courtesy of standford.edu

What is creative overload?

This weekend I experienced something that I never thought would happen. I had creativity overload big time.

I've heard of information overload (I deal with it as a librarian) and there's also creative blocks (like writer's block). To have an overabundance of creative ideas is normally a good thing. But for some reason, my brain just wouldn't work.

I had so many ideas going through head and I have a ton of individual projects I'm working on. And all of sudden, my brain refused to cooperate. I even had the weekend to work on things, on projects I needed to get done sooner rather than later.

What did I do?

How was I going to get over this? I needed my brain to function ASAP (nobody would work on my creative projects but me!). I spent Friday night fighting it. And then I decided to do one thing.

I listened. I tuned into what my brain was telling me and I couldn't remember the last time I took a break from doing stuff. So, I put my creative projects aside. I watched movies and read all weekend to give my tired brain a rest.

And it felt great! By listening and being mindful, I was more productive after the weekend. On Monday, I churned out 10 pages of a writing project that I had been dreading.

Be mindful 

When dealing with overload or an overabundance of anything, remember to tune in and be mindful of what your body is telling you. Do you sense any resistance? If so, then you might need a break. Take the opportunity to rest and return to your creative projects with renewed energy.

Thank you for reading! Until next time :)
Melissa

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