Josh Olson: How to avoid overworking during the quarantine

image credits: jolsonweddings.com

How do they stay grounded and inspired in this whirlwind of events? How do they love themselves in spite of sabotaging thoughts, anxiety or sadness? How do they prepare their business for when things start getting busy again? Keep reading. You’ll find yourself relating to their stories more than you can imagine. 

If you are curious to find out who are these 5 wonderful creatives that we’ll be featuring, here’s what to anticipate:

Josh Olson – How to avoid overworking during the quarantine

Marissa Nicole – Quarantine from the perspective of a bride who had a wedding planned for May 2020

Liron Erel – Combining parenthood with a photography business during the lockdown

Klo Burgess – Working as a graphic & web designer during the quarantine

Phylicia Wills – Assessing the weak points in your business during Covid-19

Interview #1: Josh Olson | Wedding Photographer based in Minneapolis, MN

jolsonweddings.com - website built with Black Ónyx Design Kit + Pricing Kit Classic

As creatives ourselves, we related to Josh’s story on too many levels. While it seems like everyone on social media is dealing with “too much time on their hands”, for some reason - we find ourselves constantly working. It’s easy to fade boundaries and lose track of time when your living room is both your office and your wind-down zone. In today’s interview, Josh talks about how to avoid overworking during quarantine, how to give yourself permission to be selfish and focus on what is really important.

How have you been feeling in the past few weeks? Did the lockdown affect you?

I know I’m not alone in saying the last few weeks have been hard, especially for freelancers, sole proprietors, and gig-workers. For myself, it’s been particularly hard to find space for creativity and exploratory research. I’ve felt guilt about not being productive enough, and anxiety when it comes to making decisions that involve calculated risk, such as going to the grocery store for essentials. Thankfully, I’ve started to feel better in the past few days. While things are still constantly changing, I feel as though I’ve adjusted to a new normal.

What helps you stay sane and grounded during the worldwide crisis?

I find the constant need to remind myself, that even if it doesn’t seem like it, we are working all the time. As artists, we are constantly taking part in activities not traditionally recognized as “work”, such as ideation, communication, development, social performance, and other forms of cognitive and immaterial labor. I do believe it’s important to recognize that this labor must exist in order for our art to be created.

Reminding myself of this keeps me sane because quarantine has been romanticized by many as a time for increased productivity. It helps remind me that I am working enough and that taking care of myself and my goals are a valid use of this time.

How do you usually start your day/what daily habits do you practice that help you have a better day and feel good about yourself?

Quarantine has thrown most of my daily habits and practices into the wind. As such, my days have become rather nebulous, but there are a few consistencies.

I’ve stopped using an alarm clock and found that my body naturally wakes it’s self up around 9-10 am. I like to start my mornings slow, and often joke mornings are for coffee and contemplation. I always make myself a shot of espresso or a matcha latte and sit down to read newsletters or emails. After that, I tend to come up with a loose plan for the day. Sometimes this takes the form of a to-do list, an hourly schedule, or just a meal plan. I find keeping lists helpful for staying creative and setting intentions.

I’ve developed a habit of working on and off lately, typically for every hour of work, I take an hour for myself. I have an app on my computer called “Time Out” that reminds me to take breaks every hour. One of the biggest problems with working from home is the tendency to overwork. When I’m not careful 6 pm can turn into midnight without me even realizing it.

When I need a break, I pull out my Nintendo Switch and play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s the perfect game for the era of social distancing, I play online with a number of old friends from art school. Simply put, it’s a game where you’re tasked with designing an island home, and we’ve all gotten remarkably creative with our islands. It’s a wonderful, joy-filled distraction, and crafting the perfect island has become a fun creative challenge.

At the end of the day, I check in with my family. We talk through the latest news and talk about our day. Most days there isn’t too much to talk about, I'm just checking in to make sure everyone is safe, healthy, mentally well, and making good public health decisions. Most days I work late, but on a good day, I'll take an hour or two before bed to prioritize spending time relaxing and destressing before sleep.

In your opinion, what are 3 things that photographers and other creatives can focus on, right now, to help their business survive and make it stronger for the time when things go back to normal?

First, remind yourself that you are working enough and that you don’t need to use quarantine for productivity. You can absolutely use it for self-care, or care of your loved ones. Do not let other guilt you into ideas of what quarantine should be, the romanticization of quarantine is a privilege.

Second, if you have the space and energy to be working on your business, then take time to evaluate the essentials of your business. Have you updated your contract with clauses specific to pandemics and epidemics? Do you have a good way to track and document your finances and expenses setup? Have you researched and applied for grants and loans that are specific to COVID-19? Do you have communications ready for clients who want to reschedule, or clients who are concerned about booking? Now is a good time to evaluate these things. If you’re stuck on what to do, what to change, or where to begin, ask for the opinions of your fellow creatives.

Third, check up on your marketing. I knew going into 2020 that I needed to work on this, specifically I needed to incorporate client testimonials, print marketing, and brand voice into my website and social media. I’m still working on this, but some things I’ve done already are:

+ Added a Squaremuse Custom Element to my homepage for client testimonials

+ Created a Pricing Kit page for marketing and selling wedding albums. I also plan to create a page for marketing other print products.

+ Updated copy on my About page, and started strategizing how I can use Instagram story highlights to authentically share more of my personal voice and inspirations.

Who inspires you during this time and why? Are there any particular resources that you’ve been enjoying and would recommend to others(books, podcasts, articles, etc)?

Whitney Chamberlin has inspired a lot of personal growth, he’s one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met, someone who lives in their truth. A few podcasts have interviewed him and he always has wise and insightful words to share, I’ve been revisiting those. 

On the wedding photography side of things, I’ve been continually inspired by the work of Emilie White, Olivia Rae James, Samm Blake, James Moes, and Matt Lien.

Three books I always recommend are “Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse)” by John Cage, and “How to Fall in Love with Anyone” by Mandy Len Catron, and one very apt book given the circumstances, “On Doing Nothing: Finding Inspiration in Idleness” by Roman Muradov.

Also, here's one of the podcasts that Whitney Chamberlin was interviewed on - it's the Way Up North podcast, my favorite photography podcast.

What would you say to someone who is having a hard time these days (which is probably most of us, to be honest)?

Back in 2018, I was talking with Whitney Chamberlin when he told me this; Give yourself permission to be selfish. If you aren’t able to take time for yourself, you won’t be able to help others effectively. It’s about knowing and believing that it is not selfish or indulgent to prioritize this aspect of your life.

This holds more truth than ever, by prioritizing our own health, safety, and growth, we are helping others who may not have the opportunity to do so. Stay home and stay kind.

Lastly, if you’re having a particularly hard day, pick up the phone, and call a friend.

***

While each creative entrepreneur and artist deals with Covid-19 in their own way, they still have so much in common. Canceled or postponed gigs, no or little income source, struggling to be creative and to find inspiration, overworking or overnetflixing, and trying to be the perfect parent and/or partner at the same time - you name it. In times like that, it’s only normal to let yourself go down that rabbit hole and forget about what’s really important. We are only human after all. But it helps SO MUCH to know you are not alone in this, that someone is coping with the same struggles and fears. And this very fact brings you a bit of perspective and a lot of hope. 

PS. Stay tuned, as we’re continuing the series with Marissa Nicole who will be speaking about her story during Covid-19 times, about being a future bride during the lockdown and how it can help your business as a photographer.

Creatively yours,

Squaremuse Team