Ep. 74: What if I don't feel like it?

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How do I go and tattoo when I feel meh? 

Because I, and many of us, maybe all of us feel "meh" a lot in the face of responsibility. You can love your job very much, have it be the perfect fit for you and still feel like doing nothing when you wake up. 

So how do I get over the malaise and do it anyway? How do I output creatively when I feel empty? 

I will tell you. 

You can connect with me, Micah Riot, as well as see my tattoo art on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/micahriot/

Micah's website is www.micahriot.com
The podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout but truly lives in the heart of Micah's website at:
https://www.micahriot.com/ink-medicine-podcast/

Episode Transcript

Micah Riot (00:31):
what if you don't feel like it?
Hello darlings, this is Micah Rriot, back with another episode
of ink medicine podcast.
I was thinking about thosetaglines that people have on
their podcasts and I wasthinking something along the
lines of like Ink Medicine, apodcast about being human and we

(00:58):
look at that humanity throughthe lens of tattoos.
Ink Medicine, a podcast wherewe learn about the wide scope of
being human through the lens ofbody art.
Let me know what you think.
I think I need a tagline tosound more profesh.
You know I always want to soundmore profesh.

(01:22):
Speaking of being profesh, I ama couple weeks behind on this
episode and that's preciselybecause I didn't feel like it.
The theme of this here episode,and that's okay.
You know, I spent last yearfeeling like I had to release an
episode every single week andalso like I had to do in every
other episode, solo and aninterview, and it was great for

(01:44):
me to have a specific goal in myformat and this year I've
really approached it as I as anexercise in do I have something
to say?
Do I have the mental space andhave?
Most weeks I have and someweeks I haven't, as I think you
know.
I've talked about this, Ibelieve, on the pod before I

(02:05):
have PMDD, which really meansthat my energy fluctuates and my
focus also fluctuatesthroughout the month, and so
about half the month I feelpretty good and the other half I
feel very low, like lowmotivation and low energy.
So and given everything that'shappening in the world, how

(02:27):
globally depressed we are andhow just energetically low and
it's summer, so it's warm thatalso has an effect on me Like
the heat makes me feel likecomplete, you know, puddle on
the floor, like I don't want todo anything.
So, given all of that, I am,you know, a lower production.

(02:48):
Also, we my partner and Isigned up for the clay studio
again, so we're coming homeevery week with like an armload
of useless little pieces ofpottery.
So lots of my friends aregetting little bits of pottery
here and there as gifts.
So there's that Liz is gettingamazing at the wheel.

(03:09):
The wheel, if you don't know,in pottery it's the thing that
you like throw the clay onto andthen, as it goes around and
around, you can shape it tobecome a mug or a bowl, and Liz
is amazing at it, like she'sreally, really.
In the last month or so she'sshe's been like she's real
profesh now.
These days she really hascontrol of the clay.

(03:30):
It's pretty cool to watch andmakes me happy, because it makes
her happy.
Next week is my Chicago trip.
I am fully booked.
I have five days of the sixthat I'll be in Chicago.
I'm working and they are bookeddays.
I have a client each day.
They're bigger pieces.
I'll probably take me.
I'll be tattooing like three tofour hours each day, which you

(03:52):
know I don't do that here.
I do rarely.
I rarely work five days in arow here, like when I do I feel
dead.
So we'll see.
I think being in a new city willgive me energy.
I will not have to, like, comehome and, you know, straighten

(04:12):
up the house and make sure thedog is doing good and all that.
So perhaps some of my energywill be freed up and I'll feel
not, um, not exhausted by thatschedule.
Otherwise, you know I'm I'mexcited.
I'm excited to go to that shop,tattoo those folks, um, see
some friends.
It's, uh, yeah, very exciting,kind of my main trip of the
summer.
So it is my little workingvacation.
And now for the theme of thisepisode.

(04:34):
What if I don't feel like it?
There are many mornings when Iwake up and the last thing I
want to do is haveresponsibilities, and you
probably feel similar.
I think being an adult is likethat it never ends, there's
never a break.
There's always something youhave to do and sometimes you
just don't feel like it.
So what do I do when thathappens?

(04:56):
Well, I do it anyway.
I eat my breakfast, which isthe same Basically every morning
.
I have vegetables, which isusually kale, radicchio and
mushrooms, I have two eggs and Ihave a piece of toast,
sometimes with cheese, andthat's my breakfast every
morning.
And it helps.

