Cinnamon apple buns

What are you doing get off ur butt tox

This is a brilliant, helpful video. Thank you so much!

As a writer I disagree. I’m not a human, I’m an alien from Zq$51 I just wear a human suit to blend in.

All my support ❤ burnout and being an entrepreneur are brutal, especially lately ! I wish you peace and healing❤

I love your videos - and that is great tea!

Can anyone identify the inks that Rachael shows us at 6:50 ? I must have them!

Okie dokie then It's been about a little over four years since I've decided I wanted to write a book. Since then, the journey has been wild from an external state of having just survived the plague to later getting kicked out of a home, to then an internal state of having breakdowns on my apartment floor from worrying whether or not the book would even be good to realizing I wouldn't make it to a personal deadline I made long ago. My "deadline" was supposed to be December 2021, yet here I am still writing. Oddly, I finished my first draft the following year, 2022, then proceeded to get a second, third, and fourth done all the way up until Halloween 2023, yet here I am taking over half a year to work on my fifth draft. To keep this already long comment short, I've been taking my sweet time with this fifth draft, making sure I get it right, and intentionally worked slowly while reading more books than I ever had in my life partly for research, mainly to survive during my actually paying job (Audible, my beloved), and of course, because I love the stories, the words, the sentences, pages, poetries, and novels. Simply put, I love the art, and I wanted to paint my own words for the world to see. That all said, it's been over four years, getting pretty close to a whole year since my last draft, and I'm what some people may call tiiiired, but following what you said... Four years ago, I decided I wanted to write a book, and whelp... I'm going to do it. Tldr, really appreciate the pep talk. Honestly, it feels hella lonely for me to write because of my own damn fault (talking and meeting with writers who understand sound nice, but damn, that means talking to people in general), so being able to just hear someone lovingly shout at me to do it or to remind me why I want to write... Your words feel like a breath of fresh air after the suffocations of doubt and idle hands. Thank you again, and I hope to watch this video again in the future, whether for a nice kick in the ass or just to hear how you say "book." Sincerely, Thank you

This is everything I have been looking for. Will it be out soon?

I had a girlfriend who had already joined the military and shipped out not long after we met. She had to hand write letters to me and I still have them, 25 years later. I hand wrote a couple letters to her but then I decided to type and print them because daily mail was better for her than less frequent handwritten mail. Spoiler, no it didn’t work out. But I’m a better person because I knew her and I’m sure she’s a great person all on her own.

Rachel soooo helped me get thru 2020 I tried to like and comment every video but apparently I didn’t come up with a comment for this one so here it is a bit late, I’m happy that you and I and Rachel are still here to see it

I watched and liked this when it came out but I didn’t comment. I’m sorry for all the butterfly effects that my comment might have had on the algorithm. Maybe if I had commented, Rachel would now be the global prime minister and we’d be living on Mars and we’d all be better off. Again I apologize

I hope you realise that your absence doesn't say "you failed", I genuinely thought you were busy living life. Ive never been able to or been inspired to make creativity my job, I need money to be money and creativity to be creative. I think there are a lot of us out there!

I would love to see her full circle in the plot embryo, reviewing books again and reinventing herself like the artist she is .

Hey, thanks for the update. Wow, rough days - bummer, but it sounds like you've found your way through - keep on keeping on

I'm obsessed with the way you say "book" :3

Thanks for the update! I’ve been a long time watcher and patron. Your videos have helped me a lot over the years and I wish you all the best. I’ll be around for whatever it is!

Have been loving your content for many years now. Congratulations on identifying what you need and following through with it. Honoring yourself is the best way to move through burnout. It's not easy. Thank you for this, your authenticity is what has kept me coming back consistently. Looking forward to the Patreon structure and what comes of it. Well done.

Thank you for all the wonderful videos Rachel, enjoy this brand new chapter and wishing you all the best! ❤

What a journey!! So happy for where and how you've landed and wish you all the best!

I've been following you for a long time, ever since you put out your "How to Write a Novel" guide for NaNo year and years ago. I am actually not sure that is what it was called. I 100% understand these feelings. I also had to do a job hut for a different reason, having to leave a 10-year self-employed job in printing. It was SO hard! The job hunt is brutal. I also finally found something in a totally new field of work, and love it! Hang in there! I'm rooting for you!

