Burn out

[Pat]

I planned on doing so much with dollhouses I'm working on while recuperating from knee surgery.....that was 2 years ago and I just had no desire to work on them.....and then about 2 weeks ago I  couldn't wait to start on them again.....go figure?  Finally conquering my Rich Tudor childhood dollhouse and then on to Fairfield....has anyone ever experienced this type of burnout? 

[SewMini]

Not with dollhouses but with sewing. I love doing costumes but after making my friend's Kylo last year I just didn't much want to touch my machines. I dont mind doing little projects here and there but my heart's not been in it. It probably doesn't help that I've been on a minimalist kick for quite some time and I also don't have a need to fill up my closet with more clothes I don't necessarily need. That said, my sewing table has been great for working on minis!

[L Swearengin]

Sometimes you just need a break.  My problem is the buggers won't leave me alone.  They call at me in the night to come visit.  Which is why I'm now sitting in this truck fighting sleep like a 2 yr old.

[Thimble Hall]

I do all manner of crafts and I find after a few months of doing any one of then I burn out, then I switch to a different one . What goes around comes around. I find trying to finish something when I have clearly had enough usually ends with mistakes so I just move on and get back to it later  . However I always have something on the go

[jbnmini]

I think it happens to most of us creative folks.  Sometimes we just need a break to revitalize and re-energize! 

[WyckedWood]

It has definitely happened to me. Not just burn out but interest in other hobbies takes precedence sometimes. Also it sounds funny but dollhousing tends to make me fat. I get really focused and sit working on minis for hours on end, then realize I've gained 10 pounds in a month. That happened when I was working on flowers for my cottage... I've been losing weight, lost 30 # since January so I have to be careful not to get back into that routine, and force myself to get up and move around more. 

[Pat]

Thank you all for your mental support.....I'm so glad I'm not alone.....I do know about the weight aspect of it and getting lost in time working on them. My watch broke so I put my kitchen timer on so that whoops all of a sudden the sun is sinking......I had bought white textured ceiling wallpaper years ago and I put it on the walls of my Tudor and it looks great and really works with Tudor look and dark molding......this helped get me in the groove again and excited about finishing..... 

[KathieB]

2 hours ago, L Swearengin said:

Sometimes you just need a break.  My problem is the buggers won't leave me alone.  They call at me in the night to come visit.  Which is why I'm now sitting in this truck fighting sleep like a 2 yr old.

I hope you're not driving it!

[havanaholly]

3 hours ago, L Swearengin said:

Sometimes you just need a break.  My problem is the buggers won't leave me alone.  They call at me in the night to come visit.  Which is why I'm now sitting in this truck fighting sleep like a 2 yr old.

 

55 minutes ago, KathieB said:

I hope you're not driving it!

Aren't Lawanda & hubs driving to Ocean Springs?

[L Swearengin]

He driving.  I'm sleeping.  And yep on the way to ocean springs.  Stopped in winona MS for lunch.  Ate at a little "hole in the walls called catfish zone.  Wow it was great.  I'm not a fan of catfish, but this food was delish, home cooked.  Then woke up in Jackson for the rain, accidents, and traffic.

[havanaholly]

Lawanda, I don't know which I like better, catfish or mullet! 

[rodentraiser]

I've had a terrible burnout for the last couple of years. I can't seem to get any project started, let alone finished. Then when I do start them, I lose interest and sell them off or give them away. This shadowbox thingy is finally making a turning point for me. I told Lisa that NOW I'm finally starting to have fun with the miniatures. I can only hope the urge to get going keeps going.

[Dalesq]

I've lost interest in projects part way through and used to feel bad about it, but I've decided they were learning experiences and worth it for the knowledge I gained. I've put some houses aside in the cupboard to return to later if the mood strikes. But minis are for me to enjoy, so I work on what is inspiring me and making me excited to do more. Sometimes that means furniture or accessories, sometimes that's a new house. What I especially love about minis are the many different techniques and skills you learn along the way, and the varied mediums. There's always something new to try.  

[Sable]

Five years is all the time I can devote to anyone thing except marriage and children. I think it has something to do with moving all of the time as a child. After five years I get antsy and want to move onto something else. I'm sure that my miniatures and houses will always be with me but I'm really starting to dislike the clutter associated with building.  Maybe if I store it all away for a while, I'll miss it and come back to it. 

[SewMini]

I think one of the things that burns me out about sewing is that people know I sew and come to me with impossible projects that they need fixed in two days or ask me to custom make things like dresses for $25. Its just not enjoyable. My friend Dustin is the only person I enjoy sewing for because he always brings me SUPER nerdy projects that challenge my skills. He leaves me to it to do it though and isnt the least bit demanding. Sadly, when it comes to sewing people like that are few and far between.

With Minis, Ive had to learn that slow and steady is ok. I dont have to get everything done now now now! A little here, a little there and progress is still being made. That seems to keep me from burning out so far.

[Khadi]

I've gone years between dollhouses.  Sometimes, burnout, sometimes I want to spend time on other interests, and sometimes I just don't have the money.  I always end up coming back to it eventually though.

