My creativity has dried up and there are tumble weeds rolling around my brain.
Creative exhaustion. Burnout. Whatever you wanna call it. I let the well go dry.
This state of affairs is all the more distressing because it comes on the heels of the best, most disciplined, focused and - well, just awesome - period of truly inspired creativity I've had in my life. I surfed a monster wave of flow like a semi-pro only to wake up one terrible morning to a barren stretch of desert and my body half buried in sand while bugs wander over my parched lips.
I need to make it rain again. For I have deadlines to meet and miles to go before I sleep. Miles to go before I sleep.
Here's my plan, and this is my first time hearing it too, so let's see what happens, here. : )
Yoga
My daily yoga practice is a large part of why I experienced a great surge of creativity to begin with. I practice early in the day because then I know I've done it and don't have to spend the rest of the day worrying that I am trying to weasel out of it. Despite the fact that I sit a lot to work at writing and fibre art, yoga is doing a great job keeping me toned and healthy. It also helps me stay sane when I have a million new ideas that all want attention at once. So I am going to keep the yoga going through this drought because it's the only thing keeping me together at this point.
Go Outside
This is always a challenge when I am working to a deadline. I would be a horrible boss. Wait - I am a horrible boss. I am a tyrant who shouts, "No, you cannot take a walk! Are you crazy? Have you seen the work that needs to be done? Get back to work! A walk - like that's productive!" This is likely why I'm in this mess in the first place. I need nature, preferably lots of it, to continue to enjoy life. Especially now that spring (or is this summer - 25°C in May!) is here. So I'm going to make an effort to get out for the next few days and hope that whatever I lose in productive time is made up when I return with renewed energy.
Cut Myself Some Slack
Are your inner voices as mean as mine? How can I be mad at myself for this? It completely makes sense. This is why artists of all kinds are treated differently by the world than, say, bank tellers or lawyers. Because it's not the same. Not to say that artists can't approach what they do professionally. But sometimes the conditions are just ripe for something to happen and it really is like a wave that you can ride and, just like a wave, it will exhaust itself sooner or later. And then you do the best you can, making sure you're ready to catch the next big one when it comes along.
Lighten Up
How do you make yourself laugh? How do you not take life so seriously? How do you enjoy the journey? Seriously - or, rather, un-seriously - this one stumps me. I've seen lots of you posting about this here on Steemit - the art of not giving a rat's patuti. Will have to think more about this one. Or less - or - oh, shazbot!
Perseverance
Is that really how you spell that? I thought the last 'a' was an 'e'. Anyway...a wise husband once told me that showing up is half the battle. I will continue to show up at my work desk each day to work towards my deadlines. It's not ideal. It's not creating under the best conditions possible, but it is necessary.
Music
Wow, I didn't see that one coming. It makes a strange kind of sense though. I often listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I work. Otherwise the critical, evil monkey in my brain makes it impossible for me to concentrate. The words give the monkey something to do instead of criticizing my every move. But it also makes my head a very busy place. Maybe something without lyrics would calm everybody down. I think I'll try it out.
Well, that's me - exhausted again.
How about you? How do you deal with burnout and does it work?
For now, nanu nanu.
