News
Of particular interest to the comics world, did you know that the Javits Center is being turned into a temporary hospital for coronavirus overflow? New York Comic Con fans will immediately recognize the iconic structure that has been part of our lives for many years. On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo gave his daily update on the state of the crisis right from the Javits. Details on this will continue to unfold and I hope that all goes well (or as well as it CAN, given the circumstances).
Other news: Tax Day is delayed! Amidst everything, nobody is thinking of doing their taxes right now. Luckily we have another 3 months to get it together. Our taxes are now due on July 15 with no interest or penalties! Again, since I blog once a week this may be old news to some people, but just in case you’ve been taking a break from the news, there it is. I took a break from it yesterday and today too. I’m not sure if I’ll hold an online version of my tax class, but if I do, you’ll be the first to know.
Resources
Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten a bunch of emails & messages that list many freelance artist resources! I’ve gone through some of them and they range from financial help to mental help and more. I understand that many in the artist community have had multiple income streams stopped. My heart goes out to actors in particular, who usually supplement acting gigs with restaurant or bartending work and can’t really work from home on stuff like visual artists. Hopefully you can find some help in the below links:
https://covid19freelanceartistresource.wordpress.com/
https://cutaway.shift.io/assistance-for-freelancers-and-gig-workers-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic
For now, my freelance work has been holding up and I’ll be ok until the end of April at least with my current projects. I’m wrapping up some design work, sketching illustrations for 2 children’s books, have 2 custom comics, and some other illustration work. Of course, if you’d like some art during this time, feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to create something for you.
More Tips on Working From Home
Since many people are working remotely now, & I got a great response from the last post, here are more working from home tips! These have to do with time management and boundaries:
Designate “work hours.” This is about setting boundaries for yourself so others know what to expect from you. If a client calls you at 9pm and you pick up, they’ll expect you to always pick up. IT’S OK to NOT answer the phone and go to voicemail for non-urgent things. You can then communicate what your hours are and that you’re unavailable at certain times. The work/home lines are blurred now, but that doesn’t mean our whole life is work for others at all times. Some artists are uncomfortable bringing up this subject with clients, but it’s best to be straightforward & the client will usually understand.
Give yourself an actual “weekend.” This is related to setting boundaries & work hours above, but on a weekly schedule. Don’t work every day or you’ll burn out! Especially during this time, I’m letting myself not worry about accomplishing as much on Sundays. I don’t even check my email on the weekend. Remember, the world revolves around a M-F 9-5, and most people don’t check their email til Monday too.
Now’s a great time to test out getting up and going to bed at the same time every day to get better sleep. I can’t enjoy NYC nightlife for the foreseeable future, but one upside is that I don’t feel the need to sleep in on the weekends. I sleep better and accomplish more in the day!
Let me know if you found anything in this blog helpful!
Stay healthy & safe!
