BREAKS FROM CREATING
One day in October I was at work and I left my phone in my locker and I was so busy I forgot to check it. I forgot I even had a phone. So I drove home and I sat at my laptop and I just didn’t feel like writing. I had ideas. I didn’t have writers block I just didn’t give a fuck that night. So I put my laptop away and started doing what a real nigga do and that’s sit on youtube for 5 straight hours.
The next day I woke up went straight for my computer and again I didn’t feel like writing. I didn’t have a lazy feeling or careless feeling I just felt really indifferent so I just started doing some other shit. I made a decision to take a break. Not just from writing but social media too. Actually humans in general. I kept my human contact at a minimum. I didn’t write for the next 3 weeks after that. Longest layoff I ever had and that shit was glorious. I sat around and did NOTHING and sometimes that’s the best thing for you.
Here are some tips for taking a break for creatives.
DON’T REGRET IT
First you gotta do it. Before making that decision to take a break you may feel like you’ll get behind or people will forget about you. Nobody tripping off you. Just chill and do you. Fuck that shit. If you dope, you dope and you’ll come back like cooked crack when you return. There’s a difference between a break and procrastination. If you bout what you say you bout then this Is just a break. A cleansing of your creative spirit so you will come back refreshed with more tools.
FACIAL REGIMEN
So I’m not used to having time on my hands where I’m not working so I said fuck it I’ll just get more gorgeous than I already am. I started a skincare routine for the first time in my life and now my skin looking like Pam Grier titties in the 70’s with a full moon shining on them. Translation… Flawless. Don’t sleep on taking care of ya face.
LET SHIT HAPPEN
When you sit still and take a break you’ll be surprised at how many ideas will come to you. The insight just happens. You’ll have a new direction for that project you put on pause before taking that break. You let the creativity come to you. Just write it down in your notes and get to it when you come back from your break.
NEW OLD MUSIC
This is the perfect opportunity for you to listen to old music that maybe new to you. You can listen to your favorite music too. Music always sound better when I’m on break or vacation. I just accept it better. I was listening to Sean Price, Duran Duran, John Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, N.E.R.D, Prince. I swear I played Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin at least 100 times on my break. I recommend you find some old music you never heard. I’m telling you it’ll change your life. I was even making cool ass playlists.
NAPS
I never took naps. While I was on break I was taking one damn near everyday. Shit was better than head.
LEARN
One of the downsides of how relentless I was with my writing is that I forgot how to learn. I never had time to learn anymore. I regained that feeling while on break. Learn some new things about whatever. I learned so much and I’ve been applying it to life. It taught me to manage my work ethic better. More isn’t always better. I have to chill sometimes. My mind learned how to be still again. Such a blessing.
FAP MATERIAL
These bitches got nastier and more unforgivable since I last saw porn but I couldn’t look away my pals. I saw porn in 4K for the first time on this creative break. Breasticles in 4K????
YOUTUBE
Youtube is just Google on steroids and I’m thankful as fuck for it. I was just watching videos of different creative people all over the world then watching a bunch of pointless shit too like vloggers having drama with their baby mommas and weirdo makeup artists crying. I really found out how much youtube means to me during my break. Youtube will give so much motivation for ideas. Even the dumb shit.
TREAT YO SELF
I spent a few bankrolls on myself during my break and I don’t regret shit about it. Buy whatever the fuck you want for yourself and don’t look back. This break is all about you. Put your bank account in the negative. As long as you’re happy that’s all that matters.
WEED
I got high and watched The Land Before Time and thought “My optimism needs to be on Ducky’s level.”
EAT
I ate like shit and I never been more proud of myself. Fuck a diet. I ate more sugar than that fat kid that ate that big ass chocolate cake on that movie Matilda. My stomach was like Gucci Mane before he was cloned. You ever ate two burritos and felt like you were pregnant with twins after? The sleep that follows it is undefeated.
UNRELATED SHIT
During your break start getting into shit unrelated with what you do creatively. You don’t wanna cheat yourself and keep your brain working on your work while you’re not physically doing it. Give your mind a rest and read and watch some shit don’t has nothing to do with your creative shit.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I wasn’t on shit. I didn’t check it at all. It might be weird but it felt so good not to know what everyone else is doing. I had to be contacted by phone if you wanted to tell me something. When I came back I still didn’t check my timeline much. I just post my shit and hop off. I seriously check my timeline maybe once or twice a day and that’s the end of my social media time for the day. Sometimes I don’t even check it all. It’s crazy because social media is the news so I had no clue of what was going on in the world and it felt fucking great. Having my co-workers come up to me and ask me if I seen or heard something and simply reply “Nope” felt weird at first but also felt necessary. Because 99% of it doesn’t matter and that’s what I learned from not being on social media. Everything is bullshit. Negative bullshit. Problems with no solutions. I advise you to step away from it for real. Don’t pretend to step away from it and still check and lurk without posting anything. Like really step away from that shit and see how real life is outside of it.
Peace.
