It's become a job 😔... I woodwork for me, not others. I sell nothing, I give things away. I make what I want, when I want, and how I want. That's possible because I spent my life working for others, nothing to do with woodworking. I woodwork because it make me happy, to create for the sake of creating...The pressure you're feeling is not the woodworking, it the job part, the business part. Don't forget why you started in the first place. Please don't loose your passion... I love your content, it helps others in ways you have no idea...
I agree making things to sell in a commercial market is so far away from making things as a form of artistic expression. However making a living as an artist is a tenuous road to travel.. talent alone is not enough .. I've worked in Film,TV and theatre for the last 30 years a sculpture an artisan if you will .. I and many of my contemporaries had to come to terms with the commercial realities and keep the artistic expression on the back burner to pay the bills.. I wish this creator well and hope she can find her creative and commercial niche 😊
@dpacheco7349 100% agree with you. I've had a similar experience where people see I started a hobby and the first thing they say is "you should start a business with it!" but I think that's the quickest way to destroy all the enjoyment and benefits that come from having that hoppy (creativity, relaxation, expression, etc). I already have a job, I don't need to turn the things I enjoy into another one.
Thank you for your personal insight into burnout. In my last place, I was getting to the point of not caring. I was ready to retire, and I wasn't looking to the next day. I could not get parts to fix anything. I'm happy that I moved to different building. Thank you again ❤❤❤
Great in sight on the issue, I also get that way in woodworking so what I do is step away from it and work on my business making acrylic displays on my cnc.Woodworking is very hard business and I find myself getting burned out much faster for some reason. You do great work and really enjoy your videos. ❤
What a great and insightful video. Your partner sounds amazing and supportive. Shout outs to him. For me, fighting burnout is about two things, finding the love, and getting distance. I'm a watercolor painter, so for me I do things like visit museums, and art openings to find my love for the art again, and talk to other artists (in person preferably) to feel inspired again, but also I try to balance creating "ugly" stuff as well. I feel like sometimes the pressure of making "good" shit is so stifling that it can be paralyzing, and that's why I keep a sketchbook. Sometimes I draw ugly, scribbly, dumb shit, or purposefully overwork a page to force my brain to realize... yo this aint that serious. Let's find the love again. In getting distance, I feel like I need to sometimes get away, and being in nature has always helped me with that, though sometimes it's as simple as tending to my plants or going for a run. I feel like when I've worked off the anxiety, my hands are happier when moving. Cheers! Take as much time as you need before you come back.
I sure sympathize, Clara. A very dear person in my life burned out some time ago in a career she fought long and hard for. She left the work and succeeded as a writer. When I burned out, a medication really helped me find my love for my work again. Don't let it go on too long--make some choices or get help.
wow. thank you for sharing. i feel like all woodworkers/artist feel this time to time. this is one of the main reason i have yet to change woodworking from a hobby to a job. i am afraid i will not enjoy it and lose my love of creating. i want to create what i want when i want. unfortunately it does not pay the bills. so i continue to work my regular job to support my hobby. you are not alone in this and it seems as if you have a great partner who understands you. that is very important. keep up the great work and do you
Thank you for sharing, I’m literally crying rn 😢😅😂😭. Everything you were saying, how you were dealing with it, it felt so real. I feel the pressures of responsibility so differently then my partner, and hearing your words, it sounds so much like the middle, or the bridge, between how I feel and how my partner feels, and how we both try and deal with it from our own unique way of looking at things
Clara Thanks for sharing, it was really heartfelt because burnout is a real thing and it can be devastating to your productivity and as you now saps your energy, so take those breaks when you can. Clara love your honest approach and reality checks. keep on building and smiling.