[L Swearengin]

My endeavor into polymer clay was a sweet recess from building.  It's therapeutic too

[havanaholly]

I have been stitching rugs as merchandise for Brimble's whilst taking a vacation from building on it.

[shannonc60]

18 hours ago, SewMini said:

I think one of the things that burns me out about sewing is that people know I sew and come to me with impossible projects that they need fixed in two days or ask me to custom make things like dresses for $25. Its just not enjoyable. My friend Dustin is the only person I enjoy sewing for because he always brings me SUPER nerdy projects that challenge my skills. He leaves me to it to do it though and isnt the least bit demanding. Sadly, when it comes to sewing people like that are few and far between.

With Minis, Ive had to learn that slow and steady is ok. I dont have to get everything done now now now! A little here, a little there and progress is still being made. That seems to keep me from burning out so far.

You need to grow a backbone sweetie and start saying no occasionally! It is therapeutic too. I have a friend who is a sewer and she often ends up with piles of clothes (ie 8 Ralph Lauren t shirts and 10 pairs of trousers, so expensive stuff too that you don't want to wreck!) to take up and hem, for $100. That's a few days' work there. I tell her to start saying no. People are very ready to take advantage when they can.

[Goldenrodfarm]

In general I tell people I am too busy to do hemming and sewing, but I got stuck last summer.  My nephew was telling his new wife that I did sewing, I had hemmed an expensive silk suit for a friend that has a massage business, while visiting on the island in exchange for a massage.  So his new wife says she has some pants that need hemming, just cheap cotton, I figured that it wouldn't take long, a machine job not hand sewing.  However the pants in question had a cuff with a draw string and there were 12 pairs.  Who buys 12 pairs of pants at a time anyway, they are all exactly alike except the color, 6 white, two peach, two tan and two an olive green.  I ended up cutting the cuff off with a seam allowance, cutting the pants to length, then sewing the cuff back on, I opened the bottom of the cuff and tucked in the raw edges and top stitched it.  Probably I took too much care on them but I hate raw edges showing, it was a lot of seam ripping to get them apart!

[havanaholly]

That's when the word "no" is useful.

[SewMini]

Oh believe me I say no a lot lol. I am always honest about cost and time. I generally charge $10 an hour for labor on top of materials. That pretty much scares everyone away. I thought about getting into costuming but changed my mind because I knew it would end up being too stressful. Now that Ive switched to mostly miniatures, people have stopped asking me to sew things. 

I think, like anything, too much of a good thing is bad. Its hard not to dive into the rabbit hole and then end up feeling like Alice did when she just wanted to go home. At least it is for me. I used to spend hours and hours sewing because my husband traveled extensively. i think I sewed enough for a life time and now I dont enjoy it as much. Plus it's an expensive hobby. I mean minis can be expensive but there's more ways to DIY things. If you skimp in sewing, your project suffers and doesnt look good. 

[Goldenrodfarm]

I know what you mean about the sewing, not only fabrics are expensive but trims, zippers or buttons can double the cost of the project.  Sometimes a sewing project is just blah without the trims that make it unique.  I stopped sewing for myself years ago and went to mostly quilting except the years my two nieces had American girl dolls.  Their dolls were the best dressed AGD's in the neighborhood.  Their playmates used to ask them if I would make their dolls clothing.  The last big project I did with the AGD was the 12 princess dresses, they were beautiful, tons of people at work asked me to make them AGD clothing but I held a firm NO!  The project I liked best was the horses and riding outfits.  They came from an older Vogue pattern and were designed for 18" dolls, they included making saddles, bridles, cooling coats and a canvas pail.  The outfits were complete English riding habits with jophurs, blouse, wool coat, helmet, and boots.   The most trouble I had with the AGD patterns is that there are a lot of really poor fitting patterns that sell tons.  I have several books by a well known designer of AGD clothing and I had to extensively alter the patterns.  The dolls will be slightly different because of the stuffed body, but when the waist on a 11.5" measurement is 14.5" finished that is a problem.  Guess my tailoring experience would not allow me to dress them in clothing that hangs off them.  At least the amounts of material for these dolls is minimal, but some of the princess dresses cost $25-35 in materials, and people would want to pay $20. The Cinderella ball gown was an expensive thing to make, but a labor of love.

[miniaddicted]

I experience this as well, have gone months and sometimes years on mini hiatus. It does feel good to get inspired again to come back to it. Its cyclic for me, but gets derailed or fast-forwarded by real life, Having had a tumultuous work life in the last few years does affect it. After I got laid off, I got back into it, and was able to really finish my Thornhill, after starting it 8 years ago! 

Just prior to being laid off, I had purchased my Lawbre French Chateau....so I went full speed ahead on that while job hunting. Then my 6 months of hell at the job I took, and not much work done then, until I felt my sense of self worth returning, and got the job I have now and love it. I've tried to regulate my balance again, and that's working. Funny how minis can be a savior to your soul, a way to find your way again.

 

[WyckedWood]

A way to find your way again......love that. So true.