Back In The Saddle
For some odd, workaholic-like reason, I told myself that I wouldn’t take any breaks this year. After spending 2006 recording an album, getting married, and moving to a new city, then spending 2007 buying and renovating a house, I figured 2008 should be my year to buckle down, and see how much work I could actually do.
I’ve taken in a ton of work this year, and couldn’t be happier about it. It’s interesting to analyze what has happened to my brain throughout it all. On average, I would say that I do work for 1.5 bands a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but I would imagine the average would be about 1.5 a day. While this has been fantastic, it has disintegrated my brain into mush a time or two. I can usually stay strong, creative, and fluid for about 4-5 weeks, but then something happens, and my brain melts. I stare blankly at my thumbnail sheets, with zero ideas, and zero motivation.
My only remedy is to take a break. Maybe a day-off, or a morning outside — either riding my bike or working on my house. It’s like I’m letting my brain refill and recharge itself. The problem with this, is that I cannot help but feel guilty for not getting the jobs done that are sitting in front of me. Of course, my imagination is shot, the imagination that would fuel the completion of the jobs. But that doesn’t take the guilt away.
But, that’s the thinking that creates workaholics. I vow to never become a workaholic.
I love what I do. I truly believe I have the best job in the world - for a number of reasons. (I could create a post about why, but that would come off as arrogant, and I don’t want to do that.) I still feel odd calling it work, because it’s still the thing that I love to do more than anything else. But, I’m realizing that it’s not good for a brain to stay in one place all of the time. So, it’s not that I have to ‘take a break’ from work, it’s more like “I need to give my brain some other stuff to do.”
So, two weeks ago, I took a break. My wife and I went down to Nashville to visit our very good friends, and then to a Lake House near Rockwood, TN. My friend knew a family from his church that allowed us to stay in their house. Hopefully Jet Skis, Kneeboarding, and my first encounter with Guitar Hero was what my brain needed to refuel.
This past week was a process of easing back into work. Today, I have a few production schedule, and I’m ready to get on with the second half of 2008. Maybe for the rest of this year, however, I’ll make sure my brain gets a little more variety.