thanks for being so open and sharing Clara. This is tough! Being open and self-aware is a strength, so dealing with it and working through it is a big kudos to you. For me burnout has never really "occurred" but it was close and was one of the reasons which drove me to step away from the 9to5 as I realised I can't keep doing what i was doing if i wanted to get what I wanted... the catch was, I didn't really know what the want was or looked like... I just knew I had to go find it. My encouragement out of all this is being able to zoom out and ask yourself... What do I want, why am I doing this, and what is your endgame/north star. Meaning if you know what you want in 5 years, or expect your life to be like in 5 years, or whatever time period you pick, you can then start to ask yourself "is what I am doing today, going to get me to where I want to be", "is it getting me closer to my goals". And there is no right or wrong answer to what it is you want as thats between you and the goal. I know all of this can be easier said than done, but when we know what we want, we can take ownership of it, be accountable and be responsible and also be realistic to know this may take 1, 2 5, 10 years and be comfortable with the grind, the hustle or the progress required to climb the mountain. Some books I would also encourage you to listen/read are: The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery By: Brianna Wiest, Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy By: Patrick Bet-David, Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success, By: Gary Vaynerchuk. There are plenty more on the list, but I think these may be relevant for now :) Bless you Clara and Don too for being such a pro co-pilot and support :)
That is a brave thing to do, share a piece of yourself that is raw and vulnerable. Sincere respect to you!! My burn outs (past tense) happened when I took onto much. My grandfather had a wonderful saying... my eyes got bigger than my belly. I would load project after project on my calendar, sometimes two or three at once. All of them suffered for it and my quality suffered greatly. Eventually I learned to do a single project to completion. Take a break between them, perfecting a new recipe or pick a old TV series and binge watch for a few hours each day. Just finished "Person of Interest" 🙂 Having a strong, supportive friend or partner is key. From your video it sounds like you have that well covered! Respect to you both.
I’m originally from Houston and I completely understand. Our skillset is very identical and you have some big decisions to make. First, I believe you need your own studio with more space or shared space. Second, You're better off making your own protects. If you like it, somebody else will like it as well. I make what I want so I’m not limiting myself. Maybe you need to relocate back to South Korea to find an affordable studio in an area that’s calm and relax. I would also suggest starting completely over with most of your shop tools. Sit in your shop and think very carefully how to keep your shop clutter free. If you start over I would suggest starting with a nice band saw and router sled along with your festool portable table saw. With that you can rethink how to make your storage more effective within your projects. You need a desk in your shop where you can work on the computer. You also need a small couch in your shop so you can relax there, watch tv, then get back to work. Make yourself comfortable in your space. Since your work is genuine, Your shop should be your favorite go to place. Last I would also suggest be careful who you hang around. Some people are like vampires and slow you down. You can’t be everybody friend. It can be overwhelming with too many people trying to pull you down. Set strong boundaries between you, friends, family and your craft.
Good morning. A couple of things come to mind. Well, maybe more than a couple. We call these interruptions in our lives by many things, IE burnout, crossroads, crisis, etc. Not fun, absolutely, but nor should this be anything but. A good many folks that come to these crossroads will come to a solution, a path, a way through that addresses the underlying issue. Your "partner" as you refer to him, helped you, which is what was needed. There are not many young men out in the world that have this kind of reliability and integrity. But there he is helping you find your way. It's a hellish feeling being burned out, lost at the cross roads, etc. When I had found myself burned out, as a young, a mentor advised me with these words, I'm sharing now, for what it's worth. "When you find yourself in "Hell", Keep Moving. Don't Stop", which is what you've done with the vigilance and support that was required from Your so-called "partner". Congratulations.
Thanks for your complete honesty Clara and sharing with us just know you are not alone in this journey. Just know we are all here to support you in your journey and are sending you are thoughts and prayers. Take the time you need for yourself and let yourself heal so you can get back to doing what you love and making what you want to make for yourself. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️🩹
Thank you so much :-) This burnout was a while ago and it took a while to recover from it. I am feeling much better these days though so no worries :-)
Passions are great but life is balance. Schedule work time but schedule personal time. To successfully manage a business, requires down time too. Vice versa, life is the same.
