day in my life as an artist with a non-art-related STEM job 

Hi Sarah! Mom here. I love hearing about your fondness for Michigan and love of the world around us. I wonder about the concept of the cubicle and the very corporate environment that you find yourself in right now. As I think about all of us who have spent time in that area we could all benefit from creating a space that we actually love (ok like) to work in....What would be the most helpful to bring that sense of adventure, light, and nature to the work arena. A place that inspires all of the senses ESPECIALLY during the marathon meeting days. Any ideas about surface pattern design and the office cubicle? Love to see that you have a stand-up desk and are actually using it. I love mine too. Thanks for sharing this day with us. I love learning more about your work-life. Eh hmm....time for bed my sweet Sarah.

This vlog was SO relatable. I worked full-time as a software engineer for 8 years before leaving last year to pursue art as a career, and relate to the feeling of going to work every day knowing that you just weren't where you were meant to be. Every single day, I would drive up to the parking garage and have a 5 minute cry in my car before wiping my face and dragging myself into the building. I actually really loved the work I did, but I also felt like the world just operated in a way that didn't jive with my creative energy, so I was constantly having to work in a way that was draining and exhausting. I don't do well working a straight 9-5 and I have to put hard limits on my face-to-face interaction with people, especially when I'm trying to work. I'm actually jealous of your cubicle! I worked in an open office environment and it was so hard for me to focus. People would stop by my desk and constantly interrupt my flow. I'm sure you're probably exhausted right now, but keep doing whatever works best for you! If you can work on your business when you're most creatively energized, it will pay off and you'll be more productive than you would if you were trying to force yourself to be a morning person. It may not be perfect, but it's the best you can do right now, so don't overthink it and make yourself wrong for it! 😊 Also, as for iPads, I have an iPad Pro I bought in 2018 and it's still going strong! I've been wanting to upgrade but I literally have no reason to. 😄They're extremely durable and last a long time, so I'd recommend getting the best one you can afford because you probably won't have to replace it for a while. If you have an Apple Store near you, you can try them out in store. They also let you return anything you purchase within 2 weeks, no questions asked, so you could take it home and play with it. Also, a little secret not many people know about is to check our their refurbished store online! Their refurbished products are SUPER high quality. They go over each one with a fine-toothed comb, so they're arguably higher quality than the brand new ones and you can save anywhere from $100-$300 depending on the model you get.

I'm also building up an SPD portfolio and I love having your videos on in the background while I work. Not only is your work lovely, but I really appreciate seeing your progress and knowing there is someone going through a similar emotional journey - hearing you talk about your childhood made me a bit misty haha!

I also work in stem and do arts in my off hours. I’ve been wondering if there are other people out there who do the same and that’s how I found your channel. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, I love learning about other people’s day-to-day. And it’s cool to see there are similar-minded people out there!

I am also a night owl! I feel really awake late at night and find it difficult to fall asleep, and I struggle to wake up in the morning...As for the iPad I do most of my work on my iPad, I love it! Can't wait to see what you draw digitally!

I feel this blog so much. I'm in a 9-5 that I know I could do but there are things about it that I know will literally drive me crazy if I continue on. It's so hard trying to balance work and starting an art business especially when no one else around you understands the struggle. I'm glad you're showing realistic blogs like this. I've thought about doing RU-vid but I keep telling myself it's going to be boring; you're showing me that it's not. It's more relatable that way. Also I'm definitely more of a night person but work has me bound to sleeping at certain times, haha. I would love to stay up late again but I need at least 6 hrs. of sleep to function. xD I have an 2018 iPad Pro (12.9") with the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil. I'm so glad I do because that's what I'm primarily making my portfolio on, lol. The Pros allow more layers in Procreate but the sizes are on the larger end so portability is tricky if you use small bags/purses like I do. I'm still learning on what size to start my files so they come out nicely. When you move around rendered objects you can lose the quality of it. Right now I'm toying with the idea of getting a tablet to use with Photoshop so I can move things around more, but we'll see.

Thanks for your videos, love your watercolors. I have just started looking into pattern design. I also have 9-5 job, and a night person, ... so I understand what you are saying!! I keep telling myself I have to get up earlier and draw or whatever and just can't get in the routine. I started researching surface pattern design and tools and techniques a little bit ago. I just bought the iPad air with 256GB--more layers (on sale $599) and Procreate, there's so much to learn!! It's fun, it may keep you up later though!! They say the 12" Pro is best, but I didn't want to fork out that kind of money right away and it is more portable for the nice weather coming! Good luck in your ventures!! Wishing you great success! 😊

Wow the sailboats that are just three shapes are AMAZING!!! Big fan of those

brilliant video, thank you for tanking us with you ☺☺☺

Great video ! Loving seeing your days in a life ..love the boats !! I have an IPad and I’m just starting to explore it more now 😂slow with the tech here 😂

The sailboats were so cute! For the ipad, I would also suggest the ipad Pro like others in the comments, but you might want to wait a couple of months as I have just seen rumors that the new one will be released in the March event. So maybe there will be some cheaper second-hand models for sale. Or the new one! I also work a 9-5 job and it is very tricky to balance it all. Mine is also in the creative field, so when I have a really creative project at work I also get creative burnout as well and general tiredness 😅 But it has been a lot better to balance everything since working from home. i used to spend about 3 hours just commuting to work and from every day, which really sucked!

I use an ipad 10th gen and it works great for procreate and all of the adobe products as well! I have been using procreate for 2 years or so and i do pattern design and so much with it. Tip make sure whatever ipad you get you get the ipencil gen lol I was very frustrated with it and then found out they got me the wrong ipencil lol i can answer questions if you have any procreate is my jam! 😊

The iPad Pro changed my life! I started with the Air to see if I would want to invest and quickly wanted the Pro because of the layer limit. Thanks for sharing and best wishes! 💜💜💜

awww I relate to you so much, I did my bachelor's in Marine Biology and after I graduated all I've been doing is travelling, working in hotels and restaurants and doing art and I've been thinking so much about how to be able to live both STEM and art. And I am also a total night owl, I get SO energized and creative after midnight it's crazy... I wish I was a morning person sometimes too like writing and drawing at 5am with my coffee, but being up all night with my music and the moonlight and my imagination going wild is just so magical

Wow! I’m the opposite, total morning person. My best friend is a night owl. We have to schedule when we talk on the phone. I’m in Oregon, she’s in Tennessee. I was up at 4:30 am. She goes to bed sometimes later than that! I recommend the Apple pad. Procreate is really fun and it is amazing what you can do with it. I hope you do it! 😉 Marc Chagall missed his culture, home and true love when he lived abroad and was inspired to paint those things. I love his work.

Im a soon gonna graduate and totally a night owl. After graduation i really want to find a job where i can be a part time geologist 3-3.5 days a week and then on the rest of the week an arist. Seing people like you doing both gives me hope that it is possible 🧡

I have an iPad Pro 12in Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard- love it 😍 and use it practically both as a laptop for my academic work and with procreate etc. The game changer for me more recently (when I finally worked it out…) was using it with the Apple Pencil screen mirroring my MacBook for editing and drawing directly on photoshop and illustrator patterns ! Ps love seeing your days in the life ❤

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