Permission Slips

Getting started on anything can be hard. There’s a certain something extra when it comes to art and design. Most people don’t like harsh judgement towards their art because they often pour their heart and soul into it. Learning to separate those thoughts out from the design work you do for others is a must. That’s only scratching the surface. There’s imposter syndrome, fear of failure, fear of success, and many many more.

I feel like I have tried almost everything to get into a proper work headspace now and then. Taking a walk, writing goals on post it notes, taking a nap, setting up a timer, cleaning my desk, etc. Some of them have worked, some of the time. I’ve also been working with a career coach, and she has helped week after week to find new solutions to continue to help myself become more accountable and more productive to get to my dream job. I can’t thank her enough!

This week, she gave me a new way to go about getting started. Permission Slips. This might sound a little strange, and maybe even elementary school esque, but hear me out. When you have a personal goal with no one to report to but yourself, the only person stopping you, is you. A good way to bypass yourself, is to write a permission slip to allow yourself some leeway. Allow yourself the permission to work on that goal, to possibly fail at that goal. Allow yourself to feel anxiety, fear, excitement, happiness and know all emotions can be present when you’re working outside of your comfort zone. Give yourself the permission and the freedom to jump in and focus on getting started.

When you commit to writing those permissions down on paper, you release them from your brain. This process has helped me be more self aware of those feelings and thoughts that block me, and really jump in and just get started. Which is always the hardest part. So, if you have been feeling stuck for any reason, try giving yourself permission. Write it down. Read it. See it. And get started.

It has helped me get back into working on improving my portfolio, and taking a step closer to getting that dream job. It has helped me get my side project off the ground, and juggle multiple projects at once. And ultimately giving myself permission has helped me see when I’m holding myself back. I think I might design an actual permission slip next to make the process even more fun. I hope this helped motivate you to get started.