Birgitte M. R. Johnsen Illustration & Design

Motivational reminders

Previously I’ve created illustrations to remind people to enjoy the little things and things to remember during our work day and daily life. Though, I wanted to add another set of reminders on the topic of motivation, because staying motivated and doing our best can be tricky.

Amusingly enough I initially worked on this topic during Huely 2022, my limited colour palette challenge that I hold during July. I wasn’t happy with the outcome of that initial run, partially due to the colour palette, but also because I felt I simply didn’t do the topic justice. These illustrations were painted a few months later, and were painted as one panoramic image because all of these topics are tied together. Though, they were also painted with the intention of them to be seen as individual images.

A panoramic illustration showing several items on a table, with text about creative motivation above them.
A phone lies on a table, with a social media app open, showing lots of likes on other people's work. Around the phone lies crumpled up paper. Text is written at the top of the image which reads 'Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle'.
Media: Digital.

Impostor syndrome is some thing that creative people face a lot, though of course it is also present in a lot of other vocations and places as well. This can be caused by many different things. It can be that we feel we lack the education or experiences our peers have. Though, these days we also see this effect from social media, where we tend to see only the very best from everyone’s lives and work, which of course lead us to comparing ourselves, our skills and our lives with the perfect things we see online. But it also means that we while we see our own struggles, we don’t often see the struggles of others.

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle” is something that’s so important to remember whenever we feel behind or inadequate. Often times we forget that all the experiences, and skills we’ve acquired along the way help shape who we are and how we think. That means that while some might seem to be ahead of us, they might just have have gotten experiences and skills we need sooner, which takes absolutely nothing away from what we’ve achieved or where we are in our journey. Instead it’s more important to see what others have done what we’re dreaming to do, which means that is’s possible, and we can do it too, even if we might not be there right now.

An piece of paper with several thumbnails of landscapes and cat animals lie on a table. Pencils, an eraser and books lie on the side and above the paper. The text above the illustration reads 'Nurture your craft; Practice, learn and explore'.
Media: Digital.

Practicing, learning new things and having fun is often all part of improving at our chosen skill, whatever that may be. This is part of the hard work needed to keep improving and reaching our goals. Of course this doesn’t mean that we’ll magically love all the work we’re producing, or that all of it will be top notch. And that’s totally fine and normal. Everything we learn and experience will help us grow and improve our skills. It also takes time and patience, but it will all be wroth it in the end. We’ve got this. You’ve got this!

An illustration of a cat sleeping on a desk, with a warm cup of tea and the corner of a book. The text at the top of the illustration reads 'Remember to take breaks and to rest'.
Media: Digital.

It often seems like we live in a day and age where hard work is what’s most important to our success. This kind of hustle culture means that people often sacrifice their time and their sleep in order to get ahead, as that’s what they’re taught will help them move forward. The thing is, rest and sleep is so vital to our well-being, but also our ability to process information, getting ideas and staying creative. It doesn’t mean that practice isn’t important, because it is, but not at the expense of your well-being and your health. So if you need to step back and have a break, do it!