again.

And so, during those times where I feel like a soggy paper boat on a sea of overwhelming potential endeavours, I make a list.

I keep my lists in what I call my ‘desk diaries’ - smallish ones which have both monthly and weekly planners.

I picked up a new diary for 2025 just the other day⁴

My Desk Diaries x

I make the lists.

I tick off the lists.

And slowly, sometimes very slowly, I forge a way through the overwhelm.

A messy January page and a shiny new January page to demonstrate that it doesn’t matter how you get the info down, just get it down so that it can help you make sense of the jumble in your head. FYI: 2025 is set to be the year of neater list making - it’s at the top of my list!

And that’s it. Nothing groundbreaking I know, but it might help others to hear that we all struggle from time to time, and that it’s all perfectly normal. In fact, I would go as far as to say that a degree of struggle is expected, and is probably good for us on some level, although the psychology of that is more than I feel capable of delving into today.

I’ll add it to the list =)

Until next time,

Caroline ✏️✨

A closing note:

Some of you may have noticed that I shared a couple of illustrations from last year’s Folktale week in this post.

I had so much fun when I joined last year - you can find my little silent story over on my website:

A Charming Tale

For those who may not know, Folktale Week is an established and much loved art challenge hosted annually over on IG.

This year’s challenge starts November 18th, with art prompts released on October 21st (this Monday!)

If you’d like to stay updated on all things Folktale Week 2024, I suggest checking out the lovely Jennifer Potter over on IG.

Art by: Jennifer Potter

Jennifer is a super talented illustrator and a long-time host of the folktale week challenge.

She also has a great Substack page - Picture Perfect - which is full of useful resources and art-related info.

Jennifer is very generous with her knowledge and her posts are always a great read =)

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1. Why do creative-struggles always travel in packs?

2. I draw LOTS of birds. Too many probably.

3. #kidlitartpostcard provides a monthly opportunity for artists to share an illustration along with their contact details for the eyes of publishers, art directors, editors and agents.

Founded by Gina Perry, you can check out some great postcard examples over on Bluesky and perhaps put one together of your own for November =)

Next #kidlitartpostcard day: November 7th

Gina also has a fun and informative Substack page - Doodle Mail - if you’d like to take a peek.

4. An additional struggle I have is poor lighting throughout my home, which makes getting decent photographs impossible apparently.