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When was the last time you took a vacation? Staycation? A whole weekend to yourself? Bonus points if you weren’t glued to your devices or to-do list! How about a whole week where you consistently got 8-9 hours of sleep?!
The questions go on and on, but I think you get the point….
Rest is hard to come by as a creative person. Experts will often tell you to embrace “just being,” but personally, when I try that, a little voice tends to pipe in my head and let me know that I’m falling behind, not doing enough, and then I end up retroactively putting together an in-depth game plan to tackle for when I’m done pretending to “just be.”
As many people like to remind us, we live and work in a tough business that requires us to always be locked in. Outside of a regular 9-5 for most folks, all hours after 5 are a free-for-all. Most of the time, when non-industry people clock out, that’s exactly what they do. I’m always in awe when I hear how many books, movies, shows, or games a friend has finished in a month, or how many new restaurants/activities they’ve tried, still getting into bed before 11pm every night.
The worst feeling is when you’re consistently locking in but start to feel the frayed edges of your mind lose the joy and fervor of focusing on creative endeavors that usually bring you joy. You might feel a sense of panic set in as you try to keep your head afloat amidst all these shiny opportunities ahead of you. On the flip side, you might be feeling burnt out from a consistent push and seeing NO foreseeable opportunities on the horizon after all your efforts.
So, how can we start to course-correct? For me, it starts with locking the mental doors and windows so those conniving little voices can’t sneak in. Sometimes that literally means turning my phone off.
Second, rest.
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I am no master of this. I only recently had 4 nights of 9 hours of sleep IN A ROW for the first time in…I think since my last summer vacation of college??
For the sake of sharing the love, here are some strategies I’ve found that work on a budget when you can’t necessarily take a week off!
I adore a massage. I also adore stretching and exercising, and I eagerly await the day I prioritize moving every day.
You’d be amazed how much surrounding yourself with the ‘ilk of the slow’ really puts things into perspective. Even searching up spa/meditation music on YouTube and playing it while you go about your daily tasks can help your shoulders drop, jaw unclench, and release that pesky breath you’ve been holding.
As actors, it’s imperative to get to know our bodies: where they tend to tense up when we’re stressed, what helps us loosen up, the types of foods/drinks that nourish us, etc., because that will, in turn, affect how our voices come out for our auditions and sessions! Creative rest can and should involve reconnecting with the instrument you use to create. If you do PCAP as well, it’ll help inform how you can utilize different parts of your bodies for character work!
I’m not saying to pay for a full gym membership or immediately book a luxury massage. Merely investigate activities you can complete in an hour or less, like sound baths, massages, acupuncture, or stretches (especially if you’re in LA: land of the wuwu). There are a lot of free resources on YouTube or social media as well!!
More times than not, physicalizing our stress helps us boot it out of our psyche faster than thinking it through. You might even find you love one of these activities and build a semi-consistent routine around your craft!
I know I’m off to the races when I get what I call “Creative Aggression.” Yes, the artist equivalent of ‘cute aggression.’ I often miss the days when I would just spend my time immersing myself in new worlds and music. Luckily, as adults, we can schedule time to go completely off-grid and select a creative medium to observe as an eager audience member. I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is rediscover that love for the arts whenever we can. For example, last weekend I went to see my favorite musical, The Phantom of the Opera. After I left, I was so excited about the experience that afterwards, I drove just a little longer than my GPS would’ve routed me home because I wanted to belt out songs of all sorts in my car. It was like being in my childhood room with a hairbrush!
And hey, you might even learn something new, too!
I’m such a Strega Nona stan. For those who don’t know who this legend is, Strega Nona is a children’s book about an Italian “Grandma Witch” that cares for her fellow villagers by making the townsfolk homemade remedies & foods, particularly magic pasta.
Y’know what? Almost every time I cook for myself, I feel like I’m embracing my inner Strega Nona. In the rare times I’m not in a rush to get from place to place and make a quick girl dinner, I try to make my environment around cooking as calming and comfortable as possible. I’ll queue up calming ambience videos, a movie I’ve seen 60 times, a podcast, or even wear a soothing eye/face mask!
