Work Related : Back Working Full-time Again

After 5 years of working full-time as a freelance independent designer/illustrator, I decided to find a full-time permanent job under a company. This decision was made after almost a year of struggling trying to take care of the whole family, wanting a proper plan to send Sofi to kindergarden and saving enough money to build a house in rural area. 

I am actually disappointed, because it leads me to this. I loved my flexible time, the fun time I had creating art and working with client projects. But we were in a desperate phase, and I needed to sacrifice my freedom to have a better living. I know with my experience and skills, my salary can reach to a 'comfortable' level. But the catch is, I had to let my freedom go. 

I applied to many jobs in October, by the end of October I received a job offer from a Singapore-based agency which I accepted. Since then, I've been working with them, at home, but full-time. Even with all the perks, benefits and high-salary, nothing can be compared to the joy I had with having freedom to do anything I want. And I miss that, so much.

I am still adapting I know.

But I tried the taste of freedom and I'm still remembering the after-taste.

What changed since then ? :

• we sent Sofi for a trial week at a chosen kindergarden to prepare her for next year
• I've been working at home 8 hours a day, 5 days a week
• we expended our working setup, now I got 2 work desks : 1 for office's iMac (which took the whole table) and another one my old original setup
• I turned off the Patreon monetization, so I just update free contents when I have the time
• I've been having a mild vertigo again, due to the long hours sitting/drawing and I'm trying to use a pomodoro method to remind myself to move every once in a while
• my mind is always at work because I have so much to do, but now, I have money and security
• I started reading less, and perhaps taking a slower time to finish a book because I already reached 95 books and I'm not competing with anyone (but I miss reading)
• I started to have a proper better skin-care routine because I am now 35 (hahahaha), honestly for almost my whole existence, I only use face wash, perhaps toner (when I remember). Now I'm in my mid 30s, and I noticed that I'm beginning to show a sign of aging: my skin is no longer supple (like in my 20s), maybe wrinkles will start showing (it might take few more years if my skin is this oily for long), maybe hair will start turning grey. I don't know, I don't really mind much. But this year I added spf, serum and eye-cream. Still can't convince myself to use moisturiser because my skin is so oily :F  
• Oh, I found this drip coffee that is 'just enough' to start the day. I stopped drinking coffee since I had Sofi, and after the anxiety, it somehow triggers the coffee-jitters. But I needed stronger caffeine than matcha, but not too strong until I got the jitters or palpitation, so I tried this and it works for now ! I drink it early when I started working at 9 am.

Note : Also, it is so cool to be working with a full-remote Singaporean agency kan, I was curious at first too. But since then we had so many online meetings, briefing, discussion, also once-every-month online makan2 and seminar as well. Plus, I am the only Malay for now (it's hard not to notice this). 

image by Patrick Perkins

Work Related : The Collaboration with Sudio Sweden

 

I got this Sudio Nio wireless earphone last month and been using it to replace my Samsung Buds that I passed to my mom. Sudio Nio is a more affordable quality wireless earphone with battery that can last up to 20 hours (at least 3 long audio books). I rarely need to charge my earphone now. I'm not going back to normal earphone since I got Sofi and she can't see wires hanging from my ears :F

For this collaboration, I got a 15% promo code : AZR15 that you can use on their website.

Just add my promo code and 15% will be deducted, like this :

-

Quite easy to use, just turn on your bluetooth on your laptop or smart phone and connect to your Sudio. I bring it anywhere. My favorite place to use is in the kitchen, while cooking :D

I think I've listened to more than 50 audio books since I used wireless earphone. Of course I wanted an Apple Airpods but I need a more affordable option and I'm glad Sudio found me ❤ Now we are bestfriends. 

They are also offering free delivery worldwide and 3 years warranty when you purchase and register to their Sudio Sphere. 

