HOW I PACK ORDERS, CAT-SITTING, DISCUSSING HUSTLE CULTURE ☆ STUDIO VLOG

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hello my luvs! Bringing you a SUPER LONG video of packing, packing, & more packing. I also give a long chat about burn out, feeling overwhelmed, and how I plan on taking care of myself more moving forwards. We also discuss hustle culture & then I go cat sit for my pal Vicki. Lots of good stuff in this vid. I hope you enjoy :)
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current sub count: 22.4k hammies
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[@JelArts]

Wow I really relate to the hustle culture discussion. It's actually so helpful to hear you talk about all of this. The 4 day work week sounds amazing - I'm always looking for ways to avoid the burnout and also get all the projects done that I want to get done. But then I beat myself up if I'm not working "normal" hours compared to other people with more "normal" jobs. I try not to get too insecure about having a job that's a bit unconventional and not care what others think, but I still get insecure about it all the time. I wish you the best in finding a work-life balance that's best for you!

[@MeganWangart]

aaaaa thank you!!!

[@therummagingferret]

It's so funny to find other content creators I watch randomly appear on other videos.

[@noahr.7144]

You should totally try out a foldable dolly for dropping off orders. Some bungee cords could get you to a point where u can bring in a TON if theyre placed well

[@LeighEllexson]

Hello Megan. It is leigh. I just watched some of your video on a premiere outside of a noisy car wash so I will be watching this again all the way through in a quieter place. I love complaining :-) plz continue :-)

[@bonespicestudio2378]

im really happy that you and other artists are voicing struggles with hustle culture and the need to be percieved as endlessly productive! i think it does help people who see being an artist as an ideallic dream career know that it has its ups and downs like with any other job! to be endlessly creative is hardtttt

[@MeganWangart]

yessss exactly :') hope ur doing well!!!!

[@bonespicestudio2378]

@@MeganWangart i am gudt! started doing random colour palettes and its making drawing feel fun again :D

[@kayseacamp]

I’ve been on a 4 day work week for 12 years and I cannot imagine my life on any other schedule. My breakdown is EXACTLY how your therapist mentioned. 20/10 recommend. Hopefully it’ll help with the burn out.

[@BigTroubleD]

Can you elaborate on what you do? 12 years is a really long time and I’m trying to establish such a work flow for myself. Looking for mentors and knowledge.

[@micaela.herrera]

Oh man its such a bummer to have taken a break and think you've gotten over your burn-out until you go back to work and realize its not gone. Currently going through this myself a bit. I def notice when it starts taking a surprisingly long time to do seemingly simple tasks. Hope you can take lil time for rests in your day to day and do what brings joy

[@MeganWangart]

[@tangerinejukebox]

Sharing a tip that works for me for being as eco-friendly as feasible when shipping on a small scale; I keep every box I receive purchases in, and most small plastic bags/sleeves that look like they can be reused. I've made myself a stamp that says "Packaged with love and recycled materials" which I use on parcels to show that, if the box looks a bit special, it's because it's led a good life and been reused :) The boxes are always sufficiently sturdy to get to their destination, and I've even had compliments on the stamp!

[@MarleneVega]

Thank you for talking about the other side of being a creative, felt so seen 🥲💖 appreciate everything you do Megan! I’ll be watching your videos till I’m old and gray 🥰 hehe

[@jenavy]

Being productive is great but having your me time is even better because you are living in the moment and enjoying your life which will help avoid burn out. Don’t feel the need to rush your break. Each break time will never be the same as the one before.

[@leckymoo2479]

i am very much a visual learner so seeing your packaging process actually really eased my anxiety!! It made everything clear as someone looking to start a small art venture sometime soon x

[@RadhiaRahman]

it's always so nice to have a lil coworking facetime since you've moved! I'm also so proud of you!! The kitties are so cute ahhH H H

[@MibyleDraws]

your thoughts about hussle culture, wellness, lifestyle and productivity feel so true to me! It also feels good seing you talking about this, being open about it. I really hope you'll find the best way for you to deal with all of this

[@MeganWangart]

thank you so much!!! pacing is really good advice!!

