Curing Burnout

What do you do when you realize your creative energy is fizzling, not sizzling? Road Trip!

This was exactly not the time I wanted to be pulled away from work. When you're self-employed, you have the worst boss possible: yourself. But it turned out to be the perfect time to take a break. 

My husband snagged tickets to the Antiques Roadshow. We watch the show regularly. We missed out on the one filmed closer to home. The only solution was to take a road trip to Salt Lake City.

It turned into a whirlwind trip, with the addition of a visit to Arches National Park. The whole trip snuck up on us, as if we didn't have multiple calendars and reminders. Boom! Suddenly we were throwing clothes in suitcases and leaving town.

Before heading out, I was struggling with the start of a case of burnout. Seeing new scenery, meeting interesting people, getting into the great outdoors, and breaking routine all conspired to hit my reset button. The wiring in your brain seems to need a hard shutdown on occasion. Flip off the switches, wait a few beats, then turn on the juice again.

During the trip, a novel, or possibly series, idea that has been nagging at me for a while finally solidified. I also hit upon a short story idea. Both are in the beginning development phases.

Upon our return to town, I felt more clear about the projects that need immediate attention. 

The photo is of me and my husband, after not getting selected to appear on camera with our wonderful deer picture. We had a blast seeing behind the scenes. 

---