Note : I'm not getting any commission when you use this promo code AZR15 , the promo code is just made for you to use okay :) 

Work Related : Enamel Pins

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Heyy guys,

 I just made these new enamel pins available for pre-order :

Malaysian | International

The pre-order sales only available until 31st May 

and the estimated shipping is the second week of June.

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Work Related : March Workshops

After my last post on all the firsts , I managed to conduct another 3 workshops in March : 2 in Stickerrific and another 1 in MyPaperProjects. March was a month of sharing and I'm glad I actively participated almost every week. 

Participants : I usually take maximum of 8 people (usually there are requests to add more, but I think 8 is a good number). More than 10 is a bit too much.
Duration : I think 2.5 hours is just nice. 4 hours - too long, 3 hours still a bit draggy. I did an 8 hours workshop once - with kids (it was craaaaazy).
Module : I think I improved my module at least 3 times by now, every time I see a task that can be improved in each workshop. It's a try-and-error process (to find a balance spot where it is not too hard, not too easy). 

Every workshop is a bit different :

• Doodling & Rubber Stamp Carving : The one with MoodySeagull felt like a failure, because the class was long (4 hours) and I had the last 2 hours - most people looked like they are already bored/tired. I felt demotivated. We had 10 participants. I kept rewinding the session thinking what I've been doing wrong and how I can improve the module. I didn't give up. 

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• Doodling & Zine Making : In my second workshop at Stickerrific that month, we only had 5 people because 3 more people cancelled last minute. So it was a really small workshop and we had an improved module since the last time. I was quite sick during the class (I had a really bad cough + sore throat, the one that make people uncomfortable). I had to wear mask and Szeetoo even made a hot green tea to calm the bad cough. It was a challenging class, I had to stop often to clear my voice.  

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• Doodle Your Day : In my third workshop in March at MyPaperProject event last weekend, we had 7 people (1 person cancelled last minute). The class started early at 11 am - when I mistakenly thought the class starts at 2 pm ! But I managed to get ready on time. Interesting stuff : Marina M. joined the workshop ! I'm glad it was a fun class 😁

Note : Our face were highlighted + filtered in these pictures (the room was a bit dark) - this explains the look of youth and flawlessness in my face (in real life, my face is covered with pimple scars and it is several tones darker)

😂

Every workshop I've given taught me a lesson or two especially in improving my social skill. I can be forever awkward if I let myself be myself, but I think learning how to mingle and converse with people are still important (and very useful). I'm not shy, guys - I just find it hard to be around people. 

Plus, I'm not that good in conversing using full English (because I rarely speak in English) - so can you imagine me trying to explain something in class ? It must be hard to watch. But oh-well. We do what we have to do. I won't say no just because I don't feel confident teaching in English. All the workshops I did this year were in full English - berterabur wei 😂

Next workshop :

• April 14th (Sat) at Stickerrific

Work Related : Wander - Second travel book + Video

The book, I should have written about my self-published book like 2 weeks ago when I opened for the pre-order (it ended last night). But I was busy and pre-occupied with other small projects and workshops and restocking stuffs  :F I didn't even updated my Patreon page as many times as I should this month. 

But I had my coffee and chocolate treats and I supposed I should write something about it now.

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This is a project that took a year to finish. 

Book projects take so much time and energy especially when I'm the one that have to decide on the tone and the style and the cover and the quality of the work. No one gave me any direction - yes, I received suggestions and opinions but in the end I decided on everything. So it is a 'syok-sendiri' project. 

I didn't want it to be a travelogue, I didn't want it to be a guide, I didn't want it to be a comic. But I wanted it to be just like a personal travel diary - almost exactly like something that anyone can do when they travel because I did just that. That was my daily input when I was travelling in those 14-days Japan trip. I wanted to show people that it is possible to do such thing (even if you are not a comic artist, or a writer - you can definitely compile something and make your own book).

