You spent the warm weather months (almost) working yourself to death, and now that it’s winter you suddenly have all of this free time. What the hell are you supposed to do with it? Lucky for you, I’ve got three tips for my fellow creatives during the off-season!

For those not from the Midwest, off-season is typically December – March, where it’s so cold and grey that most photo sessions are on hold until warmer weather arrives. (And for those who don’t believe me, it got down to -19 in Minnesota this week)

But just because I’m not constantly shooting doesn’t mean my work stops as a photographer and videographer. This is the time of year that I count on to get caught up and and do all the things that fall to the back burner during my busy season. I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to take care of my brain and my business when it’s just too. fucking. cold. to get out and shoot.

Tip 1: Rest and Recover: you probably (definitely) need it!

Despite my best intentions, I tend to push myself to the point of burn out every season. So by the time winter rolls around, I usually feel depleted and desperate for rest. Here are the best ways I’ve found that help me recover from physical (and creative!!) burnout:

+ Rest: I’m not a napper (too anxious for that!), so prioritizing 7-9 hours of sleep each night is essential

+ Movement: it gets COLD cold here, so oftentimes the recommended 30 minute walk outside just isn’t going to happen for me. Yoga videos are a great, free resource for when you can’t even leave the house to get your daily movement in

+ Make time for fun: I love coming back to the hobbies that I neglect during busy season. Reading and embroidery are my go-to’s! If you’re looking to take up a new hobby, these embroidery kits are great for fellow beginners

+ Nutrition / hydration: I try so hard to keep my body properly nourished, but when things are busy and deadlines are looming, it’s easy to slip. Having time to thoughtfully prepare nourishing meals is an excellent way to care for yourself as you recover

+ Reconnect with loved ones: being a source of emotional support for the ones I love is so important to me, but I sometimes have a habit of going MIA on them during busy season. Getting uninterrupted quality time with them is my favorite part of the slow months

+ Limit screen time: not doom scrolling (un)surprisingly does wonders for mental strain and stress levels!

Tip 2: Invest in professional development

This is a big one for me. Throughout the year I get all of these shiny new ideas for projects to try, and new ways I can improve my client experience. This is great, but I usually don’t have time to implement them in the moment. I keep a giant running to-do list on my computer, and I add those to that list when I think of them. Here are just a few items I’m working on this season:

+ Catch up on blogging 😉

+ Calibrate/clean gear: off-season is the perfect time to send our gear in for professional calibration and cleaning. When else can we afford to be without our gear for (potentially) weeks at a time?

+ Renew drone certification: I’m a big rule follower, so you know I do things by the book

+ Education/mentorships: I truly don’t know everything, and that’s ok! But I love to learn and it’s important for me to constantly improve my craft

+ Create new client materials

+ Practice film photography

Tip 3: Take the time for personal development

There are always errands and chores that we can do. We do the ones we need to do to get by, but what about the ones you put off? The ones that don’t have deadlines, but will keep your brain happy and your household running once they’re done? I have several throughout the year, and I also keep a list of these. Here are a few:

+ Go through my clothes: I either mend the ones that need it, resell them online (ThredUp and Poshmark are great!) or drop them off at my local thrift

+ Health appointments: I realized a few weeks ago that I hadn’t been to the dentist in over a year. Oops! 🤷🏻‍♀️ I went in, and they discovered that I need a root canal. While that majorly sucks, I’m so grateful for this slower season where I have the time to get things checked out and don’t have a lot going on so I can recover from that procedure. Checking in with my primary care doc and getting back into a regular therapy routine are also my priority these next few months

+ Renew passport: mine expired over the summer. Thankfully I didn’t need it to travel, but I’m ✨manifesting✨ more international adventures in 2025, so gotta get on that

+ Car tune-ups

Reminder: you are more than what you produce

Capitalism loves to tell us that we’re not valuable if we’re not working and I’m here to remind you that that’s a huge load of shit. If you don’t get anything done during this off-season, that’s totally ok. Listen to yourself and give yourself the space to do nothing if that’s what you need. If you need to talk, I’d love to hear from you 🖤