[@MibyleDraws]

@@MeganWangart you're welcome!!

[@amandaray_art]

Congratulations on the success of your recent shop update! I really enjoyed the honest/transparent chat about burnout, social media, and hustle culture. I hope you’re able to get some rest soon and find a balance ☺️

[@MeganWangart]

thank you amanda!!

[@jtru0]

Thank you for your honesty. No job is easy. No matter how dreamy, it may look or seem. Hang in there.

[@pyropae]

Please do not feel bad about 'complaining'. I appreciate your honesty and it gives great insight into the real life of a self-employed artist. A dream job does not equal an easy job. Thank you for giving the REAL.

[@oagufi]

When packing a lot of stuff, I noticed that it is more exhausting if the table is too cramped. I make more mistakes too because everything is piled on top of each other. Like the finsihed ones vs those that still needs to be packed. maybe you can find a space just for packing and lay down everything in front of you. Like an assembly line. You'll get to see everything clearly too. Also, take mini breaks every 10 or 15 packages ☺️

[@ChantelleArts]

Congrats for lots of orders! Loved hearing you actually speak about hustle culture and how keeping up with content creation can be difficult, more people need to speak about this ❤

[@bigben1986]

Stop saying you feel bad. it is what it is and we enjoy your videos, especially this long one because it's entertaining and it's also full of a ton of info. Thank you for all that you do and never stop!!

[@MeganWangart]

lmk how you've been feeling and things have been going for u in the comments :3

[@peainpod]

been very busy lately and trying to stay on top of things in a new stage of life 😭

[@hazelmoonchild508]

Never felt so related to a video ever.. recently one of my tiktoks blowed up and I started getting like 4× orders than usually and it got so overwhelming! When there's lots of orders, the time period a person has to wait to receive their orders increases. Because I make the products when a person orders (most products are customized as well) Watching this video right now while being so burnt out by packaging orders and super stressed because not everyone understands how time & energy consuming it is to handle a small business by oneself.. it's comforting to hear that other creaters also go through same situations because i thought i was just too weak and just unable to handle a business.. Also about using eco friendly packaging,, i've been using paper packaging for so long and felt really bad when i had to take celo bags for sticker packs.. but realized there's a fine line between being eco-friendly and being productive at the same time. Love your business! I feel so related to youu ❤️

[@tatuskaartstudio]

Go girl! Feel free to take vacations! It’s extremely important! Rest is essential too ✨💕 You will come back fresh, full of energy and new ideas 🥰

[@Nyjae8]

I really love Packing Videos it's a nice balance of calming & chaotic energy lol I loved this video & you openly talking about your burn out. It's nice seeing the journey & your process I'm wishing your burn out away, hope you feel better soon⭐Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts & feelings on this experience in your life💜Have a lovely day.

[@NatashaElle]

a true delight to get to sit down and enjoy this chunky video

[@tamakifan]

I watched some of your videos before but this is the video where I wanna subscribe. I really empathized with you and the other artists for just wanting to make a living off their art. The 4 day work week sounds incredible. I wish you good health.

[@nataliedavison5592]

You are doing so well. Keep going lovely. It takes a lot of energy and motivation to get a business up and running. You inspire me!

[@uniandumi]

You ROCK!! Omg go off! This is my dream!! I cant imagine that many orders from an update 🤩🤩🤩

[@queenperri]

I totally relate to you when it comes to the whole hustle culture weirdly mixing with lifestyle culture. I have ur studio vlogs and a few others channels blogs on play while I’m working on client work and you talking about this made me realize that a lot of my own creative burnout stems from the fact that I’ve stopped creatively indulging for myself. Every time I try to work on personal work I feel horrible I’m not working in my clients work and then forget to pace myself and never make time for my own things, or I completely shut down and do nothing at all and then feel even worse. This helped me see that and now I guess I gotta figure out how to balance school work, client work and my own personal time a bit better. Oh and also learn how to make art for myself again, that’d be nice.

