#37: How to Balance Creativity and Crisis

In this heartfelt episode of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray reflects on the importance of self-care and rest during challenging times. As she navigates the emotional weight of supporting loved ones and maintaining her business, she shares her journey of learning to prioritize her well-being without waiting for a full-blown crisis. Courtney emphasizes the value of tuning into one's body, taking intentional pauses, and creating space for rest. This episode serves as a gentle reminder that functioning isn't the same as thriving and that taking care of oneself is crucial for sustainable creativity and overall health.

Transcript

 Welcome back to the Jewelers View. This episode wasn't exactly a plan in my lineup here, but after last week's honest share about the health scare that I went through, I. I've been thinking a lot about how we move forward after a season like that, and the truth is, I'm still learning how to pace myself, how to stay steady when life doesn't slow down, just because we need it to and how not to ignore my body when everything around me feels like it's on fire or is about to be.

This is not a polished episode. It's not a five step framework like I do sometimes. It's just me sharing what I'm noticing right now because the last few weeks, They've felt like one long stretch of crisis mode. I've been navigating mental health challenges all around me, supporting loved ones in real time while still running a business.

Holding space for clients and trying to stay creatively alive in the middle of all of it. The kind of season where your calendar doesn't exactly slow down, but your soul starts whispering. Please take a pause. There's my business coaching, mentoring, creating, staying visible, steady, and useful. And there's a loved one in active crisis.

There's actually two loved ones right now. Mental health spirals, insurance, paperwork, day by day decision making, sometimes really fast. There's my oldest son and his partner who lives with us again at 19 years old. They're wonderful, but they're still young and early adulthood brings its own waves of learning that sometimes pull me back into the role of the fixer and the guide.

Then there's my husband who's stepping into new responsibility Now, a new reality slowly, but it's hard not to reflect on how long I've carried these unseen weights, really behind the scenes. and then there's me. I. My nervous system, my creative drive, my body, which so often ends up at the bottom of the list unless something forces me to notice. But here's what's different. This time I haven't crashed. I'm not in full blown crisis myself,  but I'm paying attention. I'm noticing that I wake up feeling a little more drained than rested. That simple tasks feel heavier some days, or gigantic, right? and I know now that I don't wanna wait until I hit the wall before I admit that I'm tired or need help or need a break.

Some days I still get a ton done. I'm compartmentalizing. I'm moving from one thing to the next and some days I make peace with the bare minimum. I solve problems from the couch. I send fewer emails. I work at 80% or sometimes 50% because a hundred percent every day just isn't sustainable all the time. Not if I wanna keep creating consistently, not if I wanna stay well, which is very important. That's the shift. I'm not white knuckling my way through it. I'm learning to tune in before my body makes the decision for me.

So let's take a moment for a nervous system check-in. Where are your shoulders right now? Can you drop them an inch? Can you unc unclench your jaw? Are you holding your breath? If it feels okay, pause for a moment. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths. Let the exhale be longer than the inhale.

Let your body know that you're not in danger. Not this minute. Let yourself ground. Because presence doesn't always mean productivity. Sometimes it just means being here. That's enough. And here's something else I've started doing When I feel overloaded, a simple muscle test, especially when I have to make a lot of decisions quickly. My intuition starts feeling a little bit dizzying or clouded because of all these rapid decisions in a crisis.

Stand up with your feet grounded. Think of something that you know is true. It's a solid yes. This could be. My name is Courtney Gray. Notice what your body does. Do you sway forward, do you feel steady? Now, think of something that you've been questioning. Notice again, do you feel pulled back, ungrounded tight, or do you feel like you're moving forward?

It's subtle, but this is a signal. Sometimes it says yes or no to a decision. Your body holds so much wisdom if you let it speak. Sometimes we just need a way to hear ourselves underneath all the noise and the chaos. This week I caught myself staring at my calendar convinced I've forgotten something major.

Not because I had, but because I've grown, used to the buzz of being behind or feeling like I have to scramble right, and move quickly. That invisible panic that says you should be doing more. There's more to do, even when there's no fire to put out, there's no crisis right in that moment. That's when I knew I do not want to live like that.

I don't wanna operate from constant urgency. I've talked about this before. I don't wanna normalize reactivity. Just because I've gotten good at functioning that way doesn't mean it's working because functioning isn't thriving and hyper vigilance isn't the same as being present. There was a colleague I used to work with, a brilliant metalsmith.

One night he fell asleep at the bench with his torch still lit, his body made the call no more, right? I need to rest. This stuck with me because when we don't choose to pause, eventually our bodies will choose for us, and it's rarely very gentle. It's usually a good smack upside the head. But here's the thing, burnout doesn't always look like total collapse.

Sometimes it looks like. Crying because someone asked what's for dinner or feeling nothing after completing a big project that we should be celebrating or saying yes constantly, when you desperately just wanna say no, sitting in silence and still not feeling rested. I've been there and I know I'm not the only one.

If you're in a season of caregiving, caretaking crisis, or even just holding too much. I wanna gently remind you, you don't have to earn your rest. You don't have to wait until there's a break in the schedule or someone else gives you permission. You can create time, you can make the pause even in 15 minute pockets if that's all you get, even if it means saying not now to someone that you love, even if it means the dishes weight or the inbox overflows a little bit.

Because if something's gonna drop this week, let it be the guilt, not yourself. I'll be back next week with more, but for today, I'm keeping this one simple. Where can you create space? Not just wait for it to appear in your schedule, to let your body breathe or rest, to feel your own pulse again, to tend to the creative spirit inside you.

Not just the commitments that are around you, you're not behind, you're not broken, you're in process. We're human. We're not robots, and that matters more than the to-do list ever will. Thanks for being here. You are doing more than you know. Keep it up and it's okay to rest before the world  📍 makes you onward and upward. See you next time.

   📍 Thanks for listening to The Jeweler's View. If today's episode gave you something to think about, consider sending it to a friend or share it on social and tag me at Courtney Gray Arts. You'll find tools, coaching resources, and the transform course@courtneygrayarts.com. And if no one's told you this lately, remember you're not behind.

You're becoming exactly the kind of maker your business needs and that kind of depth. It takes time. I'll be back next week, same time, same tough love, onward and upward. I.