I think I'm burned out from writing after the Festival of the Arts
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
May 28, 2012 11:02pm CST
Maybe it's time to read a mystery. I've had two days of Art Festival activities, and Saturday's event kept me on my feet for five hours, part of it spent as a human tripod trying to record an art auction with my video camera. I heard more music, saw more children enjoying art activities, and saw more artists and artisans in one place than I've seen since last year. The Central Coast Sculpture Group seems to really appreciate the publicity I've been giving the Phantom 2 shows in my blog and on HubPages, so they issued me a special invitation to come see their booth at the festival so I could take lots of pictures.
I wrote one blog on the panel discussion involving four artists in different fields when I got home from it Friday night. Yesterday I wrote two posts on two different blogs covering mostly the children's activities, and I did a page on Wizzley today capturing most of the children's activities at the Festival for the past two years. Now all I need to cover are the overview of the festival, the auction, the plein air quick draw, something on the individual artists I found especially interesting, and a few related topics being at the festival suggested to me. I have oodles more pictures and videos to edit and post, and that takes forever. What do you do after a taxing several-day period of hard work without much of a break? Or do you have the capacity to just keep working until you get it all done? Or is a writer ever really done?
2 people like this
8 responses
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
31 May 12
Sadly when writers are " done" They never write again. The two that come to mind are Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway. Oops and Virginia Woolf. So being really done is not a good thing. But you have the best idea, take a break! That way being burned out won't turn into the B word!
My work is easier. I Can get burned out but there isn't any art to it! So I won't get blocked. Oops I said the B word!
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
1 Jun 12
Hold It! Your pieces may not be human but they are your babies! do not let anyone tell you differently! Writing is one of the hardest art forms.
Me? I am a semi retired musician. By age 3 I was singing . By age 9 I was playing the violin and by age 13 the guitar. but these days I dabble in art, modern type of art. And ...
My guy loves my love poems but they are for his eyes only!
My guy loves my love poems but they are for his eyes only!@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
31 May 12
So what is your favorite way to express yourself creatively? Or do you have a creative outlet? Or maybe it's a more private one?
I'm happiest when I have a good writing project I feel ready to write. When I finish a major one, as I did with my collage video of the art festival that I just published on HubPages, I almost feel as though I think I'd feel after giving birth. (I've never actually given birth, but the long pieces I do, especially those that require a lot of video editing, feel like my babies once I publish them.)
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
29 May 12
Strike whilst the iron is hot, as they say. Keep on writing whilst it's fresh in your mind. But if, when you're done, there is the opportunity to turn off the computer and get out into the fresh air, that's what I would so. A nice walk or a spot of gardening would be the perfect break from all that mental work.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 May 12
I did get a 20-minute video edited to use on HubPages. That took three hours, but it was a break from writing -- a change of pace. After I finished the Wizzley page this afternoon I took a break to do the dishes and work in the garden a bit. I read a couple of chapters of my book, and then started to edit the video. I don't think the human brain was designed to stay on the same sort of task for hours on end without a break to get up and move around.
@georgegijo (241)
• India
30 May 12
I think you're taking pain to cover everything happened the event. May'be it's a good idea to have priorities set while covering an event and according to priorities, create content.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 May 12
That's why I've been unable to write about the event for the past two years. I collected so much information I was overwhelmed. I think it takes a couple of years to learn one's way around while trying not to miss anything. After the first two years you've got the big picture, know what the zones are and what's likely to be in them and what you want to see. This year I had that part down and actually came home with less pictures than I actually needed, since more was on video. I had to steal a few stills from the video to get all the pictures I didn't realize I'd need until I started to write. I'm not trying to put everything in one article. So far I've written two blogs and a Wizzley article on just the children's activities. All have a different emphasis. I'm currently working on a Hub based on a video collage I made of the event Monday. So things are moving along. This year I did have my priorities.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
29 May 12
A writer is never really done, so take your break, knowing it won't all go away when you do. 
Honestly, it sounds like you've been very busy, both physically and mentally. You probably need a good break. It does no good to work until you can't work any more.
Honestly, it sounds like you've been very busy, both physically and mentally. You probably need a good break. It does no good to work until you can't work any more. 1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 May 12
Decided to edit video tonight instead of trying to write more. That way it can be uploading while I sleep, since this video will take all night to upload. Editing video takes a different kind of energy than writing, so it is a bit of a break. I also went out to water the garden and photograph the visiting birds.
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
4 Jun 12
It not only sounded busy but it sounds like you also had a great time. I would probably get in the shut down mode after a weekend like that, I would need to refuel and then I would be good to go again. I know me, if I were to come hime from something like that I would want to write or blog about it, but the body will not be willing. So taking a small break, some sleep, some down time. Then it will all be fine.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
4 Jun 12
My body is also unwilling to write all that's in my head when I come home. On top of that it takes time to unload the camera and get the pictures and video edited for publication. I often have to let the video upload overnight to the site it has to go to. I have about five videos already on HubPages waiting for me to have time to use them. I do write down some thoughts immediately and pictures remind me of others.
I had two more art receptions this Saturday night and I did get the write blog and video done. I posted the video to the hub I did on the opening reception, since the People's Choice awards were made at the closing reception and I needed to add them to the hub. Then in the blog I posted the winners and the winning pieces and linked to the Hub on the whole event. Today I hope to take a break from art writing and enter a recipe in the new HubPages contest. It won't win, but there's always that random daily drawing one might have a chance at.
@Rick1950 (1573)
• Lima, Peru
30 May 12
Well, I think you're doing a fantastic and great job, writing articles and putting your photos in your blog. The most important thing is that you enjoy doing it. But it is a job that require an effort. Thus, I'd take some break during the process. And at the end, when you have finished, I'd take a rest and enjoy the time.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 May 12
LOL, I did take a break yesterday when I should have been doing housework. I read an entire mystery. Now I'm ready to go back to work -- both the writing and some housework. I expect to finish the hub,which I was going to do last night, today.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
29 May 12
Reading a mystery sounds like a good idea, but of course the oodles of things you don't edit right away tend to be pushed aside and maybe never edited. But maybe that is OK. No, a writer is never done, but everyone gets burned out once in a while. Just keep drinking that water!
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 May 12
How did you know I was drinking a lot of water? I've been really thirsty today. I have been editing for about three hours now just to almost finish one 20-minute video to give an overview of my eight hours of art festival. It's so hard to know what to put in and what to leave out.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
29 May 12
Wow..sounds like you had a ton of fun and inspiration. I don't think a writer is ever really done. They can find something to write about. It's nice to have a place as an outlet for your stuff. I think the world has really opened up to writers.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 May 12
Jen, I think you are right about that. I never would have written a book to submit to a publisher because I never felt I had a book's worth to say on any one subject. But the writing communities and access to blogging sites offer a way to get read by people you'd never engage in any other way. I'm very thankful for place like HubPages, Squidoo, Wizzley, Zujava and the blogging sites.
