Your Brain is a muscle too you know

Yeah Yeah, I know.  I can hear you now. 

You haven't written in days...

To be honest, I haven't written HERE in days.  And for a good reason. 

Good Reason:  I was friggen BUSY.

And in the midst of my whirlwind of chaos, I found myself having a conversation with another writer friend who was going through burnout.  She was tired.  Irritable. 

She was also beating herself up for not continuing to write, even though she has just come off a streak of finishing a couple of features.

So, this post could also be labelled as 'How to deal with burnout'.

Burnout out is inevitable.

Especially if you're creative.  Because, as a Creative, the burnout happens in the muscle that controls the way you see the world.  The muscle that determines your perspective, your moods, your overall sense of being.

That muscle is your brain.  And when it is tired from running a marathon of sorts (ie. writing a full-length feature in record time), it needs rest.

The last thing you should ever do is try to write again.  And part of being in the midst of burnout is being susceptible to thoughts from a tired brain.  Thoughts that make you anxious, or tell you that you need to write.

Thoughts that will play on your guilt like a Jewish mother yearning for grandchildren.

So, what you need to do is STOP.

Simply stop.

And rest.

Because until your brain has fully recouped from the marathon you've put it under, you won't feel like doing much of anything. 

And the last thing you want to do is circle the drain with the internal struggle of feeling that you don't want to do anything and thinking that you should.

It's counterproductive.  A time waster.  And just plain dumb.

Creative types often succumb to the anxiety of not creating.  But what they don't realize, is that their brain needs to rest too.  It needs plenty of sleep.  A hot bath or two.  Maybe a few nights out with friends.  It needs to recharge.  Reengage with the world.  It needs to be nurtured so it/you can feel happy.

I told my friend that if she were running a marathon, she wouldn't at the end, after months of training and 26 miles; legs exhausted as if they couldn't take another step -- and lungs burning for air... she wouldn't immediately fire up and start running another marathon.

That would seem ridiculous, right?

The muscles would need to take a break.  Soak in hot water.  Perhaps even do very little exercise for a few days.

And, after running that marathon, it would seem absurd to start to doubt your abilities as a runner because your legs were tired, right?

Are you following me?

I'm talking to you Mr. Creative-type who doesn't understand why he only wants to watch reruns of 'Deep Space Nine' for the next 48 hours.

Yes, you!

Your Brain is a muscle too you know.  So treat it that way.  Give it a break between assignments.  You'll find that a rest will immediately improve your mood (and your outlook) and make you less likely to cry naked in a corner reaching for an empty box of Kleenex while you watch Ghost for the 15th time.

Be nice to your brain, it needs you too.

And so, after offering this sage advice wrapped in a marathon metaphor, I chose to slow myself down just a wee bit.  Because burnout is a treacherous experience -- and if I can at all avoid it by pacing myself accordingly; then I'm already half-way through to the finish line.

OK.  Enough with the running metaphors.

Just remember -- if you're feeling down after busting out a script, or a lot of writing, chances are your brain needs a hot bath and a few beers with friends.

It really is as simple as that.

And for the record;

No.  You are not the worst writer ever born.  You are not a fake.  You are not 'never' going to make it.  You are not wasting your time.

Go call a friend.

I promise you, you'll feel better if you do.





 

How to deal with Rejection

Let's face it; Rejection is a smelly cu*t with herpes -- but if you want to be a content creator, it's something you're going to have to deal with.

That means:

• No angry retaliations with an AK-47
• No dismissal of the feedback as 'that guy's an idiot' or other similar thoughts
• No taking it personally that someone doesn't want to invest a lot of money in an idea you have
• No quitting
• No badmouthing people who don't share your creative vision

Rejection is part of the process.  And part of being a good writer is learning how to deal with it.  When I first started out I took it very personally. 

How could they not believe in me?
Know this will be the next great thing? 
Want to bang down my door to be a part of it?


I'd let it weigh me down; sometimes walking away from a project for months at a time.  But that was years ago.  This week alone I've gotten three rejection letters; and instead of crying naked in a corner I brush it off.


