Fun Times with Between-Projects Funk (a post for writers)

For the writers among you, some thoughts on Between-Projects Funk.* (Tell me I’m not alone in experiencing this!)

*Funk, as in 

not 

Do you know what I mean? That angsty, restless feeling that hits after you’ve sent off the project that has consumed you for the last several months (years?), and before you fall headlong into whatever new project will captivate you next.

For me, it happens Every Single Time. And every single time, it catches me off guard. You’d think I’d learn. Instead, a few days or weeks after the high of hitting “send” on that last project, the Between-Projects Funk creeps in like a thick coastal fog, swallowing up joy and energy and creative drive. It feels like a combo pack of boredom and trying-to-latch-onto-me depression, with a side of anxiety about the fate of that recently sent project. Fun times!

I found myself in the midst of this funk recently, but here’s the cool thing: after only one miserable day, I recognized it for what it was. Between-Projects Funk is simply the fuel light flashing on creativity’s dashboard. Time to fill up!

Oh, sure, sometimes there’s more to it. Some grief about letting go of beloved characters, maybe. A shot of fear. A truckload of existential angst. (And if it really hits hard and lingers, maybe it's time to talk to someone, yes?) But I find that, more often than not, Between-Projects Funk is mostly about fuel. Fortunately, I’m learning to embrace that flashing fuel-light, and for me, that’s the key.

Embracing this between time is all about savoring filling the well days, and making the most of them – reading, going on “artist’s dates” (art galleries, concerts, museums, whatever floats your boat), getting out in nature, making music, sleeping, walking, dancing, trying something new, indulging in a creative pursuit that isn’t writing. Embracing between time is exciting, really, because refueling fires you up! 

I know another story will come—the seeds are already sprouting—and I want to be rested and refueled and ready for it when it does.

How about you? Do you struggle with restlessness between projects? How do you refuel?

Wishing you good creative health…

Shari

putting the funky in Between-Projects Funk