You are not going to like this. But it’s the truth. That anxiety you feel? When you’re releasing that art thing or that creative project of yours? It never fades. I know, I know, it’s not what you wanted to hear. But there is a silver lining: that anxiety has a function. Without it, you wouldn’t be an artist actually. Allow me to explain. In our Amsterdam music app group, one of the singers recently told us that she was viciously attacked online after posting a video of her s

Many of us can get disheartened in the storytelling professions. So this is a simple blog to boost your moral. There is always demand for a good story. So hang in there and read this article every time you feel down. Here goes... Storytelling is a demand-driven market. There is always – and I really mean always – demand for good storytellers. Despite appearances, good stories are in short supply. Just think of this: Hollywood on average produces somewhere between 500 and 700

One of the key aspects to a successful creative career is owning (up to) what you bring out. I call this creative agency or ownership: a culmination of everything you can and cannot do with your own output. And on each step - big or small - you will always face the same choice: do I keep my agency, or give it away? To anwer that question, I'm going to scare the living bejesus out of you. It is a great game... Flipping the script Just now, I had a really nice lunch with a ver

Recently, I visited one of my best friends who had a bit of a fallback in her burnout cycle. Although she's been doing all the right things, she sometimes still doesn't feel it yet. She cried and then finally felt some positive vibes. So in this blog we're skipping the creative and storytelling part today (my 'story' and 'world' readers: plenty of articles in the pipeline!), as I wanted to pay attention to your process in restoring from creative depression, anxiety and burno

After a burnout, a creative depression or in stressful times all together, your body's alarm bells can be a little too sensitive. In other words, they go off too quickly, sparking feelings of anxiety. This can be very, very unpleasant. But however terrible the feeling, it is not something to be too worried about. It is just something that needs to be re-tuned. Today we discuss two ways to do this: exposure and EMDR, so you have a better sense of what to do and which to choose

How does it feel to be 'in the zone' creatively? Most people feel or imagine it to be a state of great confidence. And yes, sometimes you'll feel on top of the world. We usually call this being in a 'a state of flow'. But there is a second 'zone' that feels like the total opposite: full of doubt, anxiety, pain and frustration. Yet, it can still make you feel absolutely fantastic. And it's this zone that tells your creative story. Everyone who has ever been on a surfboard

A well known and often used technique to fight anxiety, depression and burnout is keeping a diary. There is no doubt in my mind about its benefits, however it is worth to discuss exactly why it can work for you. Knowing the process behind it means you've won half the fight already, even without penning anything down yet. So, let's explore. Although the body is an integral part of it, anxiety, burnout, trauma, grief and depression all play themselves out in the mind . To be

Art and culture sectors are suffering deeply. That's not only terrible for them, it's devastating for the entire world economy. What so many people fail to realize is that art and culture are the actual beating heart of our entire economic system. They may not produce the lion's share of income, but without art and culture, our system of cash will crash. So today, in eleven anecdotes and stories, I'm going to show the role of art and culture has in making sure we can put brea

Today, I'd like to share with my readers a personal approach of mine in storytelling: being a stoic. Stoicism is a life philosophy made popular by Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest roman generals and emperors in all of history, that ultimately comes down to the ability to separate logic and emotion in your mind, so you can make virtuous decisions. It's a hard skill to master, but incredibly useful to you as a storyteller when you do. Let's dive in! A good storyteller shoul

“Everywhere? No way!” Her eyes big, mouth open in astonishment, while she stared at her grandfather. “It’s true. Cross my heart.” Grandfather leaned back a little and directed a loving smile at his young granddaughter. “You’re making fun again, aren’t you! I don’t believe you!” She punched his arm like she would always do when she had the feeling, he was making things up. But there was no hint of that usual glint in his eyes. The smile on his face held no pleasure. He just ga

In a creative career, criticism is the one big constant you'll always face. On the one hand, you'll have to follow your own gut feeling. On the other, you'll have to embrace the criticism, since in the end, it's the only thing that will make you better. But the million dollar question is... when they you do what ? Let's dive in! The creative conflict Since storytelling is all about creating conflict , let's begin with throwing a nice big stone in the pond: one of the most de

Apart from a general lack in energy many burnout victims also suffer from anxiety issues. This happens for a reason: your feelings and your breathing are connected to one another. And anxiety is triggered by shallow breathing. So let’s talk feelings, breathing... and movies. Think of what happens when you're watching a scary movie. You hold your breath, right? Why is that? It's because even when in real life you are perfectly safe (sitting on your couch or in the cinema) in y

When we are stuck creatively, becoming more depressed, or even already in a burned out state, we tend to overthink. The trick to getting out of this rut, is not to think, but to feel your way out of a negative mindset. Fortunately, there are many techniques than can help spark this, and reconnect you with your emotional world. Including literally feeling into that underbelly. Let's explore! Overthinking When we are not feeling good, we tend to over analyze all kinds of thin

So, there is no cure for burnout. Why? Because you are not sick, nor broken. You feel terrible yes. But you don't have a disease. You should never think in terms of 'curing' yourself. Because you ain't broken. In the end you are 'just' burned out and very much still alive and healthy. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You do however require some treatment. And most of all you need time. As by now most of you will know, I always recommend taking a highly personal appro

Of course, I make a point in the book of saying your recovery should be highly personal. So I don’t know if this will work for you… but I want to tell you about my experiences with all kinds of Martial Arts. For me personally, they worked. And still work brilliantly today to keep stress away and give me creative focus! Balancing emotions Any kind of movement is good for you if you are stressed, feeling stuck or burned out. Our first blog post is even on just going for a walk

Very often burnout victims have not paid attention to the signals their body gave them. Heck, I even ignored an episode when I landed in the emergency room with a gigantic panic attack! So yes, this lesson is very, very simple: don’t ignore signals... stupid! And for creative people: pay attention to the specific ones! When you are moving towards a burnout your body is overproducing a very useful hormone called cortisol. This is known as the ‘stress-hormone’ and is actually b

A special mention in your personal road to recovery is friends and family. They are the ones who stand by you in your time of need. However, sometimes they can also be part of the cause of your burnout. Try to tread lightly here and take it easy in your relationships with them. Take time to feel your way through. And remember that the only constant in relationships, is change. Let's dive in deeper. Relationships always change During the burnout I discovered many of the relat

A lot of the reactions I get are from the people who support burnout victims, help people with creative anxieties or step up to the plate for those who get depressed for not achieving their creative life goals. So I thought, let’s give a few quick pointers on what to expect when you are part of the Help Team. A shoulder can be enough The first thing is: you don’t always need to offer full-blown help. When we see someone in need, we have the natural tendency to reach out and t

Thank you so much for the fantastic interview by Watersedge Counseling on Restart - Burnout Recovery. It is an honor to tell the story from a patient perspective, time and time again. Please check out the full interview in the link below: https://watersedgecounselling.com/how-to-beat-burn-out/ Love, as always Rogier van Kralingen

What we wish for when we are in a negative emotional state is to come out of it. Yet, it's a cycle: the more we want to be out of the negative, the worse we feel. The switch back to a positive outlook often remains elusive, meaning we start to wish for it even more. That's the cycle. Luckily, there is a way out: embracing the bad. The paradox of emotions It's a paradox: the best thing to do break the cycle of negative feelings is to simply embrace them. This is the reality: L