Oh hello you!
What a month July was!! It started off with a serious case of the Winter Blues (waking up for 4 days in a row of minus temperatures is NOT a vibe!!). But the Winter Blues were helped with a long weekend away, visiting my parents in sunny Noosa 🌞 I had originally planned to take a whole week off to work on my biz (brainstorm, plan, evolve), but once it came to it, I realised I actually really needed a rest and was feeling pretty burnt out. Don't they say that by the time you actually take the rest, you really needed it like 6 weeks ago!? (I donno I probably made that up lol 😂)
So while there was a tiny amount of brainstorming during my week off the tools, most of the time was spent unwinding, swimming, eating, catching up with old friends and basically doing anything that was going to help me feel GOOD! Once I was back home, I took myself to Sense of Self (if you're a Melbournian and haven't been yet, YOU SIMPLY MUST BOOK IMMEDIATELY!!), out for breakfasts and on solo walks.
While the R&R was a big theme during the beginning of July, of course July also marked a new financial year (eee a time that makes me V ANXIOUS - I'm working on it ok). It was also finally time for the official launch of Rhythm Health's new website and rebrand! When I say this project was huge, I mean it was HUGE! Initially a 2-3 month project, the deeper we dove, the more the project expanded, and ended up spanning for just over 6 months. I always feel incredibly lucky to work with the people I do, but I am especially grateful to Nick for trusting me, my creativity and vision for the rebrand of Rhythm Health, given the brands I usually work with are full of colour explosions, quirkiness, FUN. I was definitely pushed out of my creative comfort zone with this project (in a GREAT way) and embraced a truly collaborative process to get where we did. And I'm SO PROUD of where we ended up!!
The end of July also marked a massive milestone for my lil biz!! Lize Designs turned TWO 🥳
This was such a beautiful time for me to reflect on how far my biz has come in that time and what I have learnt (about running a business and myself). Going freelance fulltime (and still being here) really was a happy accident. I was made redundant in July 2020 and thought "ok, let's see how long we can make this work!" Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be still doing this - working with clients of my dreams, people who whole heartedly trust me and my vision, and also feeling so damn creatively fulfilled!!
It's so easy to tick something off your list and move onto the next thing, but it's so important to STOP and relish in the moment of a milestone or achievement (no matter how big or small). Striving for evolution and growth is AMAZING, but you'll never feel fulfilled unless you stop and acknowledge the moments in between. So, next time you achieve something, celebrate YOU!!
Anyway, phew!! I clearly had a lot to say this month! 🥵
Let's get into the fun stuff that's caught my eye this last little while 👀✨
OMGGGGG I've been living under a rock and only just discovered Tropical Type 😱
I ADORE all of their fonts, but I'm particularly feeling Costa Del Sol at the moment 🤩
Tropical Type create typefaces specifically for solo designers and small studios, meaning they are super affordable for all of your projects as a freelancer, but they defintely don't skimp on quality or variety!! I am BLOWN away. Definitely check them out!!!
1// IN LOVE with @nipples.paradise illustrations! Stop!! Too cute 😍
2//I simply cannot cope with @nissanewyork 😭 The colourful outfits of MY DREAMS!!!
3// While the changes to Instagram frankly SUCK, and I rarely see accounts I follow anymore, I have been finding new accounts and helpful resources to follow. This post by @the.art.of.accesibility is an amazing resource for ensuring your colour palettes are accessible to those who are colour blind or have low vision.
4// Another amazing resource which BLEW UP was a post by @madeby.chloeon pricing. Pricing my services has always been something I've struggled with. Back at uni our teachers were super vague when asking about pricing (mainly because they were setting us up to be 'Agency Designers' rather than freelancers - a topic for another day). And from then on, pricing has been something I've had to navigate prettyblindly, only in the last couple of years have I become confident in this. I would have LOVED to have a resource like this to refer back to when I was starting out.
5// Such a FUN, playful and creative web design by @vanbrewed for @micke_lindebergh 🤩
6// So impressed by @katiezhoudesign, an up and coming designer currently studying at RMIT!!Making Pages is a 260 page lighthearted and witty subjective encyclopaedia, and is the final assessment for her book design class. I love her design and illustration style sm!! 🥺
You may remember me mentioning Off– to you a couple of newsletters ago. If not,Off– is a conscious professional development space created by Alison Rice (host of popular podcast Offline the podcast). I just finished up my first quarter in the space and MY GOSH - this is just what I needed.
Running your business can become pretty lonely, and often the things that you face day to day are things that most of the people if your life don't and won't truly understand (bless them, they definitely try).So to now be a part of a group of other conscious professionals has been such a game changer for me. I feel seen and heard, and I have gotten so much value from all of the Wisdom and Knowledge sessions offered in the space. I've made some new business friends and reconnected with some old ones.
There are some incredible people in the space doing incredible things, but most of all I have been so inspired by Alison and Lucy in the space they have cultivated. Their perfect intersection of spirituality and professional development feels so true to me, and is something that is not spoken about that often. Being in their space makes me feel as though truly anything is possible.
(Next month it will probably be trying not to ramble so much lol 😂)
You may have heard me talk on Instagram this week about this quieter period a lot of us find ourselves in at the moment. In the beginning of biz, I would have had gone into full panic mode as soon as things started to die down. But over the past two years, I have realised that the ebbs and flows are just a part of it all.
Trying to embrace every season for what it is, instead of falling into the doom and gloom is something I am trying to work on at the moment. Everything is momentary and somehow, everything always seems to work out.
I know that it's not as easy as turning off the stress, but if you find yourself in a slower season, can you drop a little of the fear, resistance and anxiety, and try to cultivate a little more creativity and relish in the space? It could be the perfect time to work on that personal project you've wanted to do for ages or have a brainstorm about some other offerings you could bring in.
"The energy flows where the attention goes."
You totally got this!! And don't be afraid to reply to this email or slide into my DMs - I'm always up for a lil chat 🌸
Thank you so much for being here and making it to the end of my newsletter. I know our inboxes can get flooded with ‘stuff’ so I feel honoured that I have a space in yours 💖
Lots of love from ya quirky, colourful creative, Lize xxx
Seeya next month!
I studied the Associate Degree in Graphic Design at RMIT. The Associate Degree was only a 2 year course (compared to 3 in the Bachelor degree) and really equipped me with the practical skills I need as a designer, including learning all of the design programs, how to set up files for print and web, how to create dielines for packaging and so much more. Whereas, I believe the Bachelor degree is much more conceptual focused and doesn't always give the practical skills you need.
There is obviously merit in both degress, but personally, I found so much value in being walked through the practical side of design, as I feel like creativity is something that's already within you rather than something you can be taught.
I respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations as the traditional owners of the land upon which I live, create, and work. I respect elders past, present and future, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
© Lize Designs 2024
