mind

This Art Is On Fire (Dealing With Burn Out)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Sometimes you work really hard on a project and then you see it take off! Which is amazing and inspiring and has all the good feelings that make creativity worthwhile. Recognition in other words, dear readers!

No matter how many artists I speak with, whether musicians, actors, visual artists or otherwise, they all say similar things about the importance of digging into the form you love with everything you’ve got and expecting a slow climb up that hill. Because while you may find opportunities right away, you also might be a victim of chance and have to wait for those accolades.

Which is legit.

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This post is for those artists, the ones who wanted to succeed right away and didn’t, who work hard night and day to find their place in the world and put up their own time, potentially sacrificing their mental and physical health to do so. To carry that torch for the arts.

For everyone who has the courage to go the distance and shoot for their dreams, no matter what, this one’s for you.

Now, my original plan to start this post off right was to simply include a couple of lyrics from famous songs with the word fire in the song itself and then make a joke about the nature of fire and how it relates to success as a metaphor.

But fuck – there were like 150 plus songs to choose from, and I started to feel old once I realized that all of my “cool and new” references were from the 2000s and now effectively outdated (For instance, one of the examples I was thinking about was from the 2003 album Fire by Electric Six). So you’ll just have to accept this string of GIFs as my effort at peacekeeping – Because I’m also feeling burnt out from this process. Pun semi-intentional.

Mi6sWRs                                   gifyh1c46                                                william

Funny right?

Well, interestingly enough each of those GIFs represents a different scenario of burn out. Yeah, burn out. I’m switching to something serious.

A scary topic that not a lot of people talk about because they don’t understand the full-reaching effects it can have on an individual.

Burnout is the state in which one discovers they have chronic fatigue – It usually starts with a lack of energy and feeling tired quite often. But they will likely experience other symptoms too, which might include insomnia, forgetfulness and/or impaired concentration, physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, headaches and stomach pain, weakened immune system, loss of appetite, anxiety, anger, and depression. More on the symptoms in this article.

You see, the 1st image is the guy/gal/person who decides to embrace the pain and lean into it as it overtakes them. Then you have 2nd person who experiences the loss and complains about it while not doing anything either, the 3rd person sees the signs but pretends there is nothing wrong, and the 4th person, appropriately might I add, freaks out and does something about it.

Dear readers, let me say this in the most common of terms, you want to be that 4th person. Take the time to honestly assess the state you are in, the amount of stress in your life, and find ways to reduce it before it becomes too much. While burn out is a physical problem, unlike a cold or a hangover, it doesn’t go away over a matter of days, it can take much longer, because it hits two fronts at the same time – your mind and your body.

So what’s an artist to do about it?

Well you need to douse that fire quick or if you’ve already experienced burn out, clean up the ashes and start rebuilding. But for the sake of constructive criticism and because I hate to leave you without some wisdom, I’ll give you a short list of remedies you can use (taken from this article).

  1. Self-care. Get your energy back through salt baths, yoga, deep breathing, long walks in nature, and positive affirmations.
  2. Take a break. Dial back from what you aren’t interested about and take a break until you are ready to come back. Whether it’s days, weeks, or months.
  3. Check your trophy room. Look back at your history and identify your successes. Stop comparing yourself to others.
  4. Enlist support. Hiring someone or get a friend to help out.
  5. Reassess your goals. Rethink your dreams, visions, and goals.
  6. Seek new inspiration. Visit places you normally avoid or spend time with creatives you haven’t considered before. Children for example.
  7. Community. Find a tribe through a class, seminar, meet-up or a studio visit.

And if you want some more resources, look here for suggestions (1 2 3 4). There is definitely a lot more to be written about this subject, and I’ve just scratched the surface, but at the end of the day, no matter what your creative role, you HAVE to take care of yourself. Inspiration and passion are good motivators but discipline requires attention as well.

Now I’m out of theories for the day friends. I hope this post finds you well, and if not, it helps you get back in shape. I’ll see you tomorrow with something timely.

Tim!

Take A Look, It’s In A Book… (Learn to Love Learning)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

You want to be successful at your art, dear readers? And to be successful, the first step is recognizing what is required of you. For instance, do you have the right attitude (or have you developed a strategy if it’s out of your control)? Because you need to stop making excuses and take advantage of free resources available to you. The environment you have set up for yourself can definitely factor into the equation too… But don’t fret because happiness is within reach!

You really have to start forming excellent habits though.

One of the ways to best accomplish your goals is to create lists and break those lists down into manageable tasks, but to be honest, that’s only going to take you so far. Once you accept that life is not something which you can complete and then coast through, that it goes on and on, you will change your expectations and invest in processes which allow you to live a good lifestyle. Look at last weeks Wisdom Wednesday on timotheories if you need more information on how to get started.

Once you start setting those habits, goals will naturally get completed, but an interesting occurrence can also happen, and if you aren’t ready for it, you’ll fall right off the horse.

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Boredom can set in.

