Graduation what's next? Japan, break from social media, freelance fears, turning 30, books

August 10, 2018 Romica Spiegl

Hello,

it's time for an update. I've graduated, went to Japan for two weeks, took a long social media break, and now work as a fulltime freelance illustrator. This, of course, was a big transition and I took some time out to reflect on how I really want my life as a freelance illustrator to be. I read a lot of amazing books which I want to share, especially one called My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel. And I will talk about a lot of questions that came up during this time. Do I want a schedule and if so what kind? What are my priorities and how do I manage my time well to reach my goals? Etc. etc.

As this video is pretty long, my dear Instagram community voted for a video in two parts. I hope you enjoy my book recommendations and I'd love to hear how you manage times of transition. If you are working full time as a freelance illustrator or in the creative industries, how was the first year? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

I really hope you enjoyed the video, and if you did please give it a thumbs up. It really helps the video to be found by other wonderful people like you.

Stay joyful,
Romica

Please understand, you follow links mentioned here at your own risk.

THINGS I MENTIONED

- Audio Books from Audible -

I absolutely love to listen to audio books when drawing, here are my recommendations

The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon by Julia Cameron
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

- Books -

The Creative Career Path by Creative Pep Talk
Start where you are by Meera Lee Patel
My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel
Draw Every Day Draw Every Way by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

- Videos and Channels -

The Daily Connoisseur Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHx11n971kc&list=PL2Vy9DfN2zyNFNfQuF19CiQcOc9slc-97
TEDx Talk on the 10 item wardrobe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3CLRL32Mcw&t=6s
Google Talk by Mari Kondo on Konmari Method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1-HMMX_NR8&t=742s

- Online Classes -

How to Sell your Products to Retailers on Creative Live -Get 15 USD off through this link https://refer.creativelive.com/s/Romica (affiliate link*)
Hot Markets for your Art Part B by Make Art That Sells https://makeartthatsells.com/online-courses/
MATS MBA Money Bad Ass by Make Art That Sells https://makeartthatsells.com/online-courses/

LEARN with me

MY FREE 7-DAY GOUACHE E-MAIL COURSE for beginners

MY GOUACHE ONLINE CLASS
romicajones.com/classes

CONNECT with me

Freelance struggles Vlog: lower back pain and how I deal with it - life of an illustrator

April 8, 2018 Romica Spiegl

Hello,

in this video, I share my tips on how I deal with a very common struggle of freelance illustrators - lower back pain. I implemented these new habits for a week now and I feel much better. However, I think freelance health is really about long-term habits and lifestyle changes more than a quick fix. I'm really glad that I started using my "TrackYoga" app again which I use now every morning. You will also see a few snippets of my current children's book project which is for my final uni project. I'm graduating this summer and my final deadline is on the 11th of May, so wish me luck. I think with every challenge in life it matters how we deal with them. I will not let this hold me back, but I will definitely treat my body better :)

Disclaimer: Please note these tips have personally helped me, however, this video is not giving any medical advice. You will have to consult a doctor for your unique condition.

I really hope you enjoyed the video, and if you did please give it a thumbs up. It really helps the video to be found by other wonderful people like you.

Stay joyful,
Romica

Please understand, you follow links mentioned here at your own risk.

YOGA APP I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (FREE)
(all mentioned in the video)

Track Yoga App http://www.trackyoga.com/

LEARN with me

MY FREE 7-DAY GOUACHE E-MAIL COURSE for beginners

MY GOUACHE ONLINE CLASS
romicajones.com/classes

MY CHILDREN'S BOOK ASSIGNMENT CLASS - intermediate level
romicajones.com/classes

CONNECT with me

Paris Vlog, public speaking, little prince shop and my business cards for bologna - week in the life of an illustrator

March 23, 2018 Romica Spiegl

Hello,

in this video I will share some travel tips for Paris, my favourite places I visited during my one day of sightseeing and my public speaking experience and thoughts on dealing with the success of others at a business conference and networking event for young professionals. I will also share with you why I signed up to volunteer as one of five directors for a year, a mini book haul of The Little Prince pop up book, and I will show you my new promotional material for Bologna Children's Book Fair. So this video is packed full and I hope you enjoy it.

I'm just about to finish my portfolio and do some print testing, and I plan to produce some stickers for my gift to publishers and agents at the fair. What exactly will be in this promotional gift I will show you in another video :)

I really hope you enjoyed the video, and if you did please give it a thumbs up. It really helps the video to be found by other wonderful people like you.

Stay joyful,
Romica

Please understand, you follow links mentioned here at your own risk.

MY TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARIS
(all mentioned in the video)

Navigo Card for Public Transport (you can start using it from the airport, but just in case ask at the airport train information)
https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-et-tarifs/navigo-monthly-and-weekly-travel-passes

The Paris Flower Market https://www.thegoodlifefrance.com/the-paris-flower-market/

Notre-Dame de Paris
http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/

Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre (Sacre Coeur Basilica)
http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/