One Day at a time

This was a University led publication for creatives to enter in the hope of their work being featured. I entered the following 2 pieces that were then published in ' Message 5: Covid-19 Special Issue' by Plymouth University Press. The brief was 'How in this time of crisis have graphic designers, and we as a community, taken time to help ourselves and our health in order to support ourselves and others to become more resilient?' Exposition: Over quarantine and lockdown, I and many other people have found self-motivation very hard and struggle day to day. It’s no wonder that covid-19 has affected so many people’s mental health. Especially over the last lockdown and through easter I found myself in a rut and was very run down emotionally and physically. Through talking with family, friends and lectures I found that making notes for myself and praising small actions helped get my groove back into graphic design and my day-to-day life. These notes included waking up and having breakfast at a regular time, getting outside for at least one long walk and trying to focus on one task for maybe 30 minutes out of the day. I found that trying to complete these 3 simple tasks each day gave me some routine back that I had previously been missing. Slowly learning not to be so hard on myself and to take each day as it comes. If I didn’t get much uni work done one day and instead spent the day doodling and painting, I didn’t feel as down or was as harsh on myself, as I had done my 3 small tasks. Before I knew it I was becoming more motivated and 30 minutes of work became maybe an hour or two, my walks became longer as I would take my camera out with me or take my sketchbook down to the Hoe. Slowly things moved back into place and these tasks no longer felt like chores and I enjoyed doing them again. This feeling created some fun positive illustrations that are a reminder that you don't always need to have a structured path you can take things one step/day at a time.