(05:18):
You know.
You get up, you wake up, youlike start doing your routine
drink your water, eat yourbreakfast, brush your teeth,
take a shower, and you feel alittle bit more ready to go.
You know, a lot of days my workdoesn't start till two, so my
morning is my routine, and thenI go to the gym for a class, I

(05:41):
take a CrossFit class, and thenI come home and quickly like
shower, change, eat and go, andso by that time I'm usually
feeling better.
But of course, you know thereare absolutely days when I get
into the shop and I'm still kindof like meh, and you know,
caffeine is my next step to try.
That can help me feel morepeppy and ready.

(06:02):
And if that doesn't work either, you know what does, what
always does, what's never failedis actually working.
So when I have that person infront of me and that person is
excited and that person deservesmy best, like every single
person that comes through mydoors that gets onto my
workbench, is a person thatdeserves my very best.

(06:25):
And yes, my very best will varyfrom day to day, and some days
what's required of me is a lotof output, like you know,
creative output, where I have toreally think about what it is,
um, or really feel into what itis that you know, I want to
create on the person.
Like there's nothing there andI have to create something.
It has to be cool, and that'sone of the kinds of days that I

(06:49):
have.
And I have days where I'm justlike working on what's already
there, so I'm just progressing,like, say, I'm filling in flower
colors, or I am like I knowwhat's gonna happen, like it's
not something that I have tolike make up out of my head that
we have an image.
You know, we have line workready to go.
So if I have to have a greatoutput, energetically and

(07:10):
creatively.
What I do is I connect to myclient and I feel their
excitement and I feel what youknow.
I try to feel where they're at.
And then, when I see their skinand I take a pen into my hand
and I feel what you know.
I try to feel where they're at.
And then, when I see their skinand I take a pen into my hand
and I start to make lines acrossit with my pen, it like
whatever I'm coming in with,whatever has happened to me that

(07:33):
day.
However, I woke up, it justfades into the background and I
become present with the skin infront of me, with the person in
front of me, and I becomepresent with the skin in front
of me, with the person in frontof me, with the pen in my hand,
and as I draw on their skin,some things start to feel right

(07:53):
and some things don't, and somaybe I'll erase it, start over,
maybe I'll have them go to themirror and look and as they get
excited, that excitement fillsme, and as they get excited, I
feel more excited, and so myenergy comes up.
You know, it raises theconversation with them, takes me
out of my head, the like youknow, the holding of space,
helping them with the pain orwith.
You know their comfort as Iattend to them.

(08:16):
Whatever's happening for me isin the background.
I don't feel it all thatacutely, and so that is how I'm
able to do my work, even if Idon't feel it all that acutely,
and so that is how I'm able todo my work, even if I don't feel
like it that day.
The person is really, reallyhelpful, which I think is why
I'm much better at working likeone-on-one, face-to-face.
Like I could not be a graphicdesigner sitting at home on my

(08:37):
computer like trying to design athing.
I just don't know where I wouldget inspiration.
It's also why I don't reallydraw very much on paper for
people for their designs, likethat's why I need the body in
the room with me.
That person it's uh, it'sprecisely why and the same thing
happens if I'm not designing ontheir skin that day, if what I

(08:59):
have to do is keep filling thelines we have or adding maybe
something floral that you knowis pretty straightforward, or a
bird, or something you knowwhere I have a stencil.
It's the same kind of thingtuning into their energy and
their excitement and their dayand what's going on for them.
Really focusing on them andholding that space for them is

(09:20):
the thing that helps me bepresent and do my work and not
feel whatever malaise I've beenfeeling earlier that day.
And that's also why, basicallythe second the person leaves and
I say goodbye, all peppy, like,okay, have a good day, drive
safe.
I hope your healing goes well.
I basically sit down on thecouch and can't get up.

(09:42):
Oftentimes I'll sit there onthe couch, maybe trying to make
a post for social media or justscrolling, just kind of resting.
Sometimes it's really hard forme to get up out of that couch,
clean up my station and then gohome.
Um, that's why sailors reallygood for that too.
I love it when they're in theshop and they like their.

(10:04):
Their energy also keeps myenergy up.
So if I'm there alone I'm justlike meh, and if they're there
it's not so bad.
So that's how that happens.
It's a short, cute littleepisode for you.
Um, I have a really beautifulinterview with a client slash
friend of mine, which is prettyheavy, and I'll be releasing

(10:25):
that maybe next week.
Um, we shall see, but I reallyappreciate you being here really
appreciate, appreciate youlistening and I hope that this
episode made you smile and Iwill talk to you very soon.
You.