02/22/2024
Design Journal 02/22/24
One of the struggles of putting yourself deep into creative work, which I am sure could be likewise for other careers, is the mental changes that take place. There is probably a certain point when going too far is a thing. An example of this is when going to bed. I put on the TV with a timer, playing a show I have seen a billion times, to resist the need to watch. This helps quiet the brain. During the day, while working or at any point of the day, it is constantly doing mental gymnastics with creative thoughts. And, wearing so many hats at once does not help, jumping between writing, editing, layout, and creating art.
Another fun effect of working nearly every day, if not nearly every hour in the day, is the sense of what day it is in the week. Don’t get me wrong, I do know what day it is as they pass. I guess you could call it ‘All Fridays.’ To me, every day is a Friday. I am excited to work and have plenty to do. I know that if I want, tomorrow could be a rest day if I want. But that day of rest never really comes or is quite infrequent. So, I have a proverbial carrot pulling me along.
When you combine the two, it is imperative for me to be sure to get some good sleep. I exercise enough so that when I climb into bed, I am good there those evenings. If I pull a long day, which is nearly every day, no problem there, either. When I wake the next day, I get up with a kick and jump right back into the fray. So, I do the things I must, because those mental yapping imps in my head still need to be quieted… until I am ready to let them loose again.
- James S. Austin
