This week, as I near the end of inking my 240-page graphic novel, I started to feel burnout. When I notice this feeling, I treat it seriously because I know if I don’t, it will only grow and take a long time to recover from it.
Overview of my 3 top tips:
TAKE MORE BREAKS and be intentional about how those breaks rejuvenate you. For me, that means time in nature, hot baths in the evening, and more time where I put my phone on airplane mode.
BE PRESENT with the work at hand. I find that when I focus so much on external goals like a page count or getting the book done, my burnout feelings increase. It’s a tricky balance since I really do need to get pages done. But when I switch my focus away from the end goal, it does make a big difference in my enjoyment of the process.
GRATITUDE: When I’m experiencing burnout, I tend to be in a pretty negative headspace. But I find thinking about what a younger version of myself would say about the work I’m doing is a helpful reframe. Young Katharine would be so excited that I get to draw all day!
I leaned into these three preventative methods this week and I no longer have the feelings of burnout, although I can sense that if I’m not careful I could easily slide back into that feeling again.
I leaned into these three preventative methods this week and I no longer have the feelings of burnout, although I can sense that if I’m not careful I could easily slide back into that feeling again.
Diary Comic: Reccuring nightmares
Although I’m no longer a competitive rower as I was in high school and college, for the last 15 years I’ve had the nightmare where I’m late to crew practice. But now my subconscious has finally figured out that I’m a cartoonist and shifted that dream. I’m not sure I like the shift though.
Leif love
With a HIGH of -1º F today in Minneapolis, our short-haired vizsla dog, Leif, is enjoying his cocoon bed where he can snuggle up and stay warm. I hope you’re comfortable wherever in the world you may be!