One thing I’ve had to be a lot more conscious of over the years is burnout. When your passion becomes your job, the lines get blurry real fast. It’s easy to keep pushing, because what’s one more stream, another post, another build? Until you realize you haven’t taken a day off in months.

There have definitely been moments where I’ve felt drained, both creatively and mentally. I think it’s something a lot of people go through, not just in a creative space. I do think people are getting better at talking about it. Where I think I personally need to do some reflecting on is ways to tackle these things to make a better me.

I’ve learned that stepping away sometimes is just as important as showing up. Whether it’s a walk, a day where I just don’t look at keyboards or emails, or just building something with no camera on that’s just for me. These smaller moments help me reset.

Recently I’ve learned that I enjoy building things outside of keyboards and my next project is to tackle a custom peg-board style wall. I plan to make a few of them and put them around my living space to hang things. 

But mental health really does matter, especially in creative spaces where so much feels tied to output and performance. It’s not just the pressure to constantly produce, it’s also the quiet comparison that creeps in. I’m genuinely grateful for the life I live and I try to do everything to the best of my ability, but I’d be lying if I said I never catch myself looking at others in the same space and wondering, “Am I falling behind? What am I doing wrong?”

It’s a tough and weird headspace, knowing you’re on your own path, but still feeling the weight of someone else’s highlight reel. Learning to quiet that voice and refocus on my own process has been an ongoing journey.