I’m feeling a stirring of unease. Of tension. And it’s okay.
This feeling used to worry me until I realised something. My life (and probably yours, too) works in cycles… in waves. There are times when I feel energised a driven and on top of the world – when I stay up till 2am because I have an idea I just can’t say no to.
Then there are times when I feel quiet, withdrawn, and want nothing more than to read each and every day away and exist in the endless fantasy worlds that are at my fingertips.
There are stages in-between the two extremes, of course. But I cycle through these stages consistently. Sometimes I live in one stage a little too long, and that’s when I start to feel the tension.
If I’ve spent too long in the ‘up’ phase, the tension manifests as exhaustion, stress… it’s my mind and body clamouring to let me know that I need to dial back on the crazy just a little bit.
If I’ve spent too long in the ‘down’ phase, I feel another sort of tension. It’s almost like an itch – like there’s something I KNOW I should be doing that I’m not.
I call this stage the tension of untapped potential. My mind and body are ready to hit the stratosphere again, and this tension is their way of sending the ‘let’s get GOING’ vibe my way.
If I (or you) ignore this tension, it just gets worse, and worse. I get frustrated with myself and others. I feel jittery and out-of-sorts. You’ve got to let that good tension do its job, and springboard you up into ‘go’ mode!
Luckily, I’m at this point right now – ready to hit the highs again and work like a demon. I’ve got orders by the gazillion, a new Issue of *bespoke* to launch VERY soon, and planning to do for an awesome 2012.
Bring on the busiest time of the year!
Do you go through these cycles in your work and life? Where are you at right now?Â
Welcome to the life of a creative. I definitely have this, and I think it makes my husband think I’m a bit bipolar. I’m on the upswing as well, ready to produce things like mad!
Yes! Â I know exactly what you mean (and I thought it was just me). Â I’ve been on a massive downslide for way too many weeks now and feeling very frustrated & disappointed with myself but I can feel the tension bubbling at the surface just waiting to explode. Â Watch out it’s gonna get messy around hereÂ
Just wondering the last two days who I can ask about this – is it normal to feel SOOO flat after a major creative effort? Ended up answering my own question – for me it’s normal and it probably means something good if I can turn it around and consider it thus… But so nice to know others are where I’m at sometimes – thanks Jess xx
I think that is VERY normal, Steph! I think sometimes we berate ourselves if we’re not always ‘go,go,go’ and that’s a mistake.
I also think that as women, we’re already used to cycles in our life, and we need to remember to acknowledge that 🙂
Thanks, Jess for helping me realize that other people have those cycles. I’m in that down phase right now, partly due to other non-creative commitments I have to keep. I’m trying to keep the ideas and am making quick sketches and notes, but it’s not the same as letting the creativity flow. Once before the tension got so bad that I quit a non-creative job. I may be headed in that direction again so I can focus my energies. Like Michelle said “watch out it’s gonna get messy around here!”Â