Thank you for sharing your vulnerability. I'm glad you have a supportive partner that can help you through times like this. I am lucky in this as well. I hope you are able to find the spark to keep going. I enjoy your art and the way you share your thoughts. If you ever need to take a break, by all means, take care of yourself. I'm happy to wait and see you on the other side. All the best.
You and Donn are some of the best and most genuine people I have ever met. So, I can imagine these conversations as real and not hypothetical or in passing. Having support from each other is great. I’m happy both of you have the other. #powercouple Like you say in expressing yourself, for me it is pushing myself. I’ve never done a thing. So I’m going to do the thing and continue to grow and not become stagnant. It’s all that walnut blues. It’s October. My normal group aren’t doing dovetail October, but we can. Hand cut only. And push yourself to do something different. Like angled or beveled or houndstooth. Just some practice piece. Reach out. I have all of the curiosity and half the skills to do it. I’m a fan of failure. Of learning.
Burn out can creep up to you before you know it. Sometimes it just takes from someone who cares about you that can see it. Sometimes it’s even harder to admit it once people raises the redflags to you. It happen to me a few years ago from just trying to take on everything without asking for help.
I feel this strongly… it’s also a fine line between artistry and commerce. in an ideal world, we could all focus on our creative pursuits and the bills would take care of themselves… schedule time out in your day/week that’s just for you to zone out… whether that’s yoga, walking, reading, the gym, walking the dog (if you have one), etc… be present entirely for that one thing… also, yes, work on side projects that fulfil you and you only, as well as do the work that brings in an income. (just my thoughts, take what works for you) I wish you the best ☮️🙏🏼☀️
I suffered burnout when I was completing my Masters and it was awful. I remember working several months straight up to 100 hours a week and it took a toll on me. I didn't even realize how bad it was until one day I went to turn on my computer and just doing that made me want to throw up. At that time, I just turned around and took a week off. Even then, I needed to go slowly and work up to even doing a regular 40 hours a week. I took over a month to even get up to 20 hours, but it did help. I really can't tell you how to handle your burnout as it is different for everyone, but stepping back and getting a view of the bigger picture helped me out a lot. I watched the video where you talked about doing more exercise and that is a big help, as it can give you something other than work to focus on. It is also a great way to help your mental health.
I know how you feel. I‘m - in general - a Caregiver for elderly People and my last job brought me nearby to a burn out. I could‘t complete my tasks or I was agressive to my coworkers and/or the people I was taken care of. At least I‘ve got to be fired and that was like a new beginning or a rebirth - kind of 😉
Very nice video and above all honest and I like that. Being sensitive or emotional is not a weakness, on the contrary it proves that we can experience feelings of joy or sadness but not weakness. When you share life with a person, which is not the easiest task in my opinion, it is essential that a dialogue and trust be established between the two, knowing that you can express your doubts to a person is comforting. Life is only worth living if you do what you love, if every morning you wake up and go to work with a smile then the day will be flourishing and will leave you with beautiful memories, want to start again the next day, then you are right, live your life to the fullest, try what you want, dream dreams at night in your bed and be happy with the work you have accomplished, if you look in the mirror and you are proud of yourself so you have understood everything about life!
This was personal for me also. Being a longtime woodworker, I suffered a stroke in 2013 which put me out of work. Took 3 years to get back into my shop. And exactly 1 year ago having rotator cuff surgery the anesthesiologist paralyzed my right diaphragm. Living in a small town I had to travel to a specialist in Atlanta at Emory University Hospital. This man basically saved my life but I can’t get into my shop now and don’t know if I ever will be able to, and what’s even worse my 33 year old daughter wants me to teach her woodworking. She watches your channel and several other female woodworkers. She said Dad you’ve been doing this over 40 years full time and at night when you worked another job and your the only one I want teaching me. How do I answer this
Hey Clara
My Dad was a life long wood worker….
Simply said good times ahead!
Wood is life.
Thank you so much - I agree :-) Wood is life!
