Summary: <p>Rebecca and Ross talk about how to pace yourself to be efficient and avoid burnout... skills that they haven't actually mastered themselves.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rebeccacrowell.com" rel="nofollow">www.rebeccacrowell.com</a><br> <a href="http://www.squeegeepress.com" rel="nofollow">www.squeegeepress.com</a><br> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast" rel="nofollow">www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast</a></p> <p>PODCAST—Pacing yourself</p> <p>In the big picture and more specifically…<br> Managing your art life can be overwhelming.<br> How to avoid burnout?</p> <p>Burnout=losing motivation, feeling discouraged, exhausted, trapped by demands,<br> negativity</p> <p>PACING In the big picture—the need to maintain creative energy—what do you<br> need to nurture that?</p> <p>Many of us work constantly—the pitfall of self-employment.<br> Some of it is what we love ….but a lot of it is tedious stuff.</p> <p>So many things we have to do and be good at when we are both creating and<br> marketing our work---a huge job</p> <p>The issue of cutting back—when does that time come? How does it impact you or<br> what do you fear about it? Pros and cons ==</p> <p>Pros: ease of stress and pushing yourself<br> Possible health benefits as a result<br> Focus/concentration not as dispersed</p> <p>Cons/fears: Financial strain<br> Loss of momentum<br> Isolation from other artists<br> “Not doing enough”—work ethic</p> <p>My mom used to say accusingly, you do SO MUCH<br> Like it was a bad thing—is it? Or is it what brings satisfaction? We have to ask<br> ourselves what we really feel about the big picture.</p> <p>Aspects of being creative people that encourage us to always do more:<br> take on challenges, push our limits, say yes to opportunities,<br> want to communicate, get our ideas out there, teach, write, mentor.<br> Outside validation/success</p> <p>How can you pace overall?</p> <p>Set boundaries: answer emails for a set amount of time; schedule studio<br> hours, take a day off a week from business. Not easy!!<br> Julia Cameron’s artist dates? Once a week something fun to replenish what<br> she calls your inner well--play</p> <p>Exercise—esp. Anything that takes you outside in nature<br> Maybe taking an extended breaks–a true vacation<br> Being aware of your own burned out feelings—this can be tricky—they can<br> be camouflaged as depression, even feeling sick (stress can do this to you)</p> <p>Recognizing perfectionism, pushing yourself when it isn’t really<br> necessary…can someone wait for that email, is what they are asking you to do<br> actually unreasonable?</p> <p>Adopt the attitude of “I get to…” rather than “I have to…”</p> <p>Recognize your own role in whatever overload you find yourself in, lern<br> from it, be grateful for an abundance of opportunity—</p> <p>Can you schedule things better?<br> hard to match a calendar with what it actually represents—scheduling things too<br> close together. Looks doable on the calendar, but how does it actually feel in<br> reality, never hurts to add an extra day</p> <p>PACING for specific projects, deadlines etc./dealing with overload anxiety<br> Use lists, calendars, gather appropriate information so things don’t<br> blindside you</p> <p>Evaluate where you’re at day to day—are there days you can take a break?<br> Do it!</p> <p>Give yourself time to take a walk, read, watch a movie, see friends, do<br> something for yourself every day</p> <p>Prioritize, break things down, try to see your progress every day</p> <p>Delegate, get help</p> <p>Ask for more time only if you really need it</p> <p>To stay emotionally strong during times of overload:<br> Look at your own history—don’t you always come through in the end?<br> Then stop worrying that this is the time you will fail to get everything done</p> <p>Recognize that you can have extra stamina when needed and it won’t kill<br> you</p> <p>Remember your end goals</p>
