I knew back in May that this summer and particularly August and September were going to be brutal.

But as I sat contemplating another project that I was very excited about, I just couldn’t say no. Isn’t that the way with creatives? We just continue to want to create, no matter what it is, or how much we pile on?

So I knowingly went into this stretch of time, planning the second round of the Creative Spark Summit, with 2 rather large projects, also planning a revamp for Brand Kits, a full plate with my consulting work, and committing to helping a friend with her summit. What was I thinking?

It’s no surprise that I got sick last week. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. Hard.

Without thinking, I did the same thing that led me to birth the Creative Spark Summit. I found a creative project to work on that had absolutely nothing to do with all the work on my plate.

I know, you might be thinking, “but that’s completely counterintuitive. You just gave yourself more work to do, not less!” You might also be thinking I’m crazy, and you might be onto something there, but hear me out.

It was FB Ads at their best. The Woobles showed up on my feed and I knew immediately that I needed them in my life. What better way to distract myself from the mountain of work I had than by making adorable crocheted amigurumi?!

You see, I’m a firm believer that creativity, in whatever form it comes, can clear your mind, and help calm anxiety. You actually don’t even have to take my word for it, just read this article in Forbes about how creativity improves your health or just look it up for yourself.

Speaking of health, I ended up getting sick, not surprising right?

I was burnt out, I’m positive my defenses were down. That’s what overwhelm and burnout do to your body, they deplete it and when you need to defend yourself, there’s nothing left to give.

Well, I knew all of this, and I knew that I could throw myself into learning to crochet and see some benefits from it even though it seems completely counterintuitive. Even though a normal person would have made a plan to get their work done.

Instead, I got my Woobles kits and started learning to crochet, all while REALLY enjoying myself and taking my mind off of the mountain of work I had piling up.

You want to know what happened?

• I wasn’t as miserable while I was sick in bed because I was learning to crochet and making something adorable. It was actually a lot of fun.
• I felt my anxiety over work subside. The work was still there, but I was able to put my mind somewhere else and rest it for a while.
• Resting my mind worked and I quickly started catching up on work, coming back with new energy to tackle my creative work
• I learned a brand new skill that I’m really enjoying and want to expand on
• My family now wants me to crochet all sorts of stuff for them (might have figured out Christmas presents without realizing it!)

So I wanted to tell you all of this for two reasons:

1. I wanted to show my frog off, duh. My tiger will be ready soon!
2. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tell you all about the Creative Spark Summit: Holiday Edition, the second round of this summit, now with a holiday twist!

You might not think so, but you need a break. We all do. And a break filled with creative play is the best kind there is.

At the Creative Spark Summit, you’ll learn from amazing people who are incredible and successful at their particular skill and they’re going to share it with you!

We’ll spend 4 whole days together, learning and getting creative together and banishing overwhelm and burnout while we give our minds a well-deserved rest.

Once you’ve rested your mind, and filled your cup with learning and an incredibly special community, you’ll have also learned new skills. Skills that you can put to use in your personal and professional life and continue to come back to and enjoy.

And more importantly, you’ll have learned the importance of taking a break to engage in creative play. Because that is a tool that you’ll appreciate having in your arsenal for the next time you’re feeling down, overwhelmed, or burnt out. It’s one that I always come back to, and I’m sure you will too!

So I hope you join us at the Creative Spark Summit: Holiday Edition. I can’t wait to show you what’s in store for you on September 27th -30th!

Registration opens up in just one week on September 9th! So make sure you get yourself on this waitlist to be the first to know!

See you there!