It's become a job 😔... I woodwork for me, not others. I sell nothing, I give things away. I make what I want, when I want, and how I want. That's possible because I spent my life working for others, nothing to do with woodworking. I woodwork because it make me happy, to create for the sake of creating...The pressure you're feeling is not the woodworking, it the job part, the business part. Don't forget why you started in the first place. Please don't loose your passion... I love your content, it helps others in ways you have no idea...
I agree making things to sell in a commercial market is so far away from making things as a form of artistic expression. However making a living as an artist is a tenuous road to travel.. talent alone is not enough ..
I've worked in Film,TV and theatre for the last 30 years a sculpture an artisan if you will ..
I and many of my contemporaries had to come to terms with the commercial realities and keep the artistic expression on the back burner to pay the bills..
I wish this creator well and hope she can find her creative and commercial niche 😊
@dpacheco7349 100% agree with you. I've had a similar experience where people see I started a hobby and the first thing they say is "you should start a business with it!" but I think that's the quickest way to destroy all the enjoyment and benefits that come from having that hoppy (creativity, relaxation, expression, etc). I already have a job, I don't need to turn the things I enjoy into another one.
❤❤ thank you for sharing ❤❤🤗🤗
Thank you for your personal insight into burnout. In my last place, I was getting to the point of not caring. I was ready to retire, and I wasn't looking to the next day. I could not get parts to fix anything. I'm happy that I moved to different building. Thank you again ❤❤❤
Thank you for sharing.
Great in sight on the issue, I also get that way in woodworking so what I do is step away from it and work on my business making acrylic displays on my cnc.Woodworking is very hard business and I find myself getting burned out much faster for some reason. You do great work and really enjoy your videos. ❤
What a great and insightful video. Your partner sounds amazing and supportive. Shout outs to him.
For me, fighting burnout is about two things, finding the love, and getting distance.
I'm a watercolor painter, so for me I do things like visit museums, and art openings to find my love for the art again, and talk to other artists (in person preferably) to feel inspired again, but also I try to balance creating "ugly" stuff as well. I feel like sometimes the pressure of making "good" shit is so stifling that it can be paralyzing, and that's why I keep a sketchbook. Sometimes I draw ugly, scribbly, dumb shit, or purposefully overwork a page to force my brain to realize... yo this aint that serious. Let's find the love again.
In getting distance, I feel like I need to sometimes get away, and being in nature has always helped me with that, though sometimes it's as simple as tending to my plants or going for a run. I feel like when I've worked off the anxiety, my hands are happier when moving.
Cheers! Take as much time as you need before you come back.
I sure sympathize, Clara. A very dear person in my life burned out some time ago in a career she fought long and hard for. She left the work and succeeded as a writer. When I burned out, a medication really helped me find my love for my work again. Don't let it go on too long--make some choices or get help.
wow. thank you for sharing. i feel like all woodworkers/artist feel this time to time. this is one of the main reason i have yet to change woodworking from a hobby to a job. i am afraid i will not enjoy it and lose my love of creating. i want to create what i want when i want. unfortunately it does not pay the bills. so i continue to work my regular job to support my hobby. you are not alone in this and it seems as if you have a great partner who understands you. that is very important. keep up the great work and do you
Thank you for sharing, I’m literally crying rn 😢😅😂😭. Everything you were saying, how you were dealing with it, it felt so real. I feel the pressures of responsibility so differently then my partner, and hearing your words, it sounds so much like the middle, or the bridge, between how I feel and how my partner feels, and how we both try and deal with it from our own unique way of looking at things
Clara Thanks for sharing, it was really heartfelt because burnout is a real thing and it can be devastating to your productivity and as you now saps your energy, so take those breaks when you can. Clara love your honest approach and reality checks. keep on building and smiling.
making art is messy - but I think you are on the right track! Be kind to yourself!
Thank you! I will do my best :-)
thanks for being so open and sharing Clara. This is tough! Being open and self-aware is a strength, so dealing with it and working through it is a big kudos to you.
