The real subtitle of this blog entry should be “How to manage burnout.” It is more accurate because burnout is inevitable. When you create something, after a certain amount of time, the doldrums will set in and you’ll see your motivation disperse in the air. Still, the sense of pointlessness can be avoided, but it will never truly evaporate. So, how does one manage this dreaded feeling?
If you write, draw, play music, sculpt, or are interested in filming, burnout will rear its ugly head sooner or later. There are so many wonderful creative avenues for artists of all kinds to travel, and the sheer number of options alone can be staggering. Your smartphone is a key to the development and execution process of numerous artistic outputs, and many editing or illustration apps are free. The price a creator pays is only limited by their imagination and innovation. The other toll, though, is the grind of churning out writings, pictures, songs, videos, etc. What begins as a fun hobby turns into another routine–a separate kind of “job” that tends to be more tedious than entertaining. The reward of seeing your finished product out in the world is satisfying enough, but truth be told, many creators desire a broader audience and, hey, it would be nice to get a little pocket money from the work, too.
Every content creator has a different story but what we share is an enthusiasm for presenting our projects. Not every artist enjoys the meticulous ins-and-outs of concept-to-completion. The details matter, yes, but it is difficult not to dwell on finishing the journey. Success can be measured in different ways, but focusing on accolades and praise from the comments section is a losing game. Authors who are just starting out know that if you are in it for the money, you’ll only drive yourself crazy. Loving the process is a major advantage in maintaining your mental health as well keeping a higher quality of work. Assuming you have already accepted that your path to fortune and fame is going to be a long one–and you also get a bit of zen-like patience and peace from the steps that go into making something–the next question is… now what?
For me, as an author who is in the very early stages of putting out books, the newness of it all is still exciting. Like many writers, I’ve had the want and need to produce novels and other stories. It is this drive that pushes me to type out whatever I can whenever I can. Carving out spaces in your day to write is a common challenge, and it only prolongs the overall mission that is penning a novel. Lack of availability is, well, depressing. If your schedule simply doesn’t allow much time to write (or whatever your art may be), then the basic math can be discouraging. Again, making your peace with a lengthy process is one thing, but the amount of months it’d logically take to finish is… Look, you know you are in the trenches, and recognition is a sparse reward, but every content creator considers quitting at least once. Or daily, it depends.
Perhaps equally detrimental is when famous and more established artists hang it up. You could say that a popular personality retiring removes a sliver of competition, but that’s not the most realistic outlook. Markets and trends change, too. As thrilled as I am to be reentering the world of Kindle Vella, the Vella boom might just have passed me by. Things are cyclical, but waiting for a genre or format to regain prominence isn’t a fun activity. To put it plainly, you have to enjoy what you do.
That sounds too easy and not feasible. Or simply not good enough. I’m not claiming that there is an expiration date for when you stop appreciating what goes into the making. There is value, though, in realizing how you sincerely like to spend your downtime. I did stand up comedy off and on for roughly a decade. Trust me, I did the world of comedians a favor by stepping down and comics and comedy itself are just fine without me. That being said, when I reached what became the end of my “career” (read: open-miker who occasionally did “real” shows which were mainly a lot of showcases), I was happy with my performances and material. I wasn’t consistently killing, and bombing will devastate even the most seasoned of vets. I caught a glimpse of what it would potentially take for me, individually, to earn my way up the ranks. The late nights and feelings of not truly belonging held me back. I suppose it is because I wasn’t performing at a higher level after nearly ten years that I decided to exit the stage. After all, if I was doing better, I’d more than likely want to keep at it. But, as it was, I was okay at it but I began to dread going to venues. I looked more forward to leaving the club than actually telling jokes. Don’t get me wrong, a good set where the crowd is with you is a euphoria like nothing else. It’s why comedians endure the lowest of the lows. Despite considering myself good enough to continue evolving, I simply wasn’t fulfilled anymore.
Not to sound drastic, but a good quality of life is, of course, important. Maybe your dream is that your art will improve your surroundings and lifestyle. When the stakes are that high, the main thing to remember is that you are capable of accomplishing these grand plans, but it’ll take time and organization. Recently, I evaluated the several writing projects I am working on. Growing one thing at a time seemed like the most common sense conclusion, but I wanted to see if I could tackle multiple tasks. With my real life commitments taking priority, I understood that it was probably foolish to even take on one of these endeavors, but that inner drive us creators have is what compelled me to give it a shot.
I settled on keeping it simple: on each day of the week, I’d focus only on one project. This came out to four days of the work week, meaning that I had to determine when and if I could actually contribute to said projects during these times. I guess I reserve the right to change my mind, but so far, it has been extremely beneficial.
At the end of the day, if you have creation in you, you will want to create no matter what, and regardless of who may see or hear it. Sometimes you do it for yourself. I also think artists realize that even if they wanted to, we could never really stop this maddening will to express ourselves. It’s annoying, it’s incredible, it’s us.
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Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.