oh my god jodi we are sharing a brain; I am literally working on a newsletter about how I burnt out after my debut because I realized my only hobby had become my job and I was utterly miserable for it, haha. I feel like authors are always trying to warn aspiring writers / pre-pub debuts about this, and I remember being like, ugh, I am the exception! (I was not.)
Debuts *always* think they are the exception. I was, uh, no exception to that. But I was fortunate in that I already had the yarn situation well established.
Excited to read your newsletter when it comes out!
I think it must be a rite of passage for debuts to roll their eyes and think they'll be the exception, and then get their asses kicked and realized the authors ahead of them were just trying to warn them and save them some heartache all along, ha. Wish I'd been able to read this a year ago! :')
For sure. But a lot of these things are just situations you have to experience before you can really understand them, which is rough, but...
I remember ages ago (late 2011), my 2012 debut group had a chat with the 2011 debut group. We were all PUMPED because our year was coming up. Our books were about to come out. And when we chatted with the 2011 group at the end of their year, they just sounded so...exhausted. Disillusioned. We all thought they were such downers -- until it was our turn to experience it. They did try to warn us, though!
This challenge is one all creative people encounter: a first solo exhibit in a commercial art gallery is an experience akin to a first novel published. Us older artists tell the newbies "establish an art making habit based on your own curiosities, loves and thoughts - get that *very* firmly established- before going public with it because your wildest dreams may come true." How to make creativity sustainable, how to maintain one's mental health throughout the process of going public or being a public artist is a serious consideration that I wish more creative people thought about - afterall your brain *is* your most precious tool. Having non-monetized hobbies, reading widely, traveling and having non-artist friends is definitely part of self-care as a creative person.
oh my god jodi we are sharing a brain; I am literally working on a newsletter about how I burnt out after my debut because I realized my only hobby had become my job and I was utterly miserable for it, haha. I feel like authors are always trying to warn aspiring writers / pre-pub debuts about this, and I remember being like, ugh, I am the exception! (I was not.)
Thank you for this!
Debuts *always* think they are the exception. I was, uh, no exception to that. But I was fortunate in that I already had the yarn situation well established.
Excited to read your newsletter when it comes out!
I think it must be a rite of passage for debuts to roll their eyes and think they'll be the exception, and then get their asses kicked and realized the authors ahead of them were just trying to warn them and save them some heartache all along, ha. Wish I'd been able to read this a year ago! :')
For sure. But a lot of these things are just situations you have to experience before you can really understand them, which is rough, but...
I remember ages ago (late 2011), my 2012 debut group had a chat with the 2011 debut group. We were all PUMPED because our year was coming up. Our books were about to come out. And when we chatted with the 2011 group at the end of their year, they just sounded so...exhausted. Disillusioned. We all thought they were such downers -- until it was our turn to experience it. They did try to warn us, though!
This challenge is one all creative people encounter: a first solo exhibit in a commercial art gallery is an experience akin to a first novel published. Us older artists tell the newbies "establish an art making habit based on your own curiosities, loves and thoughts - get that *very* firmly established- before going public with it because your wildest dreams may come true." How to make creativity sustainable, how to maintain one's mental health throughout the process of going public or being a public artist is a serious consideration that I wish more creative people thought about - afterall your brain *is* your most precious tool. Having non-monetized hobbies, reading widely, traveling and having non-artist friends is definitely part of self-care as a creative person.