For me burnout has never really "occurred" but it was close and was one of the reasons which drove me to step away from the 9to5 as I realised I can't keep doing what i was doing if i wanted to get what I wanted... the catch was, I didn't really know what the want was or looked like... I just knew I had to go find it. My encouragement out of all this is being able to zoom out and ask yourself... What do I want, why am I doing this, and what is your endgame/north star. Meaning if you know what you want in 5 years, or expect your life to be like in 5 years, or whatever time period you pick, you can then start to ask yourself "is what I am doing today, going to get me to where I want to be", "is it getting me closer to my goals". And there is no right or wrong answer to what it is you want as thats between you and the goal. I know all of this can be easier said than done, but when we know what we want, we can take ownership of it, be accountable and be responsible and also be realistic to know this may take 1, 2 5, 10 years and be comfortable with the grind, the hustle or the progress required to climb the mountain. Some books I would also encourage you to listen/read are: The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery By: Brianna Wiest, Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy By: Patrick Bet-David, Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success, By: Gary Vaynerchuk. There are plenty more on the list, but I think these may be relevant for now :) Bless you Clara and Don too for being such a pro co-pilot and support :)
That is a brave thing to do, share a piece of yourself that is raw and vulnerable. Sincere respect to you!! My burn outs (past tense) happened when I took onto much. My grandfather had a wonderful saying... my eyes got bigger than my belly. I would load project after project on my calendar, sometimes two or three at once. All of them suffered for it and my quality suffered greatly. Eventually I learned to do a single project to completion. Take a break between them, perfecting a new recipe or pick a old TV series and binge watch for a few hours each day. Just finished "Person of Interest" 🙂 Having a strong, supportive friend or partner is key. From your video it sounds like you have that well covered! Respect to you both.
I’m originally from Houston and I completely understand. Our skillset is very identical and you have some big decisions to make. First, I believe you need your own studio with more space or shared space. Second, You're better off making your own protects. If you like it, somebody else will like it as well. I make what I want so I’m not limiting myself. Maybe you need to relocate back to South Korea to find an affordable studio in an area that’s calm and relax. I would also suggest starting completely over with most of your shop tools. Sit in your shop and think very carefully how to keep your shop clutter free. If you start over I would suggest starting with a nice band saw and router sled along with your festool portable table saw. With that you can rethink how to make your storage more effective within your projects. You need a desk in your shop where you can work on the computer. You also need a small couch in your shop so you can relax there, watch tv, then get back to work. Make yourself comfortable in your space. Since your work is genuine, Your shop should be your favorite go to place. Last I would also suggest be careful who you hang around. Some people are like vampires and slow you down. You can’t be everybody friend. It can be overwhelming with too many people trying to pull you down. Set strong boundaries between you, friends, family and your craft.
Great video!
Thank you, Michael!
Good morning. A couple of things come to mind. Well, maybe more than a couple. We call these interruptions in our lives by many things, IE burnout, crossroads, crisis, etc. Not fun, absolutely, but nor should this be anything but. A good many folks that come to these crossroads will come to a solution, a path, a way through that addresses the underlying issue. Your "partner" as you refer to him, helped you, which is what was needed. There are not many young men out in the world that have this kind of reliability and integrity. But there he is helping you find your way. It's a hellish feeling being burned out, lost at the cross roads, etc. When I had found myself burned out, as a young, a mentor advised me with these words, I'm sharing now, for what it's worth. "When you find yourself in "Hell", Keep Moving. Don't Stop", which is what you've done with the vigilance and support that was required from Your so-called "partner". Congratulations.
Thanks for your complete honesty Clara and sharing with us just know you are not alone in this journey. Just know we are all here to support you in your journey and are sending you are thoughts and prayers. Take the time you need for yourself and let yourself heal so you can get back to doing what you love and making what you want to make for yourself. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️🩹
Thank you so much :-) This burnout was a while ago and it took a while to recover from it. I am feeling much better these days though so no worries :-)
Passions are great but life is balance. Schedule work time but schedule personal time. To successfully manage a business, requires down time too. Vice versa, life is the same.
