So I have another part about Religion, as well as a Deep Dive I'm hoping to have ready before Halloween in terms of my upcoming newsposts. And I have several art projects running. First off, to protect my buffer for Verdant. Second off, to make my contribution for the 2nd DD Anthology. (Get to that, it's amazing. I've seen glimpses of what art there already is, and it's amazing! Everyone wants to be included in that!!) Third off, to start plotting the details I need to hash out for Without Moonlight, volume 2.
And I …I can't do any of it yet.
When I have the energy, I don't have the time. When I have the time, I just don't have the energy. Sometimes, life is very stressful, or too busy, or both. And our energy to create is (unfortunately) as finite as the hours of the day.
When that happens, I want to push myself, and that adds to the stress I already have, since I feel that I'm slacking on my art and the promises I've made. On the other hand, there's only so much I can do if I can't concentrate.
So what I do is I try for the middle way- I take a week or two of a break, to see to my stressors and alleviate them as much as possible. While I do that, I try to clear my calendar as much as possible, so I can do art in the weeks after that. This strategizing manages to lower my stress and my guilt, while allowing me to focus on the real life stuff without completely burning out. On the contrary, ideas and concepts roll around in my mind, maturing and giving me momentum, so that when I do reach that time in my calendar, I can do a burst of arting on all fronts.
I'm sharing this because right now, I'm in my second week of being completely unable to pick up a pencil to draw. But hopefully, next week will be different, if everything pans out the way I'm hoping. And I figured that others might be handling similar predicaments, and it feels good to know we all go through it, and perhaps get our mind to thinking of the good times ahead: tons of art all around. That's what helps me stay quasi-burned out, rather than actually burned out.
What are your methods if you have them? Let's share!
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Quasi-burnout
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 14, 2023
8 likes!
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memo333 at 1:08PM, Oct. 15, 2023
if you force yourself to draw, then this is NOT for you. but if u are behind a COMMISSION...thats a different story. I draw because I HAVE TO DO IT. and I dont care if people like what I do... because the world doenst ownes me nothing. im not special. ........ You’re the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We’re all part of the same compost heap
skyangel at 12:31AM, Oct. 15, 2023
I've never felt obliged to deliver anything as the rewards are too small. I do what I want to do when I feel like doing it and it's the fire that's kept me burning for over 15 years and it still keeps me going on my new stories now.
TheJagged at 8:44AM, Oct. 14, 2023
Just hanging out with people who's company you enjoy and forcing as much fun as possible into your life helps. And sports. Physical activity helps immensely to get your mind off things for a while. If your body starts to feel good, your mind & art will follow eventually.
TheJagged at 8:42AM, Oct. 14, 2023
I deal with slumps in 2 ways: Either force myself to draw, even if what turns out is no good. Or do something completely different, completely unrelated to drawing at all. Start a new hobby. Cooking, gardening, learn a new language, a new skill, etc.
Ozoneocean at 7:58AM, Oct. 14, 2023
I keep going through the idea that I can't let people down. But for stuff that doesn't depend on other's like my comics that doesn't work XD
InkyMoondrop at 7:36AM, Oct. 14, 2023
I rarely feel like that regarding creative work. But when I do, I'm like Andreas. The reason Blessed Days is so experimental or undecided in its sub-genres is that 9 times out of 10 if I'm not in the mood to work on something serious or if I'd rather write about some threatened relationship than a superpower showdown, I allow myself to and later look for a way to properly work it into the fictional world.
Andreas_Helixfinger at 7:10AM, Oct. 14, 2023
But seriously. I feel incredibly easily fatigued these days and I don't know what it is. Everything I do feels like a draining chore and I find myself constantly in need of rest before I can do anything that recquires effort:P
PaulEberhardt at 4:53AM, Oct. 14, 2023
Taking a break is an underestimated skill. You might think I'd have figured it out all too well, being as unproductive as you know I am, but I haven't at all. In recent years, I came up with the idea of forcing myself to celebrate what I call a "F U, world!" day every now and then, when I consciously do as little as possible and pretend to everyone else I didn't exist. Not that it actually works, but at least I can say I tried to do something about those undercharged batteries of mine. Ok, I'm lying. It does in fact help a bit, but it feels so wrong.
Andreas_Helixfinger at 1:41AM, Oct. 14, 2023
Well, my method used to be that I would have all these different comics to switch between every week and that would give me a boosting sense of doing something different in each post. Now that I'm trying to focus on updating just one and the same comic every week it is basically the same method for me as the one marcorossi presented.
marcorossi at 1:17AM, Oct. 14, 2023
My method is to not have a buffer and guilt trip myself into doing a page/week, and feeling very guilty when I don't. In unrelated news, I so want to scratch that cat's belly.