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I was thinking about burnout--specifically how it pertains to art--and I was thinking about the times that I have been burnt out and wondering what was at the core of that. And the conclusion I came to was that I end up burnt out in art when I have spent a lot of time working towards things that don't align with my values. I've used up all of my motivation and effort and energy that I can put into something that doesn't align with what I think is true or what I think is important. And I haven't put any energy into self-care, my mental health, things that I need to replenish that. So I no longer have any energy to do anything.

And I looked at the ways in which I got out of burnout during those situations-- the ways in which I got back into art because art is important to me--and it was always realigning with why I started art in the first place. Why do I like to make things? how did I make things when I was a child? What do I feel like making? Giving myself the periods of time where I'm not working on commissions or on artwork to make other people happy on social media or elsewhere.

And really giving some thought to the type of art that I want to make the type of things that I want to say abd the concepts that I want to explore. And I kind of re-center myself there. And every time that has happened and I've realigned myself burnout has happened less and less. Or the stretches between burnout have gotten longer and longer because I've learned to pay attention better to when I start drifting, when I start making a lot of art that's not for me, or not taking care of myself and pursuing my mental health. So consider what you value. And consider if what you're doing aligns with those values. And if it doesn't, then I guess you have a decision to make.

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