Thursday, November 28, 2013

I won't take this sitting down!

I once heard a great piece of advice; never skimp on shoes or beds, because if you're not in one then you're in the other. Great, but for a large amount of us, not very accurate.

Chairs.

Ergonomic Orthopaedic (Systematic Hyyyyyydromatic, why, it's Greased Lightning) chairs are all the rage. Expensive, at times uncomfortable but proven to be GOOD for you, especially if you're in the business of sitting down and drawing for a million hours.
But what if you don't have 500 quid to shell out on a fancy chair? Are backaches and sores the only port of call, or is there something you can do about it?

First, you could start by getting up and walking around more. Good for the head, and good for the muscles. Usually I'm up and down every 40 minutes or so for a minute or two; either a natural break or a break called by nature. Tea, the cause and solution to all of life's problems.

Secondly, you can be careful of your posture. You should be sitting up straight while you work, and not some extreme of slouched under your desk or clambered over your Wacom like it's your 'precioussss'
To help with this, check the height of your monitor. The top of your monitor should be in line with your eye level when you're sitting correctly. This is where phone books can still come in handy on a daily basis.

But something I've been wanting to try is working at a standing station, so I've begun today. I instantly felt more alert, and being able to look away or move about much freer felt significantly less constricting than I realised I'd been using a standard setup. I had a large box to elevate my intuos and keyboard, and while it wasn't quite big enough, it didn't put me off. My shoes were definitely not comfortable enough, but it's absolutely something I'm going to keep trying out.

I looked online for rising/sinking workstations, but I'm not paying 500 quid when I can juse take my monitor off my tower and keep a box beside my desk. Right now though, I'm sitting down, and not-sure-if-related, ready for some sleep.


But first, I have some colouring to do.


1 comment:

  1. Great stuff Ciaran: so easy to forget to get up and stretch legs and rest eyes when you're in the 'art zone.' Must try the standing station at least once, you're not the first to recommend it.

    Love your conversational writing style. Keep it coming!

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