The scientists of the Event Horizon Telescope project recently announced they will release the first photograph of a black hole. Further research and photographing of black holes are incredibly important not just to astrophysicists, but to all humanity. It could solidify Einstein’s theory of relativity or destroy all we understand about the universe.

The event horizon of a black hole is the point at which the escape velocity is equal to the speed of light. Because Einstein’s theory of relativity states nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, this essentially means nothing – not even light – can escape a black hole. Creative minds are very much like black holes. There is no escaping your own mind when you get fixated on a project, no matter how much you feed that voice in the back of your head.

I haven’t written anything in a few weeks and I’ve only shot one roll of film (this time last year I’d shot around six). It sounds somewhat whiny, self-righteous and temper-tantrummy, but I just don’t feel like it. After a decade of moving at the speed of light to escape my own event horizon, I’m burnt out.

Any creative understands you experience rejection and failure far more often than you do success. How you deal with rejection ultimately defines you as an artist and human being. I have no shame in admitting my rejections of the last decade greatly outweigh my successes. That, of course, does not mean I am not proud of every word I’ve written, every photography I’ve made and every project I’ve created. But with every rejection comes the uncertainty if you’re “doing it right.” Between the pressures of 21stcentury life, fighting to stay relevant, searching for new inspiration, maintaining your social and familial obligations, and finding time to pour your heart into your work, it’s pretty easy to get burn out. Add in that growing uncertainty and the burnout can become unbearably real.

I recently attended a book reading/Q&A with N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth series) and G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Alif the Unseen); if you don’t know their work, you should change that now. A member of the audience asked how both authors handle writer’s block. Their answers were simple: be kind to yourself. If you have a block, it means you need to rest. Taking a break and stepping away is a good thing. It gives you a clarity, lets you come back with fresh eyes. At a time when I was feeling the full effect of a burnout, this was exactly what I needed to hear. It reminded me of a Buzzfeed News article published in January 2019.

That black hole in your head never stops being hungry. It will tell you that you haven’t done enough and it’ll taunt you until it’s satisfied, which is at never o’clock. Hard work is great and it does pay off, but sometimes, just sometimes, you need to ignore what the black hole says. Anne Helen Petersen’s article on burnout perfectly illustrates the feelings I am unable to articulate. While this brilliant bit of writing looks at burnout specifically in millennials, it applies to everyone. The most important takeaway is that it’s okay to be burnt out. If you think you’re alone, you’re not. It’s okay to not be working all the time. It’s okay to enjoy a movie and not check your phone every six seconds. It’s okay to turn off the screens and read a book for an hour. Everyone has their limit. It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign you’re human.

I’ve taken all of this to heart the last few weeks and, honestly, it has been lifesaving. The uncertainty hasn’t gone away (it never does, sorry), but knowing my limit helps with feeling like I’m desperately escaping the event horizon. The burnout hasn’t been quite so crippling. My anxiety level at the thought of committing words to paper is exponentially lower than it has been in recent months. Life in the 21stcentury moves at a breakneck speed thanks to all of the fantastic tools at our disposal. Feeding your passion is important, beautiful, breathtaking and amazing. Just remember to be a little kind to yourself along the way.