And one of the surest ways to combat boredom is through discipline. But here is the secret dear readers, and it’s a theory I have found is very likely to be true. Very rarely do teachers, coaches, gurus or whatever they want to be called tell this. I hope it becomes common knowledge at some point soon – you need to be in good spirits in order to maintain discipline. That means diet, exercise, and sleep.

Okay timotheories, but those are kinda obvious habits to keep up, we already knew that! 

Touche, my friends, touche. But you see, I haven’t quite gotten to my point just yet. If you would just give me another minute to build up the anticipation, I promise the payoff should be worth it…

Diet and sleep are straightforward, eat healthy food that is unprocessed and do your best to limit carbohydrates as well as most sugars. Next, get somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep every night and commit to a routine to ensure your circadian rhythms get lined up correctly (slow to start, ramping up into the middle of the day, and winding down in the evening). Now talk to your doctor and also a certified professional about a workout which suits your current body type, and ease into it.

The problem is that we are forgetting something, and I just don’t know what… Oh right, the boredom. Those activities are boring if you aren’t also exercising your mind.

Your brain automates a lot of the daily processes you use, and your mind is integral to your mood. If you aren’t in a good mood, new routines become a lot more difficult to set up. That means reading books which stimulate your mind in positive ways. From classical literature, to self-improvement, to education in the arts and sciences, to philosophy, to biography, there are a number of genres that you can and should be reading to keep your mind sharp.

You need to read if you are going to stay the course, because just like with exercising the body, if you don’t use it, you will inevitably lose it and suffer from health problems.

Now timotheories, that’s all well and good, but a lot of us don’t have TIME for reading, we work 40+ hours a week, have to fit in meals, exercise, sleep, and spending time with loved ones, AND find time to obsess over our art. How the heck are we going to fit reading into the mix?

Well, the question has been asked before, but never has it sounded so sweet to the ears.

Should you consider listening to audio books as reading? And if you do, is it a viable alternative? Yes! The answer is a resounding yes! If you can’t make the time to sit down and read, do it while you work on routine tasks, on your commute or in down time before falling asleep.

You might not be able to absorb the information as readily, but the truth of the matter is that there are a number of ways to get a hold of audio books – look here at overdrive.com for starters. This website is what a lot of libraries use to store digital copies of their books. And if you have the technology (you should), you can put the content on your phone or mp3 player for convenience.

So do yourself a favour, develop your mind, bolster your imagination, and discover new things in the process. That’s all of theories I’ve got for a today my friends, so I’ll catch you tomorrow with a timely update.

Tim!

Welcome To Americana (American Ultra review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

What do you know about mind control dear readers? Daresay I say it, but I hope the answer is nothing.

Not because your minds have been wiped, but because it’s a really weird and controversial topic and I’d rather stay away from conspiracy theories if I can help it. But they are theories… So maybe I will write about them sometime.

Anyway, today’s Theatrical Tuesday entry is about mind control. But is the movie worth watching or should you forget I ever shared it with you?

 

 

 

American Ultra (2015)
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
released on blu-ray November 24, 2015
******* 7/10

AmUltra_ Poster

IMDB: 6.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%, Audience Score 48%
The Guardian: **/*****

From the guy that brought you Project X and literally nothing else so far. Nima Nourizadeh is a fairly green Iranian-British director. Before he he made Project X (and American Ultra) he made music videos for Dizzee Rascal, Pink Grease, Franz Ferdinand, Bat for Lashes, Santigold, Hot Chip, Yelle and Lily Allen.

Interestingly enough I think directing music videos helped him get his first gig (Project X) which was a giant party movie, and in turn this movie, which is a stoner/action movie. It’s all about proper transitions, dear readers.

But what is the story about?

Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is in a holding cell, waiting to be interrogated. A man enters, while another watches and Mike experiences flashbacks of the past few days.

Cut back to Mike in West Virginia with his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). He had planned a trip to Hawaii where he was going to propose, but they missed the flight because he was having a panic attack in the bathroom. Coming back from the airport, they are stopped by the local sheriff, who has a longstanding relationship with Mike.

He then returns to his job at the local convenience store, which is incredibly dull.

Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) is a CIA agent reviewing files  that is interrupted by former assistant Petey Douglas (Tony Hale). She receives a scrambled phone call saying “Tough Guy” is moving in on the “Little Man”. She confronts Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) because he is responsible for Mike and a program she made called Ultra. Yates says Mike needs to be terminated and mocks Victoria before kicking her out of his office.

Mike and Phoebe getting high on the hood of his car while they watch a tow truck and several cops remove a crashed car from a tree. Mike starts to cry because he believes the tree stopped the beautiful car and that he represents the tree while Phoebe is the car. She tells him that is not true.

The next day, Mike meets his drugdealer Rose (John Leguizamo) to pick up fireworks in order to propose to Phoebe.

