24/10/2025
Let's talk about ✨B U R N O U T✨
it's been 6 months since I've created anything, been in the studio, or even touched clay... I was pushing myself mentally and physically for months trying to meet these impossible standards I set for myself and my business.
Working in the studio sometimes 8+hrs a day several days a week, going to 3-day markets, creating my website, marketing, photography, social media and making content, making custom orders, promoting myself (which was extremely uncomfortable for me), pitching to vendors, selling in stores, bookkeeping, budgeting, buying supplies... Starting a small business can be incredibly challenging and you truly are a 1-person operation trying to fill the shoes of 10 different roles...none of which you have any real training for or experience in. It's all about learning as you go and sometimes failing time and time again before getting it right (which can be so mentally draining).
In April I went abroad for two weeks on a family vacation and this was the break I needed to finally step back and give myself a chance to breathe. My mind and body were finally able to rest...to stop going 100 mph...to stop the constant internal dialogue of what to do next and how to make things better...and to stop being so hard on myself for the slightest negativity.
When I returned home I lost my motivation to create because my body was telling me I needed more time. Thinking about my business and pottery made me more anxious bc of the guilt and shame I felt for stepping back. I wanted to keep going but I made the decision to come back when I felt ready.
This doesn't mean I failed.
This doesn't mean my business failed.
It means I honored my body's wish for rest and now i have the strength, energy, and passion to keep going.
I'm incredibly proud of Sunfire & Co. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. And I'm proud of myself for listening to what was best for me.
These three little ducks are the first things I created in 6 months, and they bring me so much joy ✨
If you've read this far - thank you 💙
If you've experienced burnout - you are not alone and it's valid to need rest. You're doing great, you got this 🩷
