Deadlines Schmedlines: How to Stay Motivated When You're Your Own Boss

You know that moment when you open Procreate, crack your knuckles like you mean business, and then... just stare at the blank canvas?

Yeah. Me too.

Here's what nobody tells you about being your own boss: the freedom to create whenever you want can paradoxically make it harder to create at all. Without a client email marked "urgent" or a project manager checking in on your progress, it's weirdly tempting to reorganize your layer groups for the third time this week instead of actually designing anything new.

The flexibility to work around school pickup? Amazing. The ability to wear pajama pants to your "office"? Life-changing. But the complete lack of external pressure to produce? That's where things get tricky.

I've talked to enough surface pattern designers to know this isn't just me. When you're both the creative director and the person doing the work, it's far too easy to give yourself extensions, push deadlines, and convince yourself that tomorrow is definitely the day you'll finish that collection you started six weeks ago.

Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on the strategies that keep me creating consistently—even when my inbox is quiet and my calendar is blissfully empty of client demands.

The Problem With Too Much Freedom

Let's talk about why this is genuinely challenging.

Traditional employment comes with built-in accountability. Someone assigns you work. They tell you when they need it. There's a clear definition of "done," and probably a performance review somewhere down the line keeping you honest.

Your brain thrives on this clarity. It knows the target, understands the timeline, and gets that sweet dopamine reward when you hit submit.

But self-directed creative work? That's a whole different animal. You're sketching florals for your portfolio with zero external accountability, and your brain starts wondering why this needs to happen right now. Couldn't it happen later? Next week? When inspiration really strikes?

This gets even more complicated when you're juggling family responsibilities. Between packing lunches, answering "Mom, where's my soccer uniform?" for the fifteenth time, and trying to remember if you defrosted anything for dinner, sitting down to work on pattern designs can feel like the most optional thing on your list.

But here's the thing: if you want to build a sustainable pattern design business, it's not optional. We just need to create the urgency ourselves.

Becoming Your Own Best Client

The strategy that transformed my creative practice? Treating myself like a client. A really nice one, but still—a client.

This might sound like a psychological parlor trick, and honestly, that's exactly what it is. But it works ridiculously well.

The Four-Step System for Self-Assignment

First: Claim Your Deadline

Open whatever calendar system you actually use (not the pretty one you ignore, the real one) and pick a specific date. Write something official-sounding: "Pattern Drop Day" or "Collection Completion Date."

Make this date achievable, but slightly uncomfortable. You want enough time to do good work, but not so much time that the deadline feels imaginary.

Second: Draft Your Brief

This is where you get to play creative director. Write out exactly what you're creating, just like a client brief. You can keep it straightforward or inject some personality—whatever makes you excited to tackle it.

Straightforward example: "Design a 5-pattern collection for spring entertaining. Include: floral main print, geometric coordinate, stripe, dot, and small-scale toss. Palette: blush pink, sage green, warm gray, cream."

Fun example: "Create patterns for mystical mermaid stationery. Must feature: 3 different mermaid poses, underwater florals, treasure chests, and at least one confused-looking octopus."

Writing this down serves two purposes: it gives you creative constraints (which paradoxically boost creativity), and it makes your project feel legitimate and official.

Third: Block Your Time

Decide when you're working on this project. Maybe it's two hours every Tuesday morning, or an entire weekend day once a month, or 45 minutes during naptime three days a week.

Put these time blocks in your calendar as if they were client meetings. Because they are—you just happen to be meeting with yourself. Protect this time fiercely.

Fourth: Plan Your Celebration

Here's the part we chronically skip: deciding how you'll reward yourself when you finish.

That overpriced latte you've been eyeing? A new Procreate brush pack? Permission to spend an evening binge-watching that show everyone's talking about? Pick something that feels genuinely rewarding.

Your brain needs to associate creative completion with positive outcomes. You're essentially training yourself to want to finish projects, even self-assigned ones.

Why This Actually Moves the Needle

About five years back, I hit a wall with my portfolio. I had concepts floating around, vague plans to "work on my style," but nothing concrete materializing.

