Sometimes You Need to Draw Animals

This is my story of going to the edge of burnout and back again. When I quit my first startup job in 2011, I did so thinking I might not be able to make anything ever again. Since then, I’ve devoted most of my personal time to working on this as a design problem.

As people who make things, burnout — and the inevitable sequel to it, maker’s block — is something we all face. It might be big, it might be small, mine was pretty big. I’ll share my favourite tools for solving and preventing burnout, as well as what factors contributed to it in the first place.

(There will also be drawings of animals.)

Transcript

1. YOU NEED ANIMALS Somet imes t o d raw HANNAH DONOVAN • 6 AUG 2015
2. I’m a product designer, and I work in music and culture.
3. Han
4. Han
5. Han
15. 5 SISTERS
16. 5 SISTERS
17. 5 SISTERS TIGER
18. 5 SISTERS TIGER
19. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC
20. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC
21. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST
22. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST HIP HOP
23. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST HIP HOP
24. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST HIP HOP
25. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST HIP HOP POWER CLASHING
26. 5 SISTERS TIGER MONSTERS INC CELLIST HIP HOP POWER CLASHING Photo credit: Kerstin Joensson
27. FEELS
28. Design school
29. Design school
30. Design school Design job
31. Design school Design job
32. Design school Design job
33. Design school Design job Better design job in a better city* *for design
34. Design school Design job Better design job in a better city* *for design Awesome design job in an awesome city
35. Design school Design job Better design job in a better city* Nothing… *for design Awesome design job in an awesome city
36. APRIL 2011 Hong kong
37. “I need a designer. Can you Help?”
38. “I need a designer. Can you Help?” “...yes.”
39. Enough of me. WHY DOES THIS MATTER
    TO YOU?
40. This will probably happen to you too (if it hasn’t already). MY STORY ISN’T UNIQUE
41. MY STORY ISN’T UNIQUE
42. As makers, you’d think one of the most important things to learn would be how to take care of our abilities
43. As makers, you’d think one of the most important things to learn would be how to take care of our abilities I’M NOT CONVINCED THAT HAPPENS
44. And because we don’t talk about 
 this problem…

45. And because we don’t talk about 
 this problem…
 IT’S SELF REINFORCING
46. APRIL 2011 Hong kong
47. FOR “MAKER’S BLOCK”
48. These aren’t just about fixing what was broken, but redesigning how 
 I approach making. FOR “MAKER’S BLOCK”
49. LEARN WHEN TO STOP
50. LEARN WHEN TO STOP
51. START WITH SOMETHING SHIT
52. START WITH SOMETHING SHIT
53. START WITH SOMETHING SHIT Shit first iteration of a profile screen
54. START WITH SOMETHING SHIT Shit first iteration of a profile screen Profile screen today
55. LET ACTION CREATE MOTIVATION
57. CREATE PATTERNS FOR PERSONAL SERENDIPITY
60. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
61. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Infographics for Invincible Iron Man #33 back up story (collaboration with Jamie McKelvie)
62. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Identity for the Manhattans Project LONG VINEGARED G&T Hendrick’s Gin, elderflower and tonic with a smidgen of dessert wine vinegar. Refinement personified, then turned into a drink. £8 ITALIAN PALE ALE Flying Dog ipa and Campari, served over ice with a grapefruit wedge. To be honest, we didn’t expect it either. £7 HOUSE CLASSICS TOM COLLINS LADY MACBETH SHERRY COBBLER RED HOOK A rotating list of classics we think deserve a little more attention. All £8 At the Manhattans Project, we like great booze, strong drinks and have a penchant for classics. We like questions too, so please talk to us if you have any about the menu. No vertical drinking. Discretionary 12.5% service added. SHORT HOUSE MANHATTAN Rittenhouse 100, softened with cognac, rounded with a blend of vermouths and topped with a homemade brandied cherry. It’s pretty much our thing. £10 MOONSHINE BOULEVARDIER Redneck Georgia Moon goes to finishing school with Aperol, Campari, Cocchi vermouth and peach liqueur. Dang she done scrub up purdy fine. £10 GREENGAGE OLD FASHIONED Bourbon’s night off. La Penca mezcal brightened with old-timey greengage syrup, stirred down over ice with a dash of Peychaud’s bitters. £10 LAPSANG MARTINEZ Fruity Tanqueray 10, Lapsang tea and Talisker, mellowed with Antica formula. Smoky and complex; half Churchill, half Roosevelt. £10 7 RUM MAI TAI If you like rum so much why don’t you go live there? A Tiki mix of seven rums, manhandled into submission with almond syrup and fresh citrus. £10 CLASSIC COCKTAILS DONE RIGHT PDQKDWWDQVSURMHFWFRPŤWZLWWHUPDQKDWWDQVPRJCTŤIDFHERRNPDQKDWWDQVSURMHFW
63. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Logo & design for THREE (collaboration with Kieron Gillen, Ryan Kelly & Jordie Bellaire) $2.99 1
64. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Give yourself permission to be different.
 Diversity is more inspiring.
65. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Give yourself permission to be different.
 Diversity is more inspiring.
66. YOUR
67. Talk about them and make your colleagues aware of them. YOUR
68. Grumpy otter, 2011 Duster, 2012
69. Grumpy otter, 2011 Duster, 2012 Magic pen, 2013
70. YOU NEED ANIMALS Somet imes t o d raw
71. YOU NEED ANIMALS Somet imes t o d raw THANK YOU! Want to get in touch? @han on the internet Email: han@hannahdonovan.com
 Further reading & references: The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott The Creative Habit – Twyla Tharp