Back at the convenience store, working a night shift, Victoria approaches Mike and speaks code to him. He looks confused, and she leaves. When Mike goes outside to smoke he sees two guys with his car. He confronts them and they pull knives. Instinctively Mike reacts by throwing hot soup at one attacker and stabs the other guy in the neck with a spoon. He then shoots both of them. He calls Phoebe, who comes over in time for the sheriff to stop by and arrest them both.

Yates realizes that Victoria has “activated” Mike. He orders two Tough Guy agents, Crane (Monique Ganderton) and Laugher (Walton Goggins) to eliminate Mike and Phoebe, and locks down the town. The agents kill all the police but Mike and Phoebe escape the firefight. Just as they are leaving Crane throws a grenade, but Mike catches it, and throws it back, blowing up the station. 

The couple go back to the store. But Mike freaks out, and Phoebe calms him, while his is happening a bag blows onto Mike’s car, setting off an explosion. They stare in disbelief.

 

Stop! Hammer Time. But seriously, I don’t want to give you any more plot.

Pros: I continue to think that Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg work well as an on-screen couple and look forward to seeing them in the new Woody Allen pic. Topher Grace and Connie Britton also played well off of each other. The cinematography and pacing were also excellent.

Cons: It doesn’t quite reach that level of absurdity, violence, and comedy that would have made it a 9 or a 10. We needed a little more of everything.

Runtime: 96 minutes

Points of Interest: The movie is a reference to the MK Ultra program that the CIA develop to combine American and German information about the subject of mind control. This is the second movie that Kristen Stewart and Eisenberg made that has a character potentially go into anaphylactic shock.

If you’ve never heard of MK Ultra, and your interest is piqued, give it a shot. If you’ve never heard of MK Ultra, and your interest is piqued, give it a shot. If you’ve never heard of American Ultra… It’s a fun movie, give it a shot.

 

 

 

What were we going on about again? Oh right mind control.

What do you know about mind control dear readers? Daresay I say it, but I hope the answer is nothing. Till next time!

Tim!

A Serious Quote (Address Depression)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Do you ever struggle with life, dear readers? Feel aimless or that you have ambition but cannot focus? A sense of despair? I’ve been there too and can be challenged by life, almost unexpectedly it seems.

Today’s post is a more serious one, so I’m giving you all some fair warning.

I often wonder about the mind and the incredible potential for both success and failure.

And I dare say it, but I have a theory that someone who is creative might experience depression and other kinds of mental illness just a little more vividly than we’ve been led to believe in the day-to-day. And I also believe that those creative types are not more likely to experience it either.

Check out this article for a little more information on the topic.

The hard reality is that mental illness does effect a lot of people, and it is more common than we want to admit, while we are spending more time on educating ourselves about this particular health issue, it’s so intricate and complex, and there are so many forms of mental illness that we need to look into, but we generally fear the unknown.

I’m fortunate (I would never say unfortunate, but I would say highly sensitive to and conscious of) having loved ones in my life who have experienced different kinds of mental illness, so I think on this aspect of life quite often, and I have a great deal of compassion for those who live with it and their loved ones as well.

This article from the perspective of artist with depression is quite good too.

In it the author outlines some very important points for us all to remember.

1) Depressives are empathetic to everyone but themselves
2) There is no cure for depression, but exercise and work are excellent treatment
3) Depressives don’t choose to be sick, and suicidal thoughts are very real and not black and white
4) If you love someone who has depression, physical touch helps; as does being around them and choosing accepting silence
5) Depression is a result of your waking life, and addiction comes with it. The culprit is the mind.

In short, people who struggle with depression are fighting a battle of the mind, a battle of life over death, and your love is enough. Never take responsibility for their depression, and never blame them for it. Love them as you would love someone who has experience a physical loss of health.

Pulling from the article I just referenced, some depressives intimately understand the principle that Descartes wrote about

I think, therefore I am, said Descartes. Therein lies the problem. Some depressives conclude, as Robin Williams did this past week, that not thinking and not being is preferable to the alternative. I’m shattered that he lost his battle, but I’m also glad he’s free of his pain… You couldn’t have prevented their death and there’s nothing you should have done differently. The suicide’s logic has nothing in common with yours. In the end, death makes mad, perfect sense to them.

So in light of this topic, I want to share a beautiful site that I used to frequent quite often in the past, and while I haven’t looked at it regularly in recent years, it can be a place of solace for troubled thoughts, whether you are experiencing temporary depression or suffer from the mental illness.

It’s called The Quotations Page and is an exhaustive source of famous quotes which has been around for over 2 decades. The list of quotes is upwards of 30,000 quotes, so you know that there are excellent choices not only by author, but also by subject.

This can be especially helpful for moments when you need motivation, inspiration, or to share a sweet moment with someone you care about.

I’m going to close out today’s post with a favorite quote of mine from a brilliant modernist painter, which you can find on The Quotations Page, and I hope gives you a source of light that you benefit from using this resource yourself.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)

And that my friends are all of the theories and wisdom I can impart for the day. Please leave some comments or send me an email at timotheories@outlook.com if you have something you’d like to share. I’d love to publish it in my next Wisdom Wednesday post.

Tim!