My b.f. at the airportIn the previous post I discussed the pros of taking a break. Now for the other side.
One con of going on vacation should be obvious from the photo. Vacations can be fun but exhausting. Travel often requires a lot of attention and energy. It is sometimes hard on the body. So there can be a "recovery period" from rejuvenating! Odd but true.
The major con of vacationing: taking a break can remove you from the "creative space" you were in while working on your current project. It's more than a distraction sometimes, it can be a destruction of your focus. Sometimes it takes a while to "get back into" the work. To return to the creative state. Time and effort lost.
Worst effect of a vacation: Loss of the passion. If you return and then set aside the w.i.p. for no other reason than you've lost the energy to re-focus...ugh.
Have you had any of this happen to you after a break or vacation? If so, what did you do/not do to solve the problems?
11 comments:
The biggest con I find is the catching up (on chores etc) that you have to do when you return. No (less) time to do the creative stuff!
Ain't it the truth, Dave! I also find that I have to do tons of catching up work before I even leave? What's up with that?
I love the picture!
I don't tend to travel far these days when we're on holiday, we like to visit more local areas so we feel more refreshed when we go back to work. That said, it's still difficult to get back to the work/creativity mindset. Solutions...I write down a list of things I would like to do, starting with the easier things first to bring myself back into the right mood.
Write and write some more! Eventually you get right back into the "write" frame of mind.
I think the theory applies to just about anything. It's so easy to get off when you take a break. Once you get doing whatever it was again, you can regain that focus.
Have a good one!
Rebecca, good point and I like your suggestion about writing it down. I often edit my words to get back into the mood.
I, too, am fortunate in that I live somewhere where it is easy to get away a short distance to a wonderful place. Although very different from the Cornish coast!
Muse--too true! And isn't write and write some more also the answer to being a better writer?!
Conda:
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. A vacation can be great but it can definitely destroy your focus.
Another thing that destroys my creative juices is stress. Recently, I've been in a battle with the IRS over something I didn't do. But the problem is that the IRS takes the position of guilty until you prove your own innocence. Proving your innocence is not as easy as it sounds. And, in the mean time, not a single story idea has come into my mind.
Have a nice day.
Swu--my sympathies! Yikes! And a cogent point about stress. It's not possible to focus under too much stress.
I think us creative types need to recognize that and not beat ourselves up for not being productive when we're stressed out.
Hope it goes okay!
And Rebecca, thanks so much for the compliment on the picture! Amazing what you can do with a cell phone, eh?
Like Dave and others mentioned, I find that I'm a tad overwhelmed by all the chores that awaited me while on vacation. Urk.
How is it that some people can write every single day, even on holiday?
Kathy--I suspect writing every day may be a mild form of o.c.d., one which I sometimes wished I suffered from!
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