So I wrote myself a proper brief: "Summer collection, tropical fruit theme. Must include pineapples, watermelon, mango. Aesthetic: bold and graphic, high-contrast colors. Deadline: 14 days from today."

I printed it, taped it where I'd see it every time I sat down to work, and treated it like any other client job.

The result? I actually finished. I created a collection. And learned that my brain responds to structure, even self-imposed structure.

The formality mattered. It stopped my subconscious from dismissing the project as "just playing around" and elevated it to legitimate work.

Adding External Accountability Into the Mix

If you're thinking, "Okay, but I need MORE than just writing myself assignments," I hear you.

This is where monthly drawing challenges become invaluable. Think of them as a creativity gym membership—but without the intimidating equipment.

There are a lot of drawing challenges and design groups out there. It’s not hard to find one that fits your vibe.  

What Makes Challenges So Effective

Zero Judgment Zone: Nobody's ranking you or critiquing your work. The entire point is simply showing up and creating.

Habit Formation in Disguise: When you commit to a daily or weekly challenge, you're building a consistent creative practice almost accidentally. Eventually, creating becomes as routine as your morning coffee.

Built-In Community: Working solo gets isolating. Challenges connect you with other artists experiencing the same struggles, celebrating the same wins, and sharing inspiration.

Creative Stretching: Challenges often push you into territory you'd never explore otherwise. "Draw a vintage camping scene" might not be your typical subject matter, but it could unlock a whole new direction for your work.

The Key to Challenge Success

Here's my controversial advice: Set the bar lower than you think you should.

If the daily prompt is "elaborate garden tea party" and you've got twelve minutes before you need to leave for dance class, draw one teacup with a flower in it and move on.

Perfection isn't the goal. Consistency is. Keeping your creative practice active matters more than producing masterpieces.

Some of my favorite portfolio pieces started as rushed, "this is probably garbage" challenge submissions. But they kept me in the creative flow, and that's what counts.

The Long Game of Creative Business Building

Let me be straight with you.

If you're here, you're probably not just doodling for kicks (although that's completely legitimate). You're likely working toward turning this into income. Maybe even a full-time creative business.

Building that business requires showing up regularly, even when—especially when—there's no external pressure forcing you to.

The designers who succeed aren't always the most naturally gifted. They're the ones who create week after week. Who build substantial portfolios. Who pitch consistently. Who treat their creative work as non-negotiable, client or no client.

These self-imposed structures—the creative briefs, the challenges, the accountability systems—aren't just productivity hacks. They're the infrastructure of a serious creative business.

Taking This Further

If this concept of treating yourself like a client resonates and you're ready to dive deeper into creating professional-grade pattern collections, I've got something for you.

My Procreate Pattern Collection Masterclass walks you through designing complete, client-ready pattern collections from concept to final files. We cover composition strategies, color palette development, various repeat types (full-drop, half-drop, and more), and prepping your files for licensing or print-on-demand.

It's completely self-paced (practicing what I preach about flexibility over here!), and includes 25 repeat templates to streamline your workflow.

And because staying motivated is an ongoing practice, I'd love to have you join my free Weekly Eduletter: 3,2,1...Let's Design. Every Thursday, I share practical tips, encouragement, and honest conversations about building your creative business.

Your Assignment (And Yes, I Mean It)

Alright, here's what I want you to do:

Before this week ends, write yourself one creative brief. Keep it simple. Maybe it's "Design two coordinating patterns using only three colors by Sunday."

Post it where you'll see it daily. Set a phone reminder. Make it feel official.

Then show up and execute—even if it's only for twenty minutes. Even if what you create isn't amazing. Even if the dog is barking and you accidentally merged the wrong layers (happens to literally everyone).

The magic isn't in producing a perfect pattern. The magic is in proving to yourself that you can create your own structure, set your own timeline, and follow through.

When you can do that consistently? You can build this business. You can turn creativity into income. You can be your own boss in the most empowering way possible.

Now go assign yourself some creative work! And remember—you're a considerably better client than most of the ones out there, so enjoy the collaboration. 😉