Designs on my wellbeing

Adding some colour to life... my illustrated diary

One of the big points of discussion during the pandemic - and something we’ve reported on regularly in our internal comms - is the need for a focus on individual wellbeing during such a time of change. 

Whether continuing to go into the workplace or working from home, it has been a year of uncertainty and concern for most.

So we’ve seen people turn to a number of different things to take their minds off the problem-at-large, and help them re-centre themselves in the world. That has ranged from volunteering during the early days of the pandemic to taking up new hobbies.

It all helps, and it really isn’t a case of people having too much time on their hands. As it says on the NHS Every Mind Matters website, having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more.

From a selfish, business-related point of view, this can only be a good thing for a workforce. We want an engaged and positive team delivering our mission - and we’ve spend countless hours and thousands of pounds on internal communications designed to ensure just they feel that way. 

I tend to disappear into creative endeavour in my spare time. I’m also a bugger for a New Years resolution. So on 1 January this year I decided I’d embark on an illustrated diary for 2021.

It’s not exactly a new thing for me - I did it in 2013, when instead of a pandemic I charted a year in the life of my then 6-year-old son. But I thought this time it would help me take a step away from work, and help me make sense of a mad time in all our lives.

And it has worked… as of writing I’ve just filled the first volume. One page a day, cartoon and brief diary entry, all painted in watercolour. It’s not Turner Prize winning artwork, but I’ve enjoyed it so far. The act of remembering what’s happened during the day, thinking of a way of illustrating it, and slapping on a bit of paint is very cathartic. It’s helped me maintain my wellbeing, through some troubling, some sad, and some uplifting times. What’s more, it should be a fascinating little time capsule for anyone who picks it up in the decades to come - I’m already looking back at the beginning of volume one and marvelling at the memories of the chaos of Trump’s final days in office, the sad death of Captain Tom, and the bizarre little vignettes of Wood family life that weave in between.

Obviously this isn’t going to be for everyone… but for me, it shows that whatever you do, doing something that takes you away from the madness, even for a few moments, is no bad thing.