Embracing Creative Rest
Also Happy 2 Years to Silly Things!
This newsletter was due out on December 21st, but that’s my birthday and I was on a cruise. Since getting off the boat I haven’t really been on social media, and it’s been kind of nice. I know I’ll need to return after the new year because it’s a primary method of contact for some of my connections and projects.
However, I’m still healing from burnout and I’ve been enjoying being away from the doom scroll.
The last few months I’ve been telling people I’ve been having the weirdest year of my life, and it’s also perhaps been one of the hardest. “Weirdest” just makes the conversation feel less awkward for other people. And the truth is there have been high-highs and low-lows this year, so it’s not all been bad.
However, as my therapist likes to remind me, good change is still change, and change is often hard and always comes with some amount of grief.
Reflecting on This Year
This year I changed jobs, I got an agent, my mom survived a cancer diagnosis and treatment, I moved in with my partner, I performed in more comedy shows, I went on tour, I made progress, I stalled out, I won Best Poet in the Pitch, I missed many self-imposed deadlines, I went to therapy. This incomplete list is in no particular order.
At the beginning of this year, I felt trapped and tired all the time, some days I still do. Capitalism will do that to you. Even still, in the last couple weeks I feel a little bit of hope beginning to bloom in the darkness. Though, the state of America makes me hesitant to admit that.
Embracing Rest
One of my favorite podcasts is The Creative Pep Talk, and Andy J. Pizza (the host) was also publicly healing from burnout this year and the first series he did this year was an invitation to pause, reflect, and dream rather than pursue the continuous grind.
Normally, I struggle through the winter months trying to achieve the same level of productivity I do the rest of the year. This year I promised myself I wouldn’t do that again, I would allow myself the space and time to reconnect to myself and my creativity outside of career goals. I’ve found a little excitement again.
So that’s what I’ve been doing: letting myself slow down, trusting the process, listening to my body, all of that kind of jazz that will help me win at therapy.
I hope that you have the opportunity to do the same as we prepare for the new year and whatever it will bring.
Some tools I’ve been turning to fuel my creativity:
(This might be helpful for you, it might not. It’s a tarot guidebook that works with any deck, so if you like tarot you might enjoy this.)
(I only just started this book, so this is not an official recommendation from me but it was intriguing enough to get me to buy the e-book.)
(As always, I highly recommend this podcast.)
(I’d give this book like a 6/10, but I’m not mad I read it.)
I’ve also been reading a myriad of other books related to projects I’m working on but without the expectation of production right now. I’ll probably share more on those in a future post!
Happy 2 Years to Silly Things!
This post is not a very silly way to celebrate, but this newsletter means I’ve been on this little Substack journey for 2 whole years!
We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming in the new year.
Until then, thanks for reading! And if you feel so inclined, share my work with someone who might enjoy coming along for the ride.