I know there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. Like sleep. For those who are creatively inclined, sometimes we find ourselves going in a million different directions. Web designers, especially, can get overwhelmed with all the rapidly changing and emerging technology. It’s tough to stay on top of things, and improve your creative skills, much less find time for a hobby or a creative project that is just for fun.

But it’s worth it.

If there is a creative project that sort of just hangs around in the back of your mind and won’t let go, it’s time to block out some time and get cracking. Don’t let those creative ideas fade away. Get them sketched, jot them down, and, hopefully, find the time to work on them. You will find a sense of fullfillment, your abilities will be stretched and will grow, and you will have trained those creative juices to keep on flowing. Who knows where trying something different will take you in the future!

I’ve completed my first illustration project since the launch of A Creative Year. In case you missed it, I tend to work on more print and web design projects, and don’t get to do much drawing or illustration. I found an old sketch and worked it up in Illustrator, brought it over to Photoshop for some final touches, and the completed product is below. It was fun, and it’s a start. What creative projects are you working on?

I just finished reading a book by Dan Miller called ‘48 Days to the Work You Love’, a book I came across while listening to financial guru Dave Ramsey. Dan makes a living helping others find the courage and tenacity to chase a dream, make a change, and face and overcome adversity. He helps people figure out what they love to do and find a way to make a living at it, which coincides nicely with the purpose of ‘A Creative Year.’ What good is an idea that you never act on? Are you pursuing your passions and using your talents like you want, or should be?

For those of us who love to create, and are fortunate enough to make a living out of it, our very nature is constantly churning up ideas. Sometimes we let them go back from whence they came, but some of them we latch onto and wrestle with until by sheer force of will and determination, we drag them into reality. Maybe it’s a painting, a web app, or a certain combination of color, type and shape in a brochure design. You may find yourself doing a lot of web and print design projects for others, but you really don’t want to let that illustration bug go. That’s what this site is going to be about – finding the time to become better at whatever it is you do, and also making sure you are doing what you love (even if it’s just on the side).

I thought a good place to start would be where every creative project should start – your sketchbook. I tend to draw cartoonish faces with big round eyes when I’m doodling, and am interested in doing portraits as well as designing interesting characters. Below I’ve scanned in 3 sketches I’ve made in the past, and what I plan on doing is taking one of them and turning it into a finished piece.

Step one of that process will have to wait until next week. I encourage you to find a sketch you did, that you loved, and revisit it. Maybe you can turn it into something more…