Thank you for sharing your vulnerability. I'm glad you have a supportive partner that can help you through times like this. I am lucky in this as well. I hope you are able to find the spark to keep going. I enjoy your art and the way you share your thoughts. If you ever need to take a break, by all means, take care of yourself. I'm happy to wait and see you on the other side. All the best.
You and Donn are some of the best and most genuine people I have ever met. So, I can imagine these conversations as real and not hypothetical or in passing. Having support from each other is great. I’m happy both of you have the other. #powercouple
Like you say in expressing yourself, for me it is pushing myself. I’ve never done a thing. So I’m going to do the thing and continue to grow and not become stagnant. It’s all that walnut blues. It’s October. My normal group aren’t doing dovetail October, but we can. Hand cut only. And push yourself to do something different. Like angled or beveled or houndstooth. Just some practice piece. Reach out. I have all of the curiosity and half the skills to do it. I’m a fan of failure. Of learning.
Burn out can creep up to you before you know it. Sometimes it just takes from someone who cares about you that can see it. Sometimes it’s even harder to admit it once people raises the redflags to you. It happen to me a few years ago from just trying to take on everything without asking for help.
I feel this strongly… it’s also a fine line between artistry and commerce.
in an ideal world, we could all focus on our creative pursuits and the bills would take care of themselves…
schedule time out in your day/week that’s just for you to zone out… whether that’s yoga, walking, reading, the gym, walking the dog (if you have one), etc…
be present entirely for that one thing…
also, yes, work on side projects that fulfil you and you only, as well as do the work that brings in an income.
(just my thoughts, take what works for you)
I wish you the best ☮️🙏🏼☀️
Thank you so much for your input and perspective - scheduling out time and putting energy into being as present as possible is definitely important.
I suffered burnout when I was completing my Masters and it was awful. I remember working several months straight up to 100 hours a week and it took a toll on me. I didn't even realize how bad it was until one day I went to turn on my computer and just doing that made me want to throw up. At that time, I just turned around and took a week off. Even then, I needed to go slowly and work up to even doing a regular 40 hours a week. I took over a month to even get up to 20 hours, but it did help.
I really can't tell you how to handle your burnout as it is different for everyone, but stepping back and getting a view of the bigger picture helped me out a lot. I watched the video where you talked about doing more exercise and that is a big help, as it can give you something other than work to focus on. It is also a great way to help your mental health.
Thanks!
Ahhh, thank you! 🙏
I know how you feel.
I‘m - in general - a Caregiver for elderly People and my last job brought me nearby to a burn out. I could‘t complete my tasks or I was agressive to my coworkers and/or the people I was taken care of. At least I‘ve got to be fired and that was like a new beginning or a rebirth - kind of 😉
Very nice video and above all honest and I like that. Being sensitive or emotional is not a weakness, on the contrary it proves that we can experience feelings of joy or sadness but not weakness.
When you share life with a person, which is not the easiest task in my opinion, it is essential that a dialogue and trust be established between the two, knowing that you can express your doubts to a person is comforting.
Life is only worth living if you do what you love, if every morning you wake up and go to work with a smile then the day will be flourishing and will leave you with beautiful memories, want to start again the next day, then you are right, live your life to the fullest, try what you want, dream dreams at night in your bed and be happy with the work you have accomplished, if you look in the mirror and you are proud of yourself so you have understood everything about life!
👍
This was personal for me also. Being a longtime woodworker, I suffered a stroke in 2013 which put me out of work. Took 3 years to get back into my shop. And exactly 1 year ago having rotator cuff surgery the anesthesiologist paralyzed my right diaphragm. Living in a small town I had to travel to a specialist in Atlanta at Emory University Hospital. This man basically saved my life but I can’t get into my shop now and don’t know if I ever will be able to, and what’s even worse my 33 year old daughter wants me to teach her woodworking. She watches your channel and several other female woodworkers. She said Dad you’ve been doing this over 40 years full time and at night when you worked another job and your the only one I want teaching me. How do I answer this
Hug
Thank you :-)