Here's how you can recharge and rejuvenate as an animator outside of work.

Recharge and rejuvenate as an animator by exploring hobbies like sketching, painting, or photography, which inspire creativity. Engage in outdoor activities or mindfulness practices to refresh your mind. Attend art exhibitions or film screenings to stay inspired and connected to visual arts. Balancing personal interests with animation work can foster new ideas and improve overall well-being.

Every evening my husband and I try to take a walk outside. It helps us to reconnect with each other. We will talk about how our days went. We'll look for wildlife. It just really helps me remember that this is my why. I am working so that we can have more moments like this. Full of deep breaths and beautiful vistas!

Recharging and rejuvenating as an animator outside of work involves engaging in activities that refresh your mind and body. Pursue hobbies that you enjoy, such as drawing, reading, or playing a musical instrument, which can provide creative inspiration. Regular physical exercise, like yoga, running, or swimming, helps reduce stress and improves overall well-being. Spend quality time with family and friends to nurture your social connections. Additionally, practicing mindfulness or meditation can help clear your mind and enhance focus. Balancing work and leisure activities is key to maintaining long-term productivity and creativity.

I use my other hobbies as a mental breather from my daily work. Walter Russell was a renaissance man of the 20 century. He was a genius of art, music, architecture, science, and even figure skating. He says in one of his books that he never got tired. He attributed it to requiring himself to change subjects every 2 hours because it worked muscles in a different part of the brain. Take, Albert Einstein, an accomplished musician. His wife, Elsa, told the story that he was totally lost in thought about a scientific query, when he sat down at the piano. He played and jotted down notes. He believed that music occupied time and space in a very tangible way. He came away from the piano with the beginnings of his theory of general relativity.

One of the best working experiences I’ve had was as a student. Our final project was a group project and we were allowed to build our own teams. I was anxious to get experience working on an animation team. We put ourselves together, discussed what our film would be about, and put ourselves into teams. We kept good communication. We were able to share frustrations with each other and learn from each other. Receiving feedback from a team was so helpful. Very fond memories.

Breathing exercises, meditation, going for walks are great ways to relieve stress. As animators we know that sometimes the software we’re working with can become frustration. Bugs, glitches, things not turning out the way you want them to. Being mindful of when your brain has had enough is useful. When you’ve hit that point where you’re either just staring at your screen or clicking mindlessly, try to get up. Walk somewhere else, even if it’s just down the hallway. Physical activity can help reactivate your brain. Give yourself grace.

One of my favorite things about learning a new skill is being bad at it. Hear me out, sometimes it is easy to get hung up on being bad at something. This is especially true when you’re failing in front of people. However, there is something to creating something hideously ugly on your first attempt. Try your best to laugh at it and yourself. Find reassurance in the fact that you’re trying to learn something new. You don’t have to be good from the start. Be consistent.

Something that I personally love to do in learning a new skill in animation is to watch a lot, and I mean a lot of animations. Now I don't mean give yourself homework during your break. I mean rewatching your favourite animation movie or series. Appreciating the work behind it and spotting new styles and techniques within it. You can easily do all of this while watching it as a series. While you may not necessarily take notes, watching animations from your favourite shows (or even new movies or series) expands your mind and teaches you at the same time. Consider it a great way to relax while still learning something useful for when you return to your project!