It’s easy to give a client what they want. Ask and they’ll tell you. They’ll give you the dimensions, the budget, the timeline. They’ll tell you which colours they like or don’t like; which ones are ‘right’. They’ll tell you what your work should be about and when it’s achieving that or not. If it’s wrong, it’s easy to fix. Just do another version, nudge it closer to what the client wants until they’re satisfied.
Much more difficult is the work one does for oneself. When there is no one to tell you what is working or not working, what’s right and what’s wrong. When no one tells you the dimensions, or instructs how much time you’re supposed to spend on, how much money you’re supposed to use to make it. It’s difficult to know when the work you made for yourself is done – it’s all on you. It’s also the best type of work.