What to work on when you have no work coming in

In the slower seasons of freelancing, there are many things we can do to "work on our business" or take a break for a while.

As a live illustrator, my work is very seasonal. Throughout the year, there are two busy periods, one around spring and the other around autumn, but the rest is usually calmer. Sometimes I enjoy the quiet, there is still work to do but the frantic pace is over. Other times though, I freak out and worry about the future.

This year, I wanted to prepare myself for this slower period during the winter, and I came up with a couple of things to do for myself that I wanted to share here.

In the end, I landed on a couple of projects that I wanted to do. One was to edit and publish a book I’ve been working on, the other was starting this newsletter. Of course I also wanted to update my website, reach out to clients, and a lot more stuff.

I personally find that as a creative person, I can’t just do-do-do all the time. I need time to recharge and let things simmer inside before producing new work. But sometimes there is outside pressure to be “productive” and even though I try to push that away, I don’t always manage. I think the key is to find your own personal flow and accept that you are not a machine but a person who is trying to channel their experiences and turn them into something meaningful.

The past few weeks, I have tried all of these things. The result? It got exhausting and I got sick. So don’t make the same mistake and instead of doing everything all at once, try to do one-two things for a while and then jump on something new. And the most important? Look at this time as a gift and do things that matter to you and that recharge you. Because before you know it, it’s gonna be the busy season all over again.

What’s you go-to thing during a slower season? I’d love to hear about it.