August is over. The leaves are turning yellow, there is a crisp coolness in the air, and the apocalyptic sabre-wielding mime minstrels have packed up and headed home for another year. Are you getting that back to school feeling?
This time of year, I can’t help feeling an urge to head for the nearest stationery shop and stock up on notebooks, fountain pens, and chalkboards. I want to run to school through the piles of crisp, yellow leaves, my breath forming small frosted clouds, my new patent buckled shoes gleaming in the autumnal light…
Way to make me feel old, September. I am not 6 anymore. Nor are we in the 19th century. Clearly I am not down with da kidz , with their laser space-pens and 3G textbooks and Nintendogs and what not. But what I have lost in cool youth I have gained in responsible-adult experience. So here I give you my top 5 freelancer’s tips for a productive September.
1. Clean up your desk.
Animators are terrible for collecting all manners of “inspiration” on their desks. Casting an eye around me, I can see a pair of broken headphones, an assortment of broken plastic Kinder toys, three torn Annecy festival tickets, a dusty moleskine, and a tower of Grazia magazines. Ahem. Whether you work from a tiny home office or a funky city centre studio, you’ll feel much more creative with some actual drawing space and the ability to cross the room without falling over a pile of rubbish. You may be so pleased with your efforts you may even want to show your new space off to your prospective clients. Bonus.
2. Sort out your books
No, not your stack of comics, magazines, or Twilight novels. September is half way through the fiscal year so now’s a good time to sort out your accounting. Go through that shoe box full of receipts and you’ll suddenly find yourself sleeping better at night. Just make sure you practice your fixed-smile expression before discussing your “profits” with your accountant.
3. Go back to school
Oh, we know you had good resolutions when you jetted off to Goa, Barcelona, or the wild plains of Argentina. You were going to fill the pages of your sketchbook with architectural marvels, textural studies, expressive portraits, and a genius idea for your next animation commission. But we both know the only things you came back with were a mighty headache, a dodgy stomach and a small novelty sombrero. Book yourself into an evening class, or find yourself a drawing buddy to roam the city with before your drawing muscles atrophy entirely.
4. Clean up your act
What, again?!? But muuuuuuum!
You can put down that mop and all-purpose surface cleaner. Have you seen the state of your desktop? It’s time to sort out your files, run that virus checker, update your OS, and get a good backup. How easily does CS4 load now? And while you’re at it, sort through your facebook photos, update your linkedin, and revamp your website. You never know who may be looking.
5. Exercise
And I don’t mean push ups or jogging. I shudder at the thought.
While you’re waiting for your clients to come back from holidays and pick up the phone, why not use this time productively? Do a new piece for your showreel. Learn a new skill or brush up on software. Or just go back to the good old bouncing ball exercise. Old dogs don’t always need new tricks.
Woof. Looking for other bones to gnaw on? Make sure you check out our animation showreel tips, list of UK animation festivals, and twitter animtips. Now excuse me while I go lie on a bed of receipts on the floor of my office. These Kinder toys aren’t going to play with themselves, you know.
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