I wish I could have invested in your course before - I too am a burned out creative with no money - and I want you to know what you offer / have offered is amazing and you deserved for it to work. F capitalism. I love your videos and will be following along no matter what you post next! As someone in a similar position to you, content around your life as a part time worker and how you stay creative is something I'm really interested in if you choose to pursue that. Hope this balance continues to work for you! ❤

I'm hearing this from so many people the past couple months. People who weren't making bazillions of dollars on youtube or whatever, but were making enough to get by...and aren't now. It makes me wonder: where's that money going? SOMEone is still getting paid, but WHO? If the algorithms and the policy changes and the restructuring of things is taking income away from small and medium creators...who is it going to? Advertisers are still advertising; people are still making regular content. But if everyone's revenue is half of what it was...where's that other half? Google/Meta's pockets? I don't know, but it didn't just disappear into the aether, so....?

Last year and this have been brutal, I work online and I've seen a wild decrease in opportunities and work. I totally get this, I kind of wonder if a similar path would be good for me.

I am a translator and I too have noticed a similar trend (I'm being replaced by AI then being called in to fix the mess the AI made) and it sucked to feel like this was something I could make my living on and then have that gradually become less and less possible.

I'm only half way through the video so I'm sorry if it goes against the point in any way, but I feel there's a reason why most artists' works 'before they make it' ends up being the best. I think it's because they are still in touch enough with the mind of the majority of humanity, working by the hour. Maybe that's just my wishful thinking since I am a creator still working by the hour myself, but I really believe it. I'm very skeptical of the dream of the 'freelancer'. I'm sure more goes into the pockets of those who market this lifestyle from a seat beyond comfort, more than the people who grind and grind to make it happen.

You didn't fail. Capitalism failed you.

My mum has an online business selling handmade products and she experienced the same problem. Boom at the beginning of Covid, and then a steady, harsh decline. I think much of it is the overspending that happened during covid, and subsequent contraction of the economy post-covid. I haven’t been able to afford your programs because of many similar struggles (creatives primarily serving other creatives will always run up against this issue, I think), but I am happy to contribute what I can through patreon, whatever your content schedule will be. 😊

It's good to be happy in the simple things. Wishing you well for the future.

I had a full blown identity crisis after I’d spent 20 years being the guy doing the thing, and I finally stepped down to being the guy administrating the guys doing the thing. I didn’t sleep for days but my job description technically didn’t change and my daily tasks were much easier. But it wasn’t me

In 2020 I did reach out to KZfaq and you are the channel I had the most sympathy with. I know your 2020 was awful but I envied your particular flavor of awful and I knew you’d probably welcome my flavor of awful. You helped me realize that we were all having our most awful year in isolation, and that I should be grateful for the least awful parts of my life. I’ll always remember you when I think of 2020

Just wanted to say that I'm sorry that things have been tough and I'm glad you're doing better now. Hope things continue to trend upward for you.

As always, your vulnerability and honesty are so appreciated. The video reminds me of a part of "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert - she talks about how she worked a day job through most of her early career, and would have kept working one if "Eat, Pray, Love" hadn't exploded like it did. She didn't see working a day job as a failure; rather, she was very careful about not putting the pressure of "survival" onto her creativity - expecting creativity to pay the bills is a sure-fire way to kill it. I've always held onto that advice, even as I yearn to be able to write full time! Another thought, more personal - I've been watching your videos for 7ish years now (and have been a patreon for several years too). You're basically the only KZfaqr I've consistently followed for that long, and I think it's largely because you and your content has continued to grow and change. I started following you for writing advice, and although I still write fiction, I've grown to love your bullet journaling content, your witchy content, your vlogs, and basically everything you create. So as much as I'll miss your YT videos, I'm only excited for your growth and new phase. And to anyone reading this who isn't a patron - what are you waiting for?! Go join it now - it's so worth the couple of bucks a month!!

I had an eerily similar experience. A boom in 2015. A decline that began in 2016 and lasted through 2018. I highly doubt I’ll ever return to being an entrepreneur, which still to this day shocks people because they tend to glamorize the work. Thank you for sharing this. It’s rare to hear this experience articulated, and I appreciate it.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm gonna miss your writing videos, they were so personable and made me feel like I was not the only person in the world going through the same conundrums, I liked your methodical way of breaking through your own barriers and helping others in the process, but I am very happy for your newfound balance. My whole life as an adult has been about finding time for creative pursuits while still holding down a job, there is definitely something to be said for a little stability, in a lot of ways I think it takes the pressure off the creative pursuits, so yeah, I'm happy for you. I followed your videos for such a long time that in a weird way I feel like I know you. Anyway, thanks for all you do, and best of luck in further pursuits. I look forward to any video updates, even if you're not going to be doing it super regularly.