Wander (buy the book here) 🚀 :

In this book :

• Daily activities
• Places I visited in Osaka, Kyoto & Nara
• Halal restaurants in Osaka
• Things I saw and found interesting
• On foods
• Stamps & ticket/passes I collected

More about this book :

• Size : A5
• Pages : 60 coloured pages
• Printed on 360 gsm matt-laminated cover + 128 gsm art paper for the content
• Language : English
• Self-published, printed in Malaysia
• 100 copies first-print
• Signed and numbered

Editing was done by my English teacher, Miss Chin.

Note : If you found any spelling/grammatical mistakes please inform me via email : azreen_31@hotmail.com so I can edit and print the improved version in the next printing. After all, this is a self-published book, I didn't have the budget to hire professional copy-writer 😅

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This book means so much to me, because I did what I wanted to do. I know I travel a lot and every time I travelled, I feel like I should have produce/make something out of it. Useful stuffs. So that my travels will mean something, will somehow benefit others. I'm glad I compiled this in a book form.

Buy Eskapi (Singapore + Indonesia), read more.

Buy 'Wander' (Japan).

The making :

Work Related : January's Mini Projects

There were 5 weeks in January, so I tried my best to make use of each week for new mini projects. I was trying to be as productive as I can, to give me a creative space to try something different every week (although it based on everything : doodle/illustration). 

One thing I noticed, I felt like I didn't have the energy to write during that month (so I left my blog without any new posts). Maybe because I've been using all the energy to actively make new stuffs every single week. Some of the projects took more than a week so I had to start early and take turns between projects. It was crazy !

So here, I compiled all my mini projects throughout the month of January, you can read behind-the-scene for every project in my Patreon posts  😊:

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1. Cake Day Card

In this project, I wanted to make a card (something like a birthday card) in collaboration with my brother's bakery : Azmi no Keki. The idea is to let people buy the card with the cake so they can give it to their colleagues/friends/family members on random days without having to wait for a birthday. So it may be on cheat days / random happy days / cake day / thankyou day / sad day / etc. 

Here are the image I prepared for my shops :D

Get it here ❤

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2. Let's Makan Postcard

In this project, the idea came from Szetoo (Stickerrific) when we were discussing at the shop for the first time. So I made something more local, more relatable to Malaysian. A postcard inspired by some of our famous local foods + drinks and with an addition of label sticker.

Here are the images I prepared for my shops :D

Get it here ❤

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3. 90s Snack Sticker Pack

In this project, I selected all the snacks that I ate during my childhood years and turned them into a sticker pack. Maybe because I felt like people love the Japanese sticker packs so much, I wanted to make something more relatable to locals :

Here are the images I prepared for my shops :D

Get it here ❤

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4. Our Food Journal Zine

I feel like I've mentioned about this in all my social media posts (IG, FB, Patreon) - so it felt like re-explaining the same thing over and over :D Basically in this project, I compiled all my student's food doodle task in the class. There are about 15 people's works. I collected all their doodles, digitized them all and compiled it into a free  downloadable zine. 

I just want to show a sample on how easy it is to make our own zines. 

You can view/download a free copy here. ❤

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5. Nasi Lemak Enamel Pin + Backing Card

In this project, I wanted to make new pins because all my previous pins sold out last year (I made 4 versions x 100 pieces). So I started this project first in early January because I knew it will take the longest time. I sent it to the factory the soonest and waited for 3 weeks for it to arrive. 

Here are the image I prepared for my shops :D

This time I made a Nasi Lemak enamel pin & Book Nerd the red version, with new personalized backing card ! I really love the outcome. There are only around 25 pieces (Book Nerd) and 45 pieces (Nasi Lemak) left. 

Get it here ❤

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I've been making a lot of new stuffs lately - so it is hard to  put everything into writing in details. So if you are interested in how I'm making new products or how the process/behind-the-scenes are, please support me on my Patreon and you'll have more access to those information ❤

Thank you for sticking aroooound !

