Today was one of those days where everything seemed to pile up at once. I started the day catching up on a ton of work at the Department of Transportation, especially tasks related to our social media presence. The highlight was finishing Frank’s retirement video—a project that took longer than expected but came together beautifully.
I was struck by the variety of people who sent in videos wishing Frank well. Colleagues, coworkers, people who have moved on to other jobs and agencies—even several mayors left video messages for him. It was a touching reminder of his impact on so many people, and I’m glad I could pull it all together before heading out on my trip.
Yesterday, I received three new patrons on my Patreon account—two paid and one free. Seeing people appreciate the work I put out there is always encouraging. My long-term goal with Patreon is to have it become my primary source of income. Honestly, I wish to do design work for free and give it away. My design agency charges for projects because I have to pay my bills, but Patreon brings me closer to my goal of working on art and design projects that I can give away.
Even though my Patreon is small, it has a group of dedicated and loving supporters who make it possible for me to keep creating. You can sign up here if you’d like to support my work and get some cool perks.
The rest of the day involved tying up many loose ends, including graphics for new speed cameras around Baltimore and an extensive ad campaign for an upcoming job fair that will be featured on billboards across the city. I’m proud of the designs, but the workload was intense, especially with the pressure of preparing for my time off.
I didn’t sleep well last night—too much on my mind. It was a restless night between staying up late to work and then lying awake thinking about everything I still needed to do. To top it off, traffic on the way to work was a nightmare, with several accidents slowing me down. I was already running behind, and that didn’t help. Thankfully, my boss was understanding, and we managed to have a productive day, even squeezing in a lunch meeting at Rosina Gourmet.
My boss has been pretty stressed out lately, but she’s started taking a step back, making the work environment a lot nicer. Over lunch, we chatted about my trip, seeing Marilyne, and shared stories about her mom and my grandmother.
One thing that’s been frustrating me lately is how taking a vacation feels like a punishment. In the U.S., it seems like the expectation is to finish all your work before you leave, making it nearly impossible to truly relax and recharge. My job is unique, and because of that, there aren’t many people who can step in and cover for me when I’m away. While that provides some job security, taking time off is also incredibly difficult.
I love what I do, but it’s wearing me out. It’s a constant balancing act, and today was just another reminder of how much I need this upcoming break.
Now that the workday is over, I’m spending the rest of the evening packing for my trip. I’m feeling really good about it—I’ve made an exhaustive packing list, including clothing for all kinds of weather and all the tech gear I’ll need to take lots of pictures and do plenty of recordings. I’m bringing several extra hard drives to ensure enough room for all the files. It’s a lot to think about, but I’m looking forward to finally getting on the road.