There is one thing you should know about my family:

We are terrible with sympathy.

If you want a listening ear when life is hard and a fervent “I’m so sorry!”, it’s probably best you not come to us.

Of course, we’re not heartless, and we are sorry that sometimes life deals undeserving people a bad hand. But what you’ll receive, instead, is a suggestion on how to solve your issue.

Which is why, at the end of summer, I wasn’t surprised when, after a particularly lengthy amount of venting on my part,  my mom gave me some advice, rather than some sort of sympathetic phrase or reassuring sentiment.

Rather, she told me to take a break from my photography. To take some time, whether a week, two weeks, or even a month, and not do anything photography related. And despite how crazy it sounded, I did it.

 

Because deep down, I knew I needed it.

 

 

And so I spent the next two weeks doing things I hadn’t allowed myself to do in a very long time. Because I wasn’t obsessing over the latest batch of photos I needed to edit, or my next blog post I needed to write, I had time to cook nice meals. I watched tv. I worked on personal sewing projects. I read like I used to in high school (sitting on the couch literally all day, promising my roommates that I had indeed moved at some point between breakfast and dinner, despite all evidence to the contrary…)

(Ok, maybe it was only three times: to grab lunch from the kitchen, use the restroom, and answer the door for the UPS guy… but they don’t need to know that…)

Anyway, my point is not to wax eloquent about the benefits of providing solutions over validation when someone comes seeking a listening ear. In fact, normally I actually prefer people to be sympathetic rather than problem-solvers when I share my frustrations and hurts. Because I think most of the time people know how to fix the situation. They just want to know they’re not alone. However this time, this was something I would have never thought of on my own, and deep down, I knew it was what I needed. As Banksy so perfectly summarizes:

 

“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quite.”

-Banksy

 

Not once in those entire two weeks did I pick up my camera or even open photoshop. During those two weeks, I saw so many changes and improvements in my happiness and wellbeing, changes I had been trying to find for so long. And suddenly they were right there in front of me, blocked from view by my obsessive grip on my photography.

 

(Of course, don’t get me wrong. I still LOVE photography, and I loved photography then. It is my passion! But just because you are passionate about something, doesn’t mean you should be obsessive about something. There is a HUGE difference, which I learned during my two weeks off.

 

 

So since I have had some time to think back on what I learned during this time (and because I love creating lists), I wanted to share the five reasons I think you and I should take a break every once in awhile:

 

First, you need a chance to catch your breath every now and then.

Before my self-imposed break, I woke up in the morning and worked on my photography. During my lunch breaks, I worked on my photography. As soon as I got home, I worked on my photography. Every. Single. Day. Anything not directly related to my photography was quickly brushed aside to the “I’ll do it when I have time” pile (which meant “never”). Looking back, I realized this pace was a frantic one, and it was wearing me down. So during my “vacation”, I did a lot of things…

Let me rephrase…. I did a lot of relaxing things:

I slept. A LOT.

I made nice dinners, as opposed to my go to “dinner” of peanut butter toast (… it has protein, right?)

I watched Netflix when I wanted.

I finished reading a series I had been trying to finish FOR MONTHS.

I sewed clothes just for me.

And most importantly, I didn’t plan out my days. I just did what I felt like doing… and once my two weeks were up… I felt rested. I felt better than I had in a long, long time.

 

Second, if your mind is cluttered, there isn’t room for inspiration.

Saying I was inspired by my vacation is perhaps a little misleading. I didn’t suddenly look at the green beans I was cooking for dinner one night and realize I needed to do a photo series on vegetables (definitely not my style). But after my vacation I felt much more rested, which helped my mind feel clearer. Suddenly there was more brain power and my thoughts were able to reach much deeper as I worked through my photography ideas.

 

Third, you need a chance to check in with your health and your happiness.

My vacation also gave me the time to evaluate where I was in many aspects of my life, primarily my business, my health, and my happiness. Once I wasn’t consumed with obsessively working on my photography, I could see that my business was growing better than I thought it was and it was growing in the direction I wanted it to go (even better)! I could also see that not sleeping was making me feel emotionally unstable (sorry mom for all the dramatic phone calls)! And from a spiritual standpoint, I realized I wasn’t doing the things I needed to be doing to find happiness with where I was (like taking a moment to appreciate all the incredible things I had in my life and recognize everything that had been happening with my photography).

 

 

Fourth, you need time to reorganize and prioritize the things that matter most.

With that perspective, refreshed, open-eyed, and inspired, I saw the changes I needed to make in my life. Areas I could improve on so they didn’t stress me out as much. I needed to remember where I started and recognize how far I’d come… much more often. I needed to take time for myself. Not myself as in Madeline Shayne the photographer, but myself as in Madeline… the girl who loves to read fantasy, be outside, refurbish furniture, and take photographs of beautiful things (and maybe watch a little anime or the Great British Baking Show every once in awhile).

It’s ok if I don’t shoot as much as I wanted to in a month.

It’s ok if I don’t grow my following as much as I would like.

It’s ok if I don’t make as much money as I had hoped.

What’s really important is that I take the time to be in the moment. To enjoy the process of creating, purely for beauty’s sake. To remember who I am as an individual, of which photography is only one aspect. There are many sides to me, and I shouldn’t let one of them completely overpower all the others.

 

And finally, taking a break gives you time to prepare for the next sprint… or marathon…

When my vacation was over, I felt so much better about everything in my life. I felt organized and refreshed. And I felt ready to start again. To give it my all again (with maybe a little more time set aside more frequently for the things that bring me joy outside of photography).

And do you know what happened once I reached that point?

I got an email from Kristina A Bishoff Music, telling me we had permission from Kristen Britain to create the artwork for the official Green Rider Book Soundtrack.

Was I a frantic mess again once I got that news? Yes. Absolutely!

Did I have time to breath or really think about anything for the next month and a half? Not really… but I knew it was temporary, and I knew that once it was all over, my number one priority was to take it slow and to be proud of what I had accomplished.

Right now I have about 5,000 images to go through. I have costumes I need (and want!) to photograph. I have new shoots I need to make costumes for. And I have more client shoots this weekend.

But I also have a puppy, and the New England countryside surrounding me. The outdoors are calling, so for now I’ll work on one image at a time, enjoy my time with Freya, and appreciate my life and what I’ve been able to accomplish in this year of growth.

Because it’s pretty remarkable when you take a minute to appreciate it.