I’m back from my winter break and I thought I would kick things off by sharing a recap of what I did while taking time off of posting on the blog and social media as well as my observations about that time and what I gained from it. First of all, when I planned this time off, I imagined it being sort of an extended, at-home creative retreat.  It would be a time to play, create, read, study, plan, and rest.  As a large part of that idea, I pictured having the house to myself for a few hours each day while the boys were at school and Jeff at work.  That would be the time I would fill the house with my music and flit about working on whatever I felt led to without interruption.  I would also take a few day trips to get out of the familiar

Last year, when Shaunna and I were interviewing Jena Holliday for the Creative Exponent podcast, Jena mentioned she took the month of January off.  Not off in the sense that she didn’t work at all, but off in the sense that she took a break from certain aspects of her work.  I remember thinking…wow, you’re really doing that?  Good for you.  And that thought evolved into…hmmm, can I do that?  After giving that option some thought, I realized I could do that.  Not only could I, but it would most likely be very beneficial for me and my business in a variety of ways.  I decided earlier this year that I would take a break from certain aspects of my work in January.  I didn’t know the exact amount of time, but I knew what I needed a break from was sharing online, which has evolved dramatically since I started