I’m glad you’ve found things that make you happy. I’ll be watching for your videos when you decide to reach out via KZfaq. Wishing you all the best!

Burnout is absolutely devastating. I don't think the human body and mind were really made to do *anything* full-time for a long time... *especially* when it is something we love to do, which makes it even harder to recover from it. There are two of the most important things I've learned in life from my favorite philosopher. The first: chase happiness despite how absolutely absurd this world is. The second is that no matter how unforgiving life can be, coffee is always the answer.

creativity is a long road, and some turns and twists on it are luckier than others. you've been one of the very rare very fortunate few for a long time, it must be difficult to lose that. i hope coffee brings you back to a better place.

Here's to what's next ✨

Rachael I know where you're coming from. I've had several instances and even years when I've thought of myself a failure due to outside influences. I had to really sit down and have a long months long talk with myself. I've often felt like being a creative is not something I should be. I have felt I should be something else, but then who am I serving? Myself, or someone else's version of me. I'm now at that stage when I do have moments of doubt, but it's usually attached to an outside pressure. I have had to learn to shut that stuff out as it's too negative and soul crushing. Keep your chin up and I'm glad you are doing what makes you happy. Be safe.

Good luck with everything, Rachel. Xx

As a career university academic who is leaving for (many) personal sustainability reasons, but finding it very hard to reframe my view of myself, what you said about work seeping into identity by people’s reactions insidiously feeding one’s ego rang extremely true. I have found it personally helpful to remind myself: I did all those things - I wrote those papers, I made those incremental contributions to knowledge, I was a teacher to those students, those were positive effects I had on the world. I can own that. Doesn’t mean that’s all I can now do until I die. Doesn’t mean that’s all I should do. That’s what I did, doesn’t mean that’s who I am.

❤

I’m happy that you are finding your path and doing what is right for you.

been watching for a few years. I found your content in covid and it's kept me company ever since - from my uni graduation to my own job hunt to my move to a new city. anyway lots of growth over these years and I'll always associate your work with that - with big life changes but also finding my feet in new circumstances. idk, your work just hit really well with my experiences then and I appreciate it all so much. but at the same time, this feels right, too - end of an era but the start of something new. good luck in the shift and a heartfelt thank you for creating beautiful work for this community!

Thank you for this update & the beautiful shots with it! I actually resonate a lot with this--not as a content creator but as a freelance translator, I also made the choice to stop & look for other work in 2023 as it was just not paying my bills anymore & I was sick of having to borrow money from family (which I was blessed to be able to do but still). I get the isolation & lack of social interaction. Actually I only realized after starting my current office job how unhealthy the self-employment was socially. Now I'm in the office 3 days a week, the other 2 remote & I feel so much better! Financial anxiety can be so stressful, I read somewhere that poverty makes people less intelligent because money is always on your mind, dominating you. I'm so happy that you're out of that stressful phase now & that you found exactly the part-time job that you wanted! I hope you can enjoy creating again, whatever that looks like for you going forward. <3

Buena historia..😊

If you don't mind my saying, I think you're very lucky if you only need to work part time. I want to switch back to part-time work so badly. My company doesn't overwork me by the standards of a 40-hour work week, and there's no expectation to work overtime or to put in more hours than I clock on paper, but averaging five full days of hospitality work, plus the commute, makes me too tired to do anything else. Up to and inside of the pandemic, I worked a different role and on flex-time. I was able to balance my own work schedule and distribute my spoons as I needed them. Those days are gone. If I could reduce my work week by even one day, it would make a huge difference in what I could get done outside of the job. I have loved your content here on KZfaq, some of which I find infinitely rewatchable and motivating. Thank you for having made it. I wish you contentment and security and look forward to whatever announcements you have in the future, whenever you're ready to make them💕

You're a beautiful Creative, Rachael. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I will look forward to any video you put up when it's fun and enjoyable for you. Take care of yourself.

I had been struggling with burnout for a couple years, and it sucked. I’m sorry ur having to go through it. For me, the book “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work” by Seth Godin really helped me. Rather than stressing myself out over big projects, it helped me realize the value of putting out little things. For instance, I would love it if you would publish one of ur game campaigns via KDP. Print or just ebook. Or maybe just a really simple daily journal that had some of your monthly bujo trackers in it - complete with fold lines for the dashboards. Your videos are so full of small, but exceptional elements, like the tools that you have built for yourself to manage day-to-day tasks. I hope ur back soon, bc so many of these little things have really helped me.