Time Is Money Illustration

This illustration was inspired by my recent experience of working in the “real world”. It was a Patek Philippe drawing I did several years ago which wasn’t used in a project, therefore, I decided to update the watch face with money bills in the middle.​​​​​​​

Throughout my teenage years, studying from secondary school all the way up to college, I did not need to worry about money at all. I was fortunate to have parents who would financially support me for items, food and other things I couldn’t afford due to my hectic studying schedule. This enabled me to solely focus on my studies without the distractions of having to work part time to make money.

However, when I turned 19 and officially got my creative computing diploma from college, I chose to enter the working life straight away, with no intentions of going to university. The university teaching curriculum didn’t appeal to me, hence I opted for an apprenticeship route to build my skills and CV within the creative industry.

My first few months were a massive learning curve – I had to transition from studying with different rotas daily to a solid 9-5 every Monday to Friday, but I was committed to building up my resume now rather than later after graduating from university. After receiving my first paycheck from work, which wasn’t great due to my age and lack of experience, I began paying attention to how I could earn money more effectively and efficiently within the certain hours I would be working. Seeing a monthly payslip made me realise how important every working hour is – I realised I could be more effective.

That is often the reality behind why people switch jobs, change career paths and opt for something else to better satisfy their mental satisfaction and fill their pockets. It took me less than a year of working to realise how important it was to utilize my time wisely for money that would help going forward for bills, food and other necessities in life, all whilst living in an expensive major city like London. 

With this illustration, I wanted to reflect upon my own experience and views between time and money. From 19 to 23 years old (my current age) I worked for several companies, clients and personal projects where money was constantly changing. This also made me appreciate the value of money , as I noticed how hard it was to work several hours for X amount of money.