[@teddy1744]

Just joined your patreon for your prints and stickers, love your art. Happy I found you!

[@AubreyFite1]

I really appreciate you sharing all your thoughts and feelings! I had some ideas after watching you pack & hearing you talk about burnout. Packing takes a large physical toll on us. Could you get a collapsible table that you set up to pack orders on so you are not bending up and down as much going from your desk to the floor? I also think getting a cart to transport your orders could help! Like a little grocery cart :)

[@naimahycreations]

So happy I was able to join the premiere! Thank u once again for the amazing vlog, and thank you for answering my questions. I hope you are feeling good and are having a lovely day! Sending lots of love! ❤️❤️

[@sandybeverly1718]

I'm here for the complaining! I needed to hear this ( literally as im working) Love your videos :)

[@mollyviehland2551]

Even though your job might be considered a "dream job" at the end of the day it's still work! And work is tiring regardless of what it is. Doing something for multiple hours every single day regardless of how enjoyable it might be can lead to some level of burn out. So don't feel bad about complaining even though you are "lucky" to have this type of job. You're only human and your allowed to feel tired and unsure about things! You do your best and thats what matters. Sometimes you need to step back and give yourself a break.

[@CottoneeSocks]

I love your vids because of the real, casual and creative vibes 😌 nooo boss girl energy detected! And that’s a GOOD thing, in my mind at least! Always excited to see an upload from you

[@jillstrickland9336]

Don't worry about using plastic. It can be recycled. And paper means cutting down trees.

[@cyberpunkgirl6465]

I really love your videos, it's a lot more realistic and honest then most vlogs art/studio vlogs i come across. I am not gonna name names but other creators can come off as condescending.

[@nedanashu5025]

I just found you, loved your talks about what it's like working for yourself. I am a graphic designer that works for a company & that has it's downsides too, I am hoping to work for myself after I retire, I will have to see how it goes......Love your Kitties!!

[@joannaclaydesign8916]

This was ssooooo lovely to watch after a long, tiring day! You're such chill company Megan

[@moonbeaa2330]

I love your studio vlogs and many other artists here on youtube, I recently was wacthing your old videos and I just love seeing how far you have come and it really inspires me to keep going ,taking one step at a time and not be so hard on myself

[@MeganWangart]

awww thank you so much!

[@jocydoesart]

Watching this video as I create some art and seeing the Cracking the Coding Interview book was triggering 😂 I work full-time as a software engineer right now and that brought me back to stressed out college years haha. Thanks for another great video!

[@TomoHarume]

just thought of something when the situation of the two totes and prints is to tape down the prints in the cello bag to the box so the only thing sliding is the totes

[@theresedignard4267]

Great video. Very informative. To save time in wrapping your totes, did you consider the Japanese way of offset wrapping? It would save you so many folds and looks great. It is often used for boxes like chocolates in stores, but now is used by many stores. I have used it for Christmas and birthday gifts too now. The paper is laid flat with the product offset and slightly off. It decreases your bulk size too. Wishing you success always. Your art is “heart smile” five stars. Tasks like wrapping your totes could be farmed out to a friend or family member. We need to factor in the value of our creative time lost on packing. Your lunch is also inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[@msjithy]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about what you're going through right now. Making art or designing something is relaxing but only when you do it for yourself and not for others. The Social media right now somehow dictates what you should do with your life which should not be. Just continue what you like to do and progress with your small business. Remembering your main goal in life and continue to create arts, crafts that you like will always gives you that feeling of excitement :) You are lucky you can express in paper and draw them what you have in mind, what your thoughts are. I have lots of wisdom from my life experiences i want to share by creating arts but i cant draw them like the way you do. I am learning right now how to illustrate and this gives me happiness. I always believe once you create something new and you love, it is fulfilling and will never put you in the state of burnout. I wish you success and hope you stay creating arts because not only me likes them, many of us! All the best to you, Megan :)

[@woofandwonder]

I relate to ALL of this! I truly enjoy your videos :)

[@misoandtofustudio]

your prints is too cute!

