Being the Expert Doesn’t Mean Pushing Through Burnout
Being the Expert Doesn’t Mean Pushing Through Burnout
Now, to you, this might not seem like a big issue. But to me? I’ve felt like a letdown.
So many people know and see me as the expert Brand Artist.
Curated, real and passionate.
And that is true.
But what you don’t always see is the perfectionist behind the scenes.
The anxiety.
The exceptionally high standards I hold myself to.
That part of me is very real and something I’m super open about in person, even if it doesn’t always make it online.
When creativity and energy stop lining up…
On top of all that… I’m a creative. And creatives need to follow their energy.
But with Brandvent, I’ve been doing the opposite.
If you’re a business owner who started from pure love for what you do — I already know you get this. When everything is a labour of love, the tiniest slip feels monumental. Like it somehow erases all the good work that came before it.
It’s exhausting.
And pretending otherwise doesn’t make you more “professional”. It just makes you tired.
The truth about Brandvent (and why I’m changing it)…
Because my studio is literally built on transparency and boundaries, I’m not going to quietly push through and pretend everything’s fine.
So here it is, clean and honest:
I LOVE the Brandvent Calendar.
Like, LOVE love love love it.
I’ve had so much fun creating it.
But doing it alongside launching Brand Brain IRL, so close to Christmas, while also navigating big business shifts and… you know… life life-ing?
I was heading full speed toward burnout.
I came into this thinking:
24 DAYS OF DROPS?!
Iconic.
Delicious.
FUN.
And in very on-brand Jess fashion, I wildly underestimated how much time it would take.
Add in a bladder infection, a health flare-up, and the luteal phase doing what she does best and suddenly it was very clear:
I should’ve done 12. Lol.
Why this was scary to admit…
I’m great at sharing the highlights. Aren’t we all?
But actually saying this out loud? Terrifying.
Because the brain immediately goes to:
People will think this
I’ll look like that
I’m letting people down
Blah blah blah.
All the familiar nonsense we tell ourselves.
Which is exactly why I knew I had to do it.
Choosing leadership over burnout…
This is what authority actually looks like…
Being the expert doesn’t mean pushing through burnout.
It doesn’t mean ignoring your body, your energy, or your boundaries.
It means knowing when to pivot — and being confident enough to do it out loud.
So thank you for letting me be human with you.
