Nashville - Stevie Jewel

01.12.18

Burnout: 5 Strategies for Overcoming

I usually keep my blog posts to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but last night I had something on my mind and felt like I had to share it with you.

Burnout. It’s the scary part of doing anything you love as a career. It doesn’t have to happen when you’re the busiest, it can creep up on you until suddenly. Then you just can’t seem to find the motivation to do what it is you love. It can come from too much work, not enough sleep, feeling torn about directions, really anything. I’m sharing this not to make you fear burnout, but to help you see that it’s really just a part of the creative process that can be worked through.

Tips for overcoming the feeling of burnout:

1. Take the pressure off.

Why did you start doing this again? Because you love it! You get joy from working at something you love. That’s the real treasure! It takes so many people YEARS to find what they love, and you found yours! Enjoy that!

2. Remember why you started.

You started this because you felt and hopefully still feel something magical about it! Strip away any pretenses and go back to the beginning. Find the piece of it that makes you come alive and focus on that.

3. Set new goals.

Your goals don’t make you happy anymore? Change them! Don’t become so married to an achievement that it robs you of the joy in the act itself!

4. It’s about the creative process, focus on making it good, then great.

Don’t get caught up in the hype of gaining public (or friend or family) approval. Focusing on what is popular or approved of can take away the unique qualities of what you do and why it’s special.

5. Take time off.

This would be the final step. If you’re not sure how you feel about it anymore step away for a little bit. If it really is just burnout your muse will call you back, and your case of burnout will be over.

What do you do to overcome getting burnt out?

04.25.17

Earthquake – Live

I love, love, love performing live. When I’m up on stage it’s the best feeling in the world. Recently I was able to fly back to Canada for a gig over the Easter weekend and I had such a great time playing with my band. We played my upcoming single Earthquake and it went over so well, which is such a humbling feeling; when the audience loves the music you wrote. Here’s a video of Earthquake, let me know what you think!

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01.17.17

Jet Set Candy

I found this shop while just wandering around in New York City, and absolutely love, love, love the concept! It’s so clever, and for anyone who appreciates travel this can be the perfect gift! They have trinkets representing wanderlust-worthy cities all over the world. The charms are all designed to represent the city they harken to. New York City has a tiny empire state building, a taxi, and several other charms. They also have airport code tags! Which I am obsessed with. The one drawback I had was the price, I felt it was a little expensive. Especially given that it’s something you might want to get several of; for various cities you love! This is not a sponsored post, as someone who loves to travel and collect mementos from the cities I visit I had to share it with fellow travelers!

www.jetsetcandy.com

12.22.16

The Best Ginger Molasses Cookies Ever!

Holiday treats are one of my favorite parts about this time of year. I love cookies, brownies, cakes, hot chocolate; I don’t discriminate! I also love to make holiday treats for friends, parties, and family. I got this recipe from one of the best restaurants in Nashville, Josephine’s. I got it in the spring, but didn’t try it out until this holiday season and it’s been the biggest hit! People absolutely love the chewy texture and the sweet but not overpowering taste. They’re super easy to make, and take about 20 minutes total to make, because I usually cut out the hour chill time. I’ve made them both ways, but I don’t really notice a difference between chilling and not chilling. Let me know if you try this recipe out, and what your thought!

12.15.16

Porter Flea Holiday Market Gift Guide

I love flea markets and craft shows and Nashville is full of them, but when they combine holiday and craft show?! It’s like winning a scratch off ticket. You get to sip hot chocolate, or chocolate chai in my case, and explore aisles of treasures that could be the perfect gift for a friend or family member. There’s always decorations, everyone’s excited because it’s a festive time of year, and there’s usually holiday or show specials! I went to Porter Flea Holiday Market when it was just starting and in a short time it has GROWN. There were at least twice as many vendors, a bigger space, more decor, and more holiday joy! Here is my gift guide from the Nashville Porter Flea Holiday Market!

For the person in your life who loves handmade and stylish, meet H. Clark. These bags were so beautiful in person, but what was even more beautiful was the fact that this is a family business, and the tannery is one of the few woman owned and operated tanneries in America! For more info check out – h-clark.com

Firepot Chai makes a great chai tea and they are opening a tea bar next spring! This was a “make your own chai” bar that allowed you to scoop your own blend…for FREE! This makes a great gift for any tea lover. – Firepot.com

Nola Granola is so tasty and is great gift for someone you may not know that well; a co-worker, teacher, neighbor, because it’s so good and can be eaten by the handful, with almond milk, on yogurt, made into granola bars, the options are plentiful. – Nolasnacks.com

Share Love Everywhere is a brand committed to spreading love. It began with the founder leaving cards around the city with kind words written on them for whoever found them. She then built it into a brand, with some reminders we all need sometimes, that kindness matters and that we are enough. This is the perfect gift for anyone, because who doesn’t need a reminder that they’re great? Perfect stocking stuffer! – shareloveeverywhere.com

As someone who loves flowers, this booth caught me off guard with all it’s blooms in the middle of December, but then I realized they were handmade flowers! I love flowers, but it always makes me sad when they start to wilt on the counter. This is a great alternative! They continue to look beautiful for as long as you display them. This is a great gift for anyone who likes to brighten up their home, but doesn’t have time to be arranging and purchasing new flowers every other week. – amaranthuspaperflora.com

I actually purchased this Soberdough for my brother-in-law. The samples were great and because he’s a foodie and a craft beer enthusiast, this made the perfect gift for him! It’s also super easy to make; one package and one bottle of beer, bake, and your done! Perfect for the foodie and beer connoisseur in your life. – Soberdough.com

Lilyan James has created one of the most unique handbag styles I have seen in a long time, which is saying something because I love a good handbag. The shape is similar to a bowling bag, but then is more structure because of the leather used. The smaller products were made from butter-soft Italian leather, begging to be put to everyday use! – lilyanjames.com

These signs printed onto wood were way too cute to pass by. Especially the, “Well, Fudge” one! These signs are great for offices spaces, bedrooms, entrance ways, really any space, because they are such conversation pieces! – plyshop.etsy.com

11.17.16

Music Festival Style

As a musician it’s probably pretty obvious that I love music, so when I’m not out playing my own music I love being able to take in some of the great music Nashville has to offer! This was from a day in Centennial Park, and while the music festivals they put on in the park are fantastic, another great reason I love the shows at this park is because they almost always welcome dogs! Audrey loves to get out and be seen, she’s quite the socialite, as is apparent from her poses in these pictures. I also love the opportunity to embrace festival fashion, because who doesn’t love Levi’s cutoffs?!