Work Related : Youtube, Patreon, Classes & Workshops

This year, I decided to share more and offer to teach skills that might be useful to others. So here are the things that I did and still am continuing :

• So I started with my first workshop for adult at Stickerrific (as a trial) in January - and it was a hit ! We already booked a date for my next collaborated workshop with MoodySeagull and another solo doodle workshop in March :D
• I also did my first doodle outing class - in this class, we went to Aquaria KLCC and had a nice doodle session at a cafe afterwards
• And I did my first weekend doodle class - in this class, we only sit at a cafe, focusing on the doodling & sharing session because it's in the weekend + in the city, so I didn't quite like the vibe and crowds.
• I began to actively share the behind-the-scene processes for my current works in my Patreon and I try to actively share the things that I'm doing at that moment in their latest feature : Lens (like Stories in IG). 
• I began to share processes on my Youtube, but I'm not so active because I don't have the energy to create & recording and editing at the same time. Especially since I started to do a weekly mini projects this year. 

Productive and time well-spent, exhausting but fun. 

Usually people will slowly forget their New Year's resolution by the third month, and it's nearly March. I hope I'll have the energy to be super productive throughout the year !

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First Workshop at Stickerrific :

Note - Images were taken by Szeetoo. It was my first workshop and it was quite big, so I didn't have the time to take videos or images. I was too nervous ! More than 10 people joined the workshop. 

For more future workshop with Stickerrific :

Beginner's Class to Doodling (16th March) | 

Introduction to Doodling + Rubber Stamp Carving (10th March) x MoodySeagull

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First Doodle Outing Class :

There were 3 participants in this class, so we went to Aquaria, KLCC and have a nice long doodle class at the Loft, Avenue K. It was a bit awkward, but smaller class gave me a chance to focus on each students, so I'm quite happy with the outcome !

Now the rainy season has stopped, we can also plan on going to different places :D

Here are a bunch of introverted doodlers ❤

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First Weekend Class :

We did a class at Nu Sentral Cafe with 3 more particpants (this time with an additional of an-11 year old). I found it less fun to only focus on the doodling activities alone, and having a weekend class in KL city was a bit distracting (because of the crowd). So I decided to cancel any weekend class afterwards, and only focus on the weekdays outing class. 

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That's about it for all my firsts ❤

Mini Project : Introvert's Favorite Stuff

2 weeks ago I doodled stuffs that introverts like (I referred to what I love) - so perhaps I did a bit of stereotyping here. I'm sure a lot of people love the same things (shoutout to fellow extroverts & ambiverts !) but I think most introverts can relate to this.

As introverts, we love the solitude we can gather in our own house/room. We love being alone, we love the silence, away from all the dramas and distractions. I'm not saying that my lifestyle is healthy, but for the past 9 months I've been so happy and calm. I love working at home, I love the freedom and the silence. I don't expect anyone else to understand, as long as my husband is okay with my choice of living (btw, he is also an introvert so he understands).

So here are the things that I must have :

• Books (as distraction from the hectic world we are living in)
• Hot drinks (I love my hot Neslo in the morning, and green tea throughout the day)
• Favorite pen + pencil , and also doodle book (to write about my thoughts, to doodle, to find previous inspiration and references)  
• Laptop with movies/series (Anything worth streaming - currently I'm watching : The Crown and Riverdale)
• Pets (in my case, my lovely fat cat; Awan)
• Comfort foods (Sometimes sweet, sometimes salty but never healthy)

The doodle I did in my book using my current favorite pencil colour from Pilot Color Eno:

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Images I edited for the shops :

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I also made a simple process video of it and posted it on my Youtube :

Just to share to people the process of turning an illustration into something (in this case a postcard + sticker). I'm planning to make a new mini project every 2 weeks. I'm already working on the next one related to foods ! ❤

Work Related : Book Nerd + Game Nerd Pins ❤

My purple 'game nerd' enamel pin is almost sold out. I only have less than 5 pieces in my keeping, sent 10 pieces to Stickerrific last weekend, and probably around 10 pieces in Salt x Paper (if they still have those - I sent it weeks ago). Well, it is almost over - I'm glad people really like it ❤

In between the first enamel pin that I ordered and now as I'm writing, I also ordered 2 more enamel pins (the 'book nerd' 📖 + the 'game nerd' 🎮 in grey version) last month.  I don't think I mentioned about it in my blog yet (but I also did a 'book nerd' gift-away via my IG last month.