[@charlottedeany7356]

Thanks for sharing your artwork and beautiful self through these videos :)

[@sincerelyceline]

Never thought a packing video could be so vulnerable and real 🥺rooting for you megan!

[@RikhanaKasumi]

Packing vlogs are great, you dont even need to narrate them, just find some cute lofi songs and we'll watch :D

[@hantana7861]

I really prefer cello bags for special art like that to protect it. It usually stays in them for ever for me and I put tape or tacks on/thru the bag or clear sleeve instead of the artwork. It’s great to try being eco friendly but I feel like it that mindset has gone a touch too far in the small business art realm. Please don’t feel bad about it! Large companies will be more wasteful and shitty to the environment in a day then you will ever be for using some clear bags.

[@MeganWangart]

i agree!!! the responsibility should be on these huge corporations, not individuals!

[@augustatkinsonillustration5341]

Nice packing tote bags

[@star172able]

this is amazing I love it , I want to make my own stickers soon

[@icjacks2348]

ohhh girl we all make mistakes lol Im in charge of packing for my regular job n when I get supper busy I've packed orders with no label! lol good thing the small post office I take them to is downstairs from our office so they keep the packages for me. Since I go twice a day they just give them back in one of my runs lol

[@maartsyanne]

love this video so much! 🤗💖💚

[@emilyfroemel7622]

I had a discussion with a guy who ran a Web site design company. He said business ebbs and flows. When you feel like you are working around the clock it's time to hire help. Perhaps hire people that can help fill orders? In the beginning part time who just comes when you get orders over 100, as an example. Perhaps an online assistant that just makes your packing labels? Online the assistences are generally hired by weekly hours. So you can start with 5 hours and increase as you grow.

[@StayCuriousArtist]

loved this video! :)

[@stephh_606]

Thanks so much for sharing how you package orders! I've been struggling myself to figure out how to package something if someone were to order something chunky and flat XD Where do you buy your boxes?

[@Tajjygirl]

Sweet one! I hope you can take time to recoup and take things easy < 3 Thank you so much for sharing your Art with the world--it makes me so happy! Also: Can you train Robert to help you pack next time?

[@MeganWangart]

hahaha thank you!!! and omg i really would like to but 1) he's scared he's going to mess up all of the orders LOL and 2) he's been very busy with work lately so we haven't had a chance yet :( hopefully next time he'll be more free to lend me a helping hand

[@saitdesigns]

I’m confused by ‘shop update’ don’t you just have a shop that you keep stocked? Where do shop updates sit as part of your business

[@ylezAma-artes1919]

I wonder if you can share where or who makes your washi tape, the name of that printer small labels, stickers

[@Heyits__JC]

I agree! I really wanted to use EcoEnclose but I realize that they couldn't ship to Taiwan (´；ω；｀) So I need to find out other ways to keep things eco friendly. I appreciate how you tell us your real feelings, can total understand that everyone takes things differently and also being overwhelm and stressful is really uncomfortable. Hope you have a nice rest after this (or something to balance off life and work) Thanks for this vlog, I love it

[@noahr.7144]

Oh man, once had to pack 90, it took me like 3 weeks, how even

[@Hey_reema]

From is your packaging envelope 26:00

[@ynguyen5020]

Where can I buy sticker printer like that?

[@sadiebrowne8997]

i subscribed 0:24 seconds in

[@PHcute]

No iffing way I would be able to pack 400 orders. My mind would 🤯

[@kinbailey310]

He didn't help you carry those big ass bags to the car?

[@solennesteelberg2317]

i’m crying 😹

[@hitmansgirl4eva]

I've only recently found your vlogs and have watched them all. I really enjoy them. I want to start a business like this myself but have no idea where to set up an online shop etc. I was considering etsy but that seems like a no go now. Where would be the best place for a newbie to start? Would you recommend Squarespace?

[@MeganWangart]

etsy is an option, they just take soooo many fees :( squarespace & bigcartel are both good places to start!! I'd recommend bigcartel if you don't really know what's up with sales tax since they collect it for u! but squarespace i think can build a cuter website!! both good options tho :)