Somethings happening...

[heyvern]

its 4 am in the morning and I'm still working on my show...

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that we artists are complete lunatics?

Yes... absolutely... no question. You must be completely looney to be an artist. It's in the contract when you sign up (page 753, paragraph 7).

-vern

[jwlane]

I did the all night thing too long. On more than one occasion I pulled 3 days strait with no sleep. There were so many 32 hour sessions that it's uncountable. I eventually got to the point that I would start loosing consciousness in mid mouse click, screaming "NO NO NO" in my head because I new I was blacking out. I'd wake up a minute later trying to find where my sleeping hand had dragged some vertices in a 3D model. Caffeine became useless.

I love birds singing in the morning (the southeast US has as many as anywhere in the world), but that also was once a source of anguish. If I brought work home I could hear the birds signal that dawn was less than 2 hours away. And 3 hours after that, I would be in a meeting. All this to try and work around a "department person" that would get between me and appreciative producers and directors.

Now I work out of my own studio. The mockingbirds and cardinals sound good again. If I do work late, I don't have to worry about how and when to safely get back home.

[heyvern]

A few years ago I heard about a drug that the military was testing on soldiers. This drug was used to treat narcolepsy (people who fall asleep instantly at random times).

The side effect of the drug was that a soldier could stay TOTALLY ALERT and awake for up to 5 days without any serious side effects. This was not a stimulant... it actually some how removed the need for sleep. They didn't feel sleep deprived or "drugged". At the end of 5 days, they sleep off the effects for about 10 hours, so there is no crash.

When I heard this report on the radio, the person being interviewed suggested that if this drug became available to the public as "recreational" it would change the world. A person could have "2 lives" literally. They could work during the day and... play all night or even work all night.

Ever since I heard about this that one time on the radio... I never heard anything about it again... I sooooo want that drug baby!

------

The key to those long work sessions is to take small naps. A short nap can do wonders. If you have to work around the clock even an hour here or there can help you get through.

Don't drink a lot of caffeine. If your body has too much caffeine it has the opposite effect and makes you sleepy.

-vern

[blacksunproject]

its 4 am in the morning and I'm still working on my show...

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that we artists are complete lunatics?

We would not be artists if we were not "lunatics".

[jwlane]

There's a new and serious study out about how continued, less than optimal sleep can have cumulative health risks. You can bet your rear that the military doesn't consider that an issue.

I eventually resorted to going home to bed and coming back in at 4:30 AM. Having rested and having that quiet space was bliss.

[heyvern]

Before I started working from home, I had a camping cot in my office for those late night sessions. I also would take naps in the afternoon during work hours. I would close the door and tell people I was taking a nap. No one complained. They would tiptoe into my office to drop off papers and deliveries.

"SSSHHHH... Vern's sleeping."

I loved that fold up camping cot. It was very comfortable... surprisingly so. It had little pockets on the side for stuff. And I had a tiny tv (long before the iPod) that fit right in my pocket to help me fall asleep.

Now... I just walk up the stairs to my bed.

-vern