I started the year feeling a little unmotivated, after the Christmas period of working really hard and long hours it can be hard to get motivated in the early months of the year. It is important to take a bit of a break in January, but also a good opportunity to work on new ideas and products for the year. I have a fairly straight forward formula for my designs and wasn’t really feeling like I was learning anything new, so I have started doing online Adobe Illustrator tutorials (I have been using Lynda.com) to build a better understanding of the programme and what it can do. Using Lynda has been great there is a 10 day free trial and then a monthly fee but there are so many tutorials on there that it can keep you going forever! This is a cheaper alternative to evening or day courses and you can do it in your own time. I have only been doing this for a week (a few hours a day) and already can see the benefits and time saved. I am currently working on a repeat pattern for baby grow leggings. 

When you run your own business it is sometimes hard to keep motivated especially during the grey and colder months of the year! It is important to acknowledge this and address how you can make changes to improve your own skills that will then in turn improve your business. Without someone telling you what you have to do that day, you have to tell yourself, write lists and make time to learn.