The Creative Pause, Why Exploring New 2D Animation Software Matters
Downtime is a beautiful, often unpredictable thing in freelance life, especially as we approach Christmas. The ideal scenario, the freelancer’s dream, is having all projects neatly tied up and invoices out before the festivities begin. While some clients will happily call on Christmas Day, the world, thankfully, agrees to collectively slow down this season. It is a precious space where the pressure lessens and the demands quieten.
What do we do in that sudden vacuum, other than being merry and spending time with loved ones?
For the creative mind, this pause is not just rest, it often feels like a ticking time bomb of energy. The truly wise use the break to completely switch off, recharge, or read a book. However, many of us fidget, unable to sit still, feeling that necessary compulsion to make something, to explore, or to learn. It is a maddening, relentless urge that, frankly, we would not trade for anything.
This quiet, restless energy is what fuels genuine expertise at Plume Films. It is in these moments of personal, pressure-free exploration that we refine our craft. This Christmas, my own project is finally digging into some new 2D animation software, Moho Pro 12.5, a tool I have been neglecting. I am right at the start of that journey, and that beginner’s mind is the most valuable mindset a creative can possess.
Why The Creative Pause is Actually an Investment
In the rush of client work, the goals are clear: efficiency, delivery, and reliability. We rely on proven workflows and familiar tools to maintain quality under pressure. This operational focus is vital, but it leaves little room for true, deep exploration.
The Christmas pause grants us permission to be inefficient. It is a window for research, play, and unconstrained learning.
It refreshes our tools and thinking: When we are not focused on a deadline, we can explore technical edges or creative theories that might fail completely, but that is perfectly fine.
It builds future confidence: Learning a new skill or wrestling with a tricky interface now means we have a broader toolkit to offer clients later, translating to more imaginative solutions.
It fuels passion: The act of simply making something for yourself, with no commercial goal, reminds you why you started in the first place, and that passion is infectious in every meeting.
Embracing the Beginner’s Mind, A Shared Journey
My own foray into Moho Pro is a perfect example of this. I received Moho Pro 12.5 for my birthday back in July, and, until this precious downtime arrived, it had remained completely untouched on my desktop. For those unfamiliar, Moho Pro is a piece of 2D animation software famous for its sophisticated bone rigging system, a technical way of building a digital skeleton into a flat drawing. It is complex, powerful, and currently, quite daunting.
My goal for the break is simple, I am not opening it up to create the next great masterpiece, I am opening it up to understand where the 'New Project' button is, and how to draw a simple line.
This journey is important because it is a shared one, both for creative peers and for potential clients:
For Peers: We understand the frustration of wrestling with a new interface. By starting simple, like the classic animation exercise of making a bouncing ball feel heavy or light, we are focusing on the principles of motion, which are always more important than the software features.
For Clients: When we approach a collaboration, we remember the anxiety of the blank canvas. If we are struggling to find a simple tool within the software, we can deeply empathise with a brand team struggling to define their video's core message. We bring clarity and patience, because we know what it is like to start from scratch.
This continuous need to learn is not about adding another line to a skill list, it is about maintaining a fundamental humility towards our craft.
The Beauty of the Unfinished Project
My commitment is to make a concerted effort to learn Moho Pro during this much-needed rest and maybe provide updates on my progress.
But there is a critical part of this commitment: If the project falls by the wayside? Maybe that is completely okay too.
We are all very good at beating ourselves up over personal projects that stall. But the value is not in the flawless, finished result; it is in the attempt, the initial curiosity, and the simple dedication of time to pure craft. Even an hour spent wrestling with the layer hierarchy in new 2D animation software is an hour spent moving forward.
It is this foundational creative honesty and persistent curiosity that we bring into every client collaboration, ensuring every story is shaped with genuine care and creative integrity, even if we are still working out the bone rigging controls ourselves.
The Christmas pause is not a sign-off, it is a creative fuel-up. By honouring that restless urge to make something, to explore a new piece of 2D animation software, or to refine a tricky technique, we are investing in the quality and creative ingenuity that Plume Films offers all year round. We are embracing the start of the journey, ready to translate that fresh perspective into engaging, thoughtful storytelling for you.
If this spirit of collaborative exploration resonates with you, feel free to explore our portfolio and see how we translate curiosity and craft into purposeful films.