I truly felt like our dear Strega Nona when I was making a homemade Greek family recipe, while playing Studio Ghibli movies in the background. Now, this recipe in particular takes hours to make, hence why I was parked in my seat for a while, but the point is…I had no pocket screens in sight; I could only focus on the task at hand, and I was working with something tactile that also came with some nostalgic aromatherapy.
I remember that after I finished making the full spread, I stumbled right into bed and slept like a baby. This was over a year ago, but I remember it so fondly because I really appreciate how that forced me to slow down and momentarily take away the onslaught of thoughts as to how I’m not running my self-imposed career marathon fast enough. Just some FOOD FOR THOUGHT, heh.
Take some time to jot down your favorite recipes, or make a list of some dishes you’d like to save for a rainy day!
I assume you’ve all met an Angeleno already who’s spoken at length about how important it is to go into nature, so I’ll keep this one short! You don’t have to be a hiking aficionado or buy a bunch of gear to do this either.
Think of all the types of terrain in your surrounding area. Could be the beach, a canyon trail, a snowy mountain, even your immediate neighborhood or a neighborhood that you love but don’t live in, etc.
My method is one of immersion; of turning rest into playful observation. Think of your favorite adventure story (could be from a game, film, book, etc). Now think of the types of terrain those characters traverse. It’d be pretty cool if we could just jump into those worlds, right? Well, what if we could??
A way I’ve made getting outside optimally engaging, is by creating a playlist curated around the vibe of the story I’m currently engaged with. I choose a terrain that aligns with that and gets me in touch with my creative wanderlust. Then, once I’m out in the field, I let my mind wander as if I’m exploring the universe of the piece in real time! I’ve found that it’s done wonders for getting some multitasking character work in my body!
If that sounds like too much work alone, don’t worry about it! Just try choosing the terrain that sounds the least stressful and simply explore! Bring some water, and you can simply focus on the act of being present. Even if your thoughts drift or your body starts to tense up, it’s fine! The art of noticing and adjustment is still key!
Of course, simply talking things through with others can be the best medicine for creatives. We can do it in therapy, alone in our cars, or with family and friends who are willing to provide a listening ear. It’s important that we take stock of what we need. Do we want potential solutions? Or a space to vent? Knowing that will help us know which member of our community we would like to engage with, depending on the matter!
At THN, we’ll always recommend leaning on your community! We require it as human beings and as functioning members of society!
With that, please try to remember (even though I myself tend to forget) that rest isn’t something you have to earn after you’ve accomplished enough. It’s part of maintaining the creator. Despite what society tells us, maybe the goal isn’t to run our self-imposed career marathon as fast as possible. Maybe, JUST MAYBE! It’s to learn when to slow down, look around, and remember why we wanted to run in the first place.
Despite how hard it is for me to remember, please know that rest isn’t something you have to earn after you’ve accomplished enough. It comes first so you can accomplish even MORE. Now go treat yourself to a dish Strega Nona would approve of!
09 07 26...networking isn't just about meeting people. It’s about building genuine professional relationships. The challenge is that authenticity has its own etiquette. Industry professionals can usually tell the difference between curiosity and strategy, and the strongest networking happens when the two naturally overlap.
11 04 26I’m curious, if you’re an actor, singer, engineer, composer, dancer, animator — or like, pursue anything in the arts, can you recall a note you’ve received in the past, or a special nugget of wisdom from a mentor that you can say has genuinely helped shape your craft for the better? A note that’s inspired you to strive to be the best artist you can be? On the flip side…have you received a note that felt like a personal attack or perhaps has made you question your worth as an artist?
10 03 26I’m sick of news headlines…I feel like our collective day to day we’ve experienced so far this decade has been mainline quest after mainline quest after ...phew, that was a close one, let’s refuel and stock up on new gear—wait why are all the prices so high?!— oh hey look, a new mainline quest…! It’s beyond easy to feel hypervigilant about everything going on in games & entertainment…with rapidly advancing tech, layoffs, the constant analysis of what content gets made and why, the economy, how audiences consume media—you name it. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone! I also often find myself lost in the sauce! (If this doesn’t sound like you, don’t be shy, what is your secret??)