4/14/20

Top tips on working from home from the pros: our artists reveal their best secrets!

Guess who has fantastic tips on working from home? Seasoned illustrators, that’s who! I recently asked them to share their best tips for those who are working from home full-time, possibly for the first time ever. Enjoy!

Julia Christians

– Get dressed! Everyone is making jokes at the moment, about people not wearing pants in their home office. But as someone who always works in a home office, it is helpful to get dressed nicely for work every day, to get in a busy and motivated mood.

– Clean your space! When you are done for the day, clean up your work space so you can start fresh next morning. It really makes a difference to come to a nice and clean desk in the morning.

– Make plans: I have two schedules, one is a yearly overview with my longterm projects, the other one is a weekly planner. I fill the weekly planner on Mondays. That’s important because I don’t lose time, thinking about what to do today when I start working. It also helps me to do things I am not really motivated to do. When it’s on the planner for a certain day, I will do it, no matter what.

A seasoned home-based full-time illustrator and mother of two, our artist Julia Christians shares her top tips for working from home:

– Structure your day. Start and stop working at the same time, every day. Have a routine. Have breakfast, get a huge cup of your favorite tea and go to work.

– It’s better to start early. Before I had kids I started to work pretty late and also worked in the evenings and nights. I feel like you have more energy in the mornings and if you have done your work in the morning, you can take the rest of the day off with a good feeling.

– Limit your time! Another thing I learned by having kids. You are more productive if you have less time.

– Put your cell phone away or in airplane mode

Check out Julia’s latest book with Nosy Crow.

Introducing a truly hilarious and one-of-a-kind new character: Magnificent Mabel!

Buy it here.

Flora Waycott

Writing from Australia, our artist Flora Waycott’s shares her nurturing advice to start the day :

My number one tip for working from home is to get dressed in to something nice, as if you are going to work. I always try to accessorise with some favourite jewellery, even if I am not going to see anyone or leave the house all day. This helps me mentally prepare and I feel fresh and ready to start the day.

Create a morning routine that you stick to every single day – mine is to make a cup of lemon water followed by a berry smoothie, light my favourite incense and check my emails. I do this every single morning and it has helped me to be more disciplined with starting work

Want more Flora goodness? Check out her authored/illustrated book here.

Trina Dalziel

We love the lyrical tips from our British artist Trina Dalziel:

I am incredibly lucky where I live in the North of England–a footpath takes me from my house into fields and woods.

I aim to walk a few miles every day but on the days I don’t manage I still try to spend some time outside, tidying up my garden, refilling the bird feeder, ten minutes wrapped up with a coffee, even just hanging washing on the line, or standing on the doorstep gazing at the stars — but something to connect with the outdoors and nature.

It’s one of the things I most love to draw so it seems crazy to not spend time appreciating it.

And now for some happy news…

Fabric of the mask in front by

Carolyn Gavin

We have the most awesomest financial manager ever! Julia Parker has been part of a brigade of roughly eight women in the greater Boston area sewing masks for two local hospitals and a homeless shelter.

There has been much sanitizing and sharing of supplies and a wonderful community has been borne of the need to provide for our front-line workers and unsheltered community. Lilla Rogers Studio has donated over 50 yards of fabric to this endeavor.

Thank you so much to Julia and to all the health care workers keeping us safe every day.