Creativity vs Burnout

> I can't remember where, but I remember reading once that there's no such thing as "creative burnout". For a creative person, creativity happens when everything's in balance, and when you're not feeling creative, it really means that other things in your life are not going well.

> Interesting concept, isn't it? I think to some extent it's true, but I have to wonder if it's that black and white. I had a particularly "imbalanced" period in my life, when things were pretty rough. I've looked back at many of the projects I worked on during that time, and I don't think my work suffered. Maybe it took more for me to come to a good solution during that time, but I do know I was glad for being busy, and for the work, because it allowed me to keep my mind off the hard things I was going through. I put my energy and focus into my work. I guess I honestly can't remember if I felt creative or not, but isn't it also about focus and effort?

> I'm going to have to test the theory for myself. But it's a win-win, right? Things are good and in balance, OR things are good and in balance, AND I stay creative.

Sweet Valentine's Day

> When I was in grade school, I LOVED Valentine's Day. I have fun memories of choosing the right card for each of my classmates, the excitement of taking all my cards home from school, and reading the messages from my friends (I'm pretty sure I was a big fan of the classroom party and all the treats too).

> I don't know when it lost its excitement...but as an adult, I've never purchased any decor for my home, or really given much thought to Valentine's Day other than purchasing a card for my husband (as a designer, what is wrong with me that I haven't made him a card every year??) 

> I have a wonderful memory that always makes me smile. My brother and his wife were out of town for a week, (over V-Day), and I went to their home to stay with their 4 young children. Unfortunately, sometime between leaving for the airport and arriving at their house, I got laryngitis. And when I get laryngitis, it's not simply a hoarse voice, it's a complete absence of one! Luckily, the kids are awesome and well-behaved, so not having a voice was mostly only inconvenient. The morning of Valentine's Day, my sweet niece, who was 9 at the time, sequestered me to my room for a little while, rounded up the other kids, and when they let me out, it was to a front room filled with paper hearts and streamers and decorations that they had made. Isn't that the sweetest thing? To this day, that's probably my favorite Valentine's memory.

> Since then, I've given more thought to the holiday and have tried to do more thoughtful and creative things for my husband. Kids are such great inspiration, aren't they?

> I'm making a few valentine cards this year—that's progress for me! If you want to make a pop-up heart card like mine, check out the other blog I write for and you can make one for your sweetheart.