026: Sustaining the work you love
If you value your creativity, then you need to take care of it. Ergo, you need to take care of yourself. If you want to continue to do the things that bring you joy, bring your gifts to the world and still enjoy it, you have to be part of the equation.
Episode transcript:
Good morning and a very happy Wednesday to you. We are halfway through the week, it is nearly Friday and we've very nearly made it. So I don't know about you, but as creative and multi passionate people who do our work both online and offline, it can be pretty easy to buy into the myth that you need to be some kind of creative machine. It's this idea of needing to be producing amazing work constantly, effortlessly and tirelessly. You then need to spend a good chunk of time getting that work seen and then marketing yourself to the point that sometimes it feels just gross. You feel like you can't stop because the people you look up to and compare yourself to aren't stopping. And it's the feeling of needing to create and repeat without the thought of a break, while believing that the minute you step away, people will forget about you, you'll get creatively blocked and it will be all for nothing. Well, that is just bullshit.
Breathe, my friend, because it just isn't true. The people who are touting that stuff, chances are they're also the ones that glorify burnout as a badge of honour and think that making yourself physically ill is part of the cause, which it isn't and it doesn't have to be. And those people are not our people. Our people are the ones who are value driven and all about shining brightly in the world while keeping your own light lit and putting yourself out there into the world in a way that feels good. It's about doing things differently. Because if you value your creativity, then you need to take care of it. Ergo, you need to take care of yourself. You need to give yourself space, time and energy to reinspire yourself, feed your soul and just be you.
If you want to continue to do the things that bring you joy, bring your guests to the world and still enjoy them. You have to be part of the equation. And sustainability has to be a big part of that conversation if you want to keep going. And taking a break from the work you love is how you sustain doing the work you love. Because you cannot just live from passion alone. At some point you need to take responsibility of your gifts and give them what they need to grow. Sometimes that's time and space, sometimes that's adding different flavours of creativity to your life. And sometimes that's carving out a set amount of time to feed your soul.
So maybe you don't need to be doing more or being more right now. Maybe you don't have to be planning. Maybe you actually need to give yourself permission to take a break. Taking a break is good for your soul so you can feel more you you can evaluate and reflect and work to create a life you love and so that you can be your wonderful authentic self. I know the word authentic gets chucked about a lot these days but I think it's still really important. So here's to working consciously so you don't burn out and here's to doing the work that only you can do in a way that works for you and here's to working in a sustainable way and knowing that looking after yourself isn't selfish but essential. So go look after you and if you need a sign that you need to be more gentle and compassionate with yourself right now, this is it. I am definitely going to be taking it easier this week myself and I encourage you to think about doing the same too.
So have a think and I look forward to seeing you back here bright and early tomorrow. Have a fabulous day.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
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The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own dreamshitter, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines.
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