Hashmukh Kerai
What’s your routine to start your day?
It might sound a bit extreme, but since last October I’ve been waking up at 5 AM to hit the gym before starting my workday. I was never a morning person before, but I’ve discovered it’s the perfect time to handle life admin when everything’s quiet and I feel I actually have time to sort things out. I’m usually back by 8 AM for a quick breakfast and to check my emails. By 9 AM, I’m ready to dive into my client work and feel energised enough to know that sitting down at my desk for hours is okay.
Where in your home do you like to work?
I’m thankful to have a small room that serves as my studio workspace. When the sun is out, it bathes the windows for most of the day, making it pleasant to spend hours in my office. Sometimes, being so close to my bed can be challenging! The constant environment and not leaving the house can be tough, but I do my best to separate my office from the rest of the home. In the future, I’d love to build a little garden studio—a larger space where I could also host other creatives when needed.
How do you stay in a good head space when working on a project from home?
This is something I still struggle with after 11 years of freelancing. Depending on the project, working alone without office colleagues can be challenging. I’ve found that playing a podcast in the background, when possible, helps alleviate the silence and isolation. It’s also important to get up and away from my desk, even if it’s just to grab a coffee. Whenever I can, I love taking a short walk to the shops during lunch to break up the day and get some fresh air.
How do you wind down once your working day is over?
By the end of my workday, it’s usually dinner time, and I love to cook! Winding down with a delicious meal and catching up with my partner is always the best way to transition from work to relaxation. After dinner, like most people, I typically relax in front of the TV, which allows me to completely disconnect from work mode and immerse myself in something different. I often hop on the PlayStation to unwind and have some fun. Gaming provides a different kind of mental engagement that allows me to fully disconnect while still keeping my mind active in an enjoyable way. Whether it’s cooking, watching TV, or gaming, my evening routine is designed to create a clear separation between work and personal time, helping me relax and recharge for the next day.
What keeps you motivated and inspired when you’re not working with clients?
I’m a huge advocate for side projects and continuously learning new skills. I usually have several projects in progress, which keeps things exciting and moving forward. It’s easy to fall into a rut and produce repetitive work, so my approach with new skills and side projects is to have fun and experiment. Then, I bring these fresh skills and knowledge into my client work. Then I would say heading to exhibitions, going to networking events and really just doing anything creative always helps keep me inspired and moving forwards.
What have you been watching, reading or listening to that Motion Designers should know about?
I recently started watching Terminator Zero on Netflix and I love it! I’ve never really watched much anime before, but the animation and illustrations in this are incredible!
I’ve also been listening to a lot of the podcast “Daily Stoic” by Ryan Holiday. It’s been refreshing to hear about stoicism, and I love how each episode is short and provides bite sized snippets on the philosophy and how to action them.