Well, because those first enamel pins were sold quite fast, I decided to make a new one and reorder the 'game nerd' in different colour :

These pins came in last month ❤
They are also limited to 100 pieces each design, I don't want to re-make exactly the same one but I can reorder in different colour because the cost to make the mold is PRICEEEY $$.

I designed another 2 new backing cards especially made for these new items :

You can buy it here :

>> Book Nerd | Game Nerd (Grey) <<

or at Stickerrific in PJ / Salt x Paper in KK

❤

Whiny complain :

A LOT of people keep on asking me about where I did my enamel pins, obviously they didn't read >> my previous long post << about my enamel pin experience. I now find it annoying (because 'strangers ' keep on asking me the same thing over and over again, in IG + FB) - sometimes just abruptly, no greetings, none. Don't they know that it is rude to ask about where I make my stuffs. At least have a decency to do research first, instead of waiting to be spoon-fed :F 

Even for me, I found it hard to ask other independent makers about where or how they make certain stuffs because I know it is a personal question 😐 Where is the manner, guys ?  

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Work Related : New Shop Stickerrific

This post was drafted on September :

For those art & craft lovers, you must have heard about Stickerrific in PJ (near JayaOne). Well, I contacted them last year asking for a spot to send my products - and they asked me to come with my products when I have the time. But last year I was super busy with Fin soon after I contacted them and I didn't find the time to make stuffs. So I kinda kept low afterwards.

Until 2 weeks ago I contacted them again, and they were still interested to meet me & my stuffs. So for the past week I've been preparing stuffs to send to Stickerrific. I am the only worker - so I had to do every single thing : designing, preparing file, printing, cutting, packing, bar-coding & sending the items. Imagine if you want to send 10 types of your products and for each of the 10 items, you want to send 10 pieces of it, then you'll have to prepare 100 items. Most of my items are not ready-made stuffs, they are in a way or another : hand-made or needed my personal touch. So you can imagine the time-consuming process.

Of course I can choose to 'just design', mass produce all my stuffs, and not having to think about the small fussy things. But here's the difference between just a designer and an independent artist : independent artist like to give personal touch to each and every item. This explains why I love preparing my sticker packs and why I don't really feel connected to items like my postcards (because I just send it to print and it is ready).

If you are a crafter + hoarder, this is your heaven :

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So on that Thursday we went to Stickerrific.

Other than Af, my mom and my brother tagged along as well. I was greeted by the siblings and we discussed about all my items (well they take it all) and I felt oh so happy oh oh ! I prepared the delivery order copies, let them count the stock, and that's it - my items are officially at Stickerrific :D You can now get some of my items at Stickerrific (like the travel journal, Japanese food sticker packs, Kuroneko postcard, enamel pins and some of my other big stickers) - so you don't have to wait for an event or pay the shipping fees.

I did some shopping here as well.
I bought Stickerrific's cat sticker and a beautiful letter-pressed postcard :

Anyway, just a few days later they informed me, telling that all my Japanese sticker packs are sold out and I need to restock +.+ I am super thankful, but I was busy preparing my stuffs for the Jesselton Artisan Market in Sabah so I had to put the priorities first to the event then to the shop.

Current situation : I am preparing all the items I need to send to Stickerrific especially the sticker packs. I'm not sure about the pins (all the pins that I brought to JAM was sold out so I need to prepare the packaging as well). Busy busy week. This weekend we will be having a mom's birthday holiday at PD and next week's weekend I'll be joining Machi Mochi Market at Sunway Velocity - so I don't think I have extra time to rest for now :F