Here's why:


Making a television show or film requires a lot of time, energy, and PASSION.  And there is NO POINT in teaming up with people who aren't as passionate about the project as you are.  So if you're shopping something around and no one is biting; just be grateful that you don't have to work with people who aren't really crazy about it.


Seriously. 


There's nothing worse than being on a show and having to work with people who put it down, are negative, and are more or less toxic to work with.  I've had the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with that throughout my career and the last thing I want is to have someone like that on board one of my shows.


It just doesn't make any sense.


Rejection is momentary.  It's one person's opinion. 


The industry is filled with hundreds -- thousands of people who might have a different opinion.  Opinions that could be more in line with yours. 


So chin up buttercup.  It's not the end of the world.  It's just a little ripple that will eventually lead you to people who are more like minded.


One of the saddest things I see is people who have no faith in themselves and end up giving up too soon.  If you are serious about having a career, then that is a LIFETIME INVESTMENT.  It won't happen over night, but if you persevere, it will happen. 


I promise you.


I remember when I was shooting outside of Pittsburgh someone told me a story about rejection that I've always held with me. 


Here goes:


Pittsburgh and it's surrounding towns used to be the centre of the Steel industry back in the day.  Anyhow, when the Steel plants started closing; panic became widespread amongst the workers of the plant.  One plant in particular in Homestead, PA had a really tragic incident.  The day that pink slips were being handed out to the workers, the manager of the plant became despondent and hung himself outside of his office that evening after everyone had left.  Having worked in the plant his entire life, he couldn't go home to face his wife.  He couldn't imagine being unemployed.  He had no idea what he would do with the rest of his life, and so, in a moment of despair he hung himself rather than face the trials of unemployment, finding a new purpose, etc.


When they found his body the next morning, they noticed that he hadn't opened his envelope.  It was still sealed in the breast pocket of his work shirt.  When they opened the envelope, the letter inside was not a pink slip -- but rather, a notice of transfer to a different plant.  This man was not losing his job, but being rewarded for his hard work and dedication.


Sadly, he lost faith in himself and never realized this.


So -- the point is: rejection can only devastate you as much as you let it.  You don't know what opportunity/meeting/idea will spawn out of the rejection.  So DON'T let it debilitate you.  Use it to fuel you forward with more determination and purpose.


That is the key to success.


Otherwise, you're just hanging yourself too soon and for no good reason.

.

Coming Up For Air

And Breathe....

Note to self:  Do not start blog when you are swamped with other things.

Additional note to self:  Fructose is at the centre of our obesity epidemic in North America.

OK ~ I'm already digressing.

So, here's the thing:  No one can teach you to write.  It's a verified fact.  Maybe you know, your Grade 3 teacher can teach you penmanship; but that's not writing per se.

(I can hear the daggers being flung towards me as I type this)

Let me clarify:

No one can teach you to be a good writer....except for one person.  Yourself.

You can take all the courses you want, study every script ever written, make detailed outlines of every movie ever made -- but if you aren't on board to correct and improve upon yourself along the way; well, sorry to say it just won't happen.

To be a good writer you need two things: talent and tenacity.  And both require an extra-ordinary amount of work to keep them both engaged and productive.

Being a writer isn't just about being able to tell a good story.  It's so much more than that.  It's about being able to tell a good story, to market yourself, to always be willing to improve, to have an extra-ordinary level of faith and belief in yourself (and your work), and to persevere.  Always. 

Then, maybe you might have a chance.

Being a good writer is about learning from your mistakes, recognizing your true voice and being able to capitalize on it.  It's about networking, understanding trends, and above all the ability to use your words to engage others around you.

And, if I were being completely honest, it's about recognizing that you aren't meant to do anything else and that you'll pursue it until you see the results no matter how long that takes.

Actually, this little rant just made me think of a post I should write about the fallacies associated with being a writer.

I'll add that to my To Do list.

For now, just chew on what I've said -- and be prepared to work REAL hard if you want to optimize the potential within you. 

It's possible. 

You just have to want it bad enough.

And now a little ELO to motivate you....