Personal Update: A Much Needed Mental Break
I'm In Need To Recharge My Batteries
I’ve always heard about content creators of all stripes eventually burning out from the grind of consistently putting out new material; sometimes weekly, sometimes even daily. I never really got it. If you’re talking about something you love, how could burnout even happen? Well, I have to eat my words because I hit that wall weeks ago. Hell, if i’m being honest with myself, I may have hit a couple months back. So, after a lot of thought, I’ve made the difficult (and maybe even risky) decision to take a break - about two months off from writing new film reviews or producing any new podcast content.
I’ll still post on social media when I feel like it, I’ll still be catching up to the latest films and logging them on letterboxd, and I’m more than happy to be a guest on others’ podcasts; but for at least two months, I need a spring break from the content creation grind. Just enough time to mentally recharge, get some personal and professional affairs in order, and do some behind-the-scenes work on how I deliver my content so that when I come back, I’ll be stronger than ever.
This comes at a time when I’m taking my shot at getting Rotten Tomatoes approved and just starting to see real audience growth across the platforms where my podcasts are streaming. But I’ve realized that, for the sake of my health and the people counting on me, I need a full mental recharge - and the best way to do that is by stepping back for a bit.
I know this break comes with the risk of losing some folks who expect consistent content, but (counting my failed attempt at a movie podcast back in 2021) I’ve been putting out new content every week for four years straight; no breaks, not even during the roughest parts of my year-long separation. I haven’t had a real pause from the film critic grind in far too long. So I figure, if I’m going to take a break, now’s the time; early in the movie year, when there aren’t too many major releases dropping anyway.
So I ask, especially those of you subscribed to the newsletter, to be patient with me for a little while as I take this spring break from producing film reviews and more. I have all the motivation and drive in the world to come back stronger, ready to bring you even more and better-quality content in this space of film criticism. But first, I need to unplug myself for a bit before I plug back in. I hope you understand.
Aside from any potential media appearance posts, I’ll see you all again in late April or early May.