Monday, May 29, 2017

Day 45 of My #100DayProject Self Challenge-Burn out Time

 My #100DayProject
 


 
Perform one simple task a day to assist me in becoming more creatively productive and consistent in my studio. All tasks can be followed with a reward to encourage consistency.
 


And on the Seventh Day I Rested, Because I'm Suddenly Burned Out.

I'm actually resting on the 45th Day of my #100DayProject challenge
, and despite the  four day absence from posting and participating due to being out-of-town; I've come to a mental stand-still. I don't think I can pick up another brush, or transplant another shrub, plunk a flower in soil outside as my reward either. The idea of doing one small task and rewarding myself doesn't appeal to me. At all right now. The sky is dreary and grey and I feel like that inside. Burnout happens to everyone but for those of us with Attention Deficit issues, rebounding from the burnout can get tricky. Sometimes we don't rebound and stash the project away to move on to something new, and NEW appeals to our jumpy mindset.

When Burnout Happens Let it Be. 

A few years ago, when experiencing burn out, I decided to give in to the blah state. Usually I respond by feeling guilty, self-blaming for  lack of focus and  then move forward with whatever I was working on. Forcing myself to work  during burnout resulted in mistakes, swearing and more mistakes. The day I gave into the blahs, shelved the guilt, and chose to read a book for pure pleasure (not research), I was able to rebound.  This revelation may not seem like a big shocker to some, but as someone who was on the receiving end of exasperated insults-not always their fault they didn't know I had ADD– "You have NO patience!", I realized I too had the right to give myself a break, not because I'm lacking a work ethic, but because it was time to– as they say in elementary school-"take-a-break", everyone, especially the creatif with focus issues, needs space to chill out before resuming.

So this is what I did today, NOT MUCH, I gave myself space from the #100DayProject because the very thought of painting the last wall in my studio seemed not overwhelming, but more unbearable, a book was calling me. 

 My name is Suzanne Urban, I am an artist and writer, I sell my funny stuff like the magnet to the left on ETSY here: SmirkingGoddess and my art here: SuzanneUrbanArt


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