How’s 2025 treating you so far? :)

I’m slowly easing myself back into long-form writing again, and the struggle is real – overcoming the fear of blank pages and silencing all the noise around me so I can just focus on my thoughts – but I’m excited to get back into reading and writing again. It’s one of my main intentions for 2025.

So, I suppose this blog post would be a good place to start. 😆

I'm a private person, so sharing my innermost thoughts and emotions publicly is a constant challenge. But writing is pushing me beyond my comfort zone once again, and that's a good thing. It's always easier to talk about the joyful moments, the milestones worth celebrating, or the creative process, but growth often comes from embracing the uncomfortable.

What’s really difficult for me is opening up about burnout, exhaustion – the raw, unfiltered moments of being a full-time artist. While this journey has been incredible, it has also been undeniably hard. I've learned to carry both gratitude and grief in the same space, understanding that they coexist in the ever-evolving path of art and entrepreneurship.

The Burnout

I started feeling the familiar pangs of burnout toward the end of last year. I had so many things to finish so I just buried myself deeper into work (which I didn’t mind since I love my job anyway).

Then 2025 rolled in, things got even busier, and I found myself seriously struggling to manage all the tasks and goals I’d set for myself. That crush of frustration mingled with heavy guilt for not being able to keep up with my expectations. And the burnout within me only grew – expanding, swelling, until it consumed my thoughts, energy and emotions.

Eventually, I found myself dreading the very things that once kindled my passion: things like maintaining my Instagram page, planning content & marketing strategies, preparing for upcoming releases. Tasks that once excited me suddenly felt overwhelming, even intimidating, as the weight of it all pressed down on me.

Right after I announced the Green Pastures series, I felt like a total hypocrite – here I was encouraging people to rest, but I was struggling to give myself the same grace. How was it that I could wholeheartedly believe that everyone else deserved to take it slow and easy, everyone but me? As much as I longed to give myself a break, I didn’t feel worthy of it... like maybe I hadn’t accomplished enough to earn it yet. (Can anyone else relate to this too?)

Rest felt like a constant wrestle for me.

Taking it slow

Haha well if I’m honest… I still don’t have it all figured out. But I’m giving myself permission to move at a slower pace.

The burnout was affecting my creativity, so I hit the Pause button. I stepped away from my Instagram feed for a few weeks (aside from a few IG Stories). I didn’t paint, I didn’t write or create content. And I stopped caring about the Instagram algorithm – I knew that my engagement/reach would dip significantly if I didn’t maintain a steady posting schedule, but at that point, all I could focus on was getting my creativity back. Getting myself back. I lost visibility & engagement, but I gained a little bit of my energy back. And it was worth it.

I’m recognizing the things that bring me joy, and I’m also learning how to deal with the things that drain me.

I’m starting to understand that true productivity is not really about quantity (eg: how much you do) – it’s about the quality of what you create. So I’m taking it one day at a time by setting realistic timelines and goals around productivity.

Navigating burnout as an artist

The Burnout

Taking it slow

The Praise Series