Burned Out And Crispy
Creative Sparks: #18
I pushed myself over the brink this week.
Unbridled stress at work from an upcoming event. Everything from the planning, logistics, marketing, correspondence with partners and venues fell on my shoulders.
It has been a crazy few weeks.
I’ve realised the body NEEDS rest. Its call for rest is a still, quiet voice at first. Ignore that voice and it’s call becomes louder and louder…
I learned that lesson the hard way. But ironically, this gave me the opportunity to sit in silence and reflect. Listen to the sounds around me and really observe the environment.
Not in an “I-must-get-this-done-and-move-on-to-the-next-thing” kind of way, but a quiet, calming observation of the world around me.
Ironically, falling sick has opened up time for me to reflect and slow down. Hence, this week’s articles are (mostly) about the influence of sound, environment and technology on our well-being. I also learned a thing or two about books this week.
1. Discovered a new artist on Instagram & Facebook illustrating life through … birds.
This post on Facebook really spoke to me in my burned-out state.
“This step is the very most important. Forgive yourself for not doing everything. Forgive yourself for not finishing your novel, for not steamcleaning the carpet, for eating peanut butter toast for dinner, for not saving the world.
Take your damn nap.”
2. Noise Pollution Is a Thing, and It’s Making You Sick by Markham Heid
Like the article on music I shared last week, this article made me think about the auditory aspects of our everyday environments. Often, we don’t see their influence. But, excessive noise can lead to poorer physical and mental health.
“But regardless of its decibel level, any noise that disrupts your concentration or annoys you — whether it’s your co-worker’s laugh, a neighbor’s barking dog, or your kids’ shouting — is enough to activate your nervous system and contribute to negative effects, including raising your risk for mental illness.”
3. How to Create Quiet Spaces in Your Home by Erin Vaughan, Quiet Revolution
Can the design of your home influence your mental wellbeing? Yes, indeed it can.
“Turn off your TV, your music, and your phone, and listen. Hear that humming from your refrigerator? The whoosh of the air conditioning running? The ticking of the clock? A lot of appliances and devices let off excess noise we don’t notice during our day-to-day routines”
4. How Two Years Of Instagram Stories Has Altered The Way We Love, Act and Play, Esquire
It’s so hard to believe that Instagram’s now ubiquitous Stories is a measly 2 years old.
Stories were meant to provide a unfiltered, spontaneous contrast to the carefully curated photo experience that Instagram solely provided. But is what you see on Stories genuine and real, or are we just putting on a show ‘for the gram?’
A great, thoughtful piece on the influence of social media and made me think about my own usage and consumption of social media.
5. Is Boredom Such A Problem? by Tom Stevenson
Is it a crime to be bored, given the many source of stimulation and entertainment at our fingertips?
I can think of countless occasions I have pulled out my phone to read a book, watch a YouTube video or scroll through social media the minute a blank space in my schedule opens up.
“Boredom has inspired the human race to push out beyond boundaries which used to consign us. If our ancestors were not bored, would they have discovered new lands, tried new foods, or developed language and the early beginnings of culture?”
This article made me think about how I handle boredom. Perhaps its time to put down the phone, stare vacantly into space. Maybe daydream for a few minutes or two.
6. The Cost of Books by Anne Trubek
A newsletter I discovered recently through one of my favourite newsletters; Austin Kleon.
Book lovers take note: this article illuminates the behind-the-scenes of how our favourite paperbacks and hardbacks are published and put forth into the market. I didn’t know about the intense calculations behind the publishing of some of the beloved books I’ve called home.
“Readers make their own calculus: is $16.95 a fair price for this paperback I think I might enjoy? Is it a good use of $16.95 of my disposable income? Publishers have their own calculus: will this idea for a book potentially, in 2–3 years, sell enough copies to earn back the thousands we will need to put into it? Each book is its own mini start-up: we have an idea, we find the money to realize it, and we hope our gamble pays off.
As each book is a new business, and a risky one, it is like most start-ups: the vast majority of books ‘fail,’ in that they do not break even financially.
7. Everything I Knew About Reading Was Wrong by Johnny
Reading this article was one of those ‘holy shit’ moments for me.
So many nuggets about reading and examining our relationship with non-fiction books in this article:
“It’s okay to quit reading a book halfway”.
“It’s okay to read multiple books at the same time.
“On different days you’ll be interested in different ideas. Even on the same day, your energy fluctuates. Don’t fight it, embrace it.”
“Every day that you spend being stuck or reluctantly reading a mediocre book, is a day you could have spent engaged with fascinating and impactful works.”
“The right book for the right person is not enough. It needs to be the right book, for the right person at the right time. Sometimes you need to go on a little detour before you’re ready for what the book has to give you. The nice thing about books — they always wait where you leave them.
This is one of those articles I’m bookmarking and referring to as I read my (ever-growing) pile of books.
Each week, I share 7 articles, videos or books I’m reading and write out my thoughts on them. Want to get them as they’re released? Follow the publication!
