And so the question looms large: now that I'm aware of overworking myself, how do I avoid a cronic cycle of burn-out such that I eventually end up hating the thing I was once so passionate about? As the holidays rapidly approach, and the deadlines mount, I'm not entirely sure how to avoid working myself cross-eyed. I do think it's important to acknowledge the regular cycles and rhythms of the retail world - this time of year is typically mayhem for anyone selling ANYTHING. And after my extended time away, I'm refreshed, recharged and ready to have at that pile of fresh clay in my studio. But I don't want to wake up next spring exhausted, drained and creatively sapped. So, I'll put the question to the few of you who still have me in your blog feeds: How do you manage your time (especially around this time of year)? What do you do to avoid burn out? When you ARE burned out, how do you recover?
As I type, my first load of work is cooling back at the studio. And while I'm not overly giddy with anticipation of cracking the door tomorrow afternoon, there IS a flutter of excitement. It's there, I can feel it. It's good to be back.
 |
| Tractor cup patiently waiting for corn sgraffito... |
2 comments:
Good to see you are back at work and looking forward to seeing some new pieces.
I can't really say much about avoiding burn out. I have a wife and kid that distract me from the studio enough to avoid that. Sometimes I wish I could spend enough time in the studio to get burned out.
Hey Kip, nice to have you back. I think the biggest thing I do is to take it slow and easy and realize that I can only do so much and what I get done is enough. It's easy for me to say, 'I need more of those cups, or I have to have the very best and brand new work for this show.' Really, I just have to do what I can, take care of myself and know that it is enough. Good luck. Look forward to seeing what you'll be making.
Post a Comment