Creative Hangover

I'm bouncing off of the walls. I'm elated. I'm exhausted. I'm figuring out what's what. I'm having trouble focusing.

I've had an incredible week, an incredibly creative week. 

It's wonderful, beautiful things are happening. I can't tell you what they'll turn into yet...I've no idea.

I only ever feel this way, this INSANELY creative intense way, may be once or twice a year. 

It's delightful, and glorious, and wonderfully surprising, and humbling, and exciting, and blissful. It's also all encompassing, and addictive, and inconsiderate, and reckless, and completely draining. 

The past three nights I have had may be four hours sleep total. The intensity threatens to deny any and every peaceful second that may so happen to stumble unsuspecting upon my path.

So tonight I'm going to give it a limited time and tell my creativity 'once that times gone, so am I'. 

'I'm off to watch a movie and paint my nails and think on things NOT related to you, so please be good and respect my boundaries. You may continue to work on things, but please keep them to yourself until tomorrow.'

It's bizarre to me that we could ever need a self-care hiatus from something that fills us up so completely as what our creativity does. But creativity comes in many forms - sometimes it's the thing that IS the hiatus as we knit, or glue & stick, or paint away our crappy days. Other times it's the thing that pokes us awake again at 4am after it's only just let us close our eyes.

So I'm curious what other peoples replenishing self care practices are (whether to give yourself a break from creative rampages or something else). Share below if you want, a recent one of mine, believe it or not, is bird watching...those happy little chirpers going about their day relaxes me completely! Actually now I come to think of it I think that's one I've always had, but then it's only when you really need these practices you realise how useful they are (much like journaling itself).

As I don't have any goodies yet to share despite how busy I've been this week this is an old pic, but you can click on the image if you want to see the video on me painting it.

Have a great weekend

PS there's three days left to join the new Art Swap that's happening on Journal Workshops. Click the image below to get sending and receiving some fab art 

(it's free, go on get swappin')