The process of creating is painful, especially when you are unsure of your direction. At some point, it will surely take a toll on you, so r...
The process of creating is painful, especially when you are unsure of your direction. At some point, it will surely take a toll on you, so rest is needed to avoid reaching the point of burnout.BTS taking a temporary break
On their 9th anniversary, during the 2022 BTS FESTA Dinner Party, SUGA initiated talking about the group’s plan on taking a temporary break from group activities to apprise their fans, ARMY.
“I started music and became BTS because I had a message for the world. I didn't know what I would do after ON,” RM opened up about being unsure about the group's direction.
“For me, it was like the group BTS was within my grasp until ON and Dynamite, but after Butter and Permission to Dance, I didn't know what kind of group we were anymore,” he continued.
RM also pointed out the problem with the idol system, “The problem with K-Pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something.”
The idol system and the fast-paced industry pressure artists to ceaselessly produce music to be able to make frequent comebacks so as to not disrupt their momentum and stay in the limelight. The problem with this is that artists become too focused on running forward as a group that they forget making time and space for personal growth.
The dangers of burnout
Photo from BIGHIT MUSIC
The World Health Organization defined burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Some people may believe that we cannot get burned out while doing the things we are passionate about. But the truth is: we can. After all, we are just human. We get exhausted and run out of creative juices.
Sometimes, we get drained while doing the things we love but we choose to ignore our own feelings because we are afraid of being unproductive and losing our momentum. We also have the self-destructive perspective that taking a break is the same as lazing around.
What we often realize late is that by forcing our physical bodies and pressuring our minds to create something while we are beyond our stress threshold, we are killing our willingness, enthusiasm, and creativity. At that point, the process of creating becomes quite painful.
The most dangerous thing that can happen if we refuse to acknowledge burnout is completely losing the passion and interest we used to have for the things we love doing.
Why taking a temporary break is necessary for BTS
Photo from IN THE SOOP Official
During the BTS FESTA 2022 Dinner Party, SUGA and RM also opened up about how writing lyrics have become especially harder now.
“The hardest thing is writing lyrics. Nothing comes out. There’s really nothing to say. I have to talk about something that I really feel, but right now, I’m just squeezing it out,” SUGA said.
The conversation BTS had during the Dinner Party reminded me of the group’s song titled Black Swan, the track inspired by a quote from American modern dancer Martha Graham.
“A dancer dies twice — once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful.”
– Martha Graham
Black Swan expresses how BTS fears that there might be a point where the music they create will cease to move or excite them. The track conveys how much they fear dying their first death as artists as well as how deep music means to them.
“If this can no longer resonate with me; if this can no longer make my heart flutter; perhaps, this will be how I die once.”
Black Swan expresses how BTS fears that there might be a point where the music they create will cease to move or excite them. The track conveys how much they fear dying their first death as artists as well as how deep music means to them.
“If this can no longer resonate with me; if this can no longer make my heart flutter; perhaps, this will be how I die once.”
– Black Swan by BTS (Translation by doolset lyrics)
In writing songs, it is important for the artist to know what kind of story and message they want to convey. However, like what RM said during the Dinner Party, they find it hard to tell stories through music now as they were not given time to absorb experiences, think as individuals, and allow their thoughts to mature into stories that are uniquely theirs.
One needs time to fully understand what something means to them, so that they can embrace it as a part of them.
Through taking on various things by themselves, they would meet lots of new people and experience different kinds of environments, which, in turn, will allow them to create memories and stories of their own that they can use as inspiration in creating art with the group later on.
Like what V said, “Later when we gather again as a group, that synergy will be like no other.”
Even while you fully understand why BTS is taking a temporary break from group activities, it is valid to feel heartbroken over the announcement. It is natural to feel that way as an ARMY. But let us also root for each of them while they are in the process of growing by themselves.
It may take a year or even more, but the most important thing is that BTS will come back truer to themselves.
One needs time to fully understand what something means to them, so that they can embrace it as a part of them.
Through taking on various things by themselves, they would meet lots of new people and experience different kinds of environments, which, in turn, will allow them to create memories and stories of their own that they can use as inspiration in creating art with the group later on.
Like what V said, “Later when we gather again as a group, that synergy will be like no other.”
Even while you fully understand why BTS is taking a temporary break from group activities, it is valid to feel heartbroken over the announcement. It is natural to feel that way as an ARMY. But let us also root for each of them while they are in the process of growing by themselves.
It may take a year or even more, but the most important thing is that BTS will come back truer to themselves.
“Heading towards that day, truer to ourselves, you and I, best moment is yet to come.”
– Yet To Come by BTS (Translation by doolset lyrics)
BTS also announced during the Dinner Party that as a part of finding their own colors, they will be working on their own solo music.
j-hope is the first member to show off his individual colors with Jack In The Box which was dropped on July 15, Friday.
Through the pre-released track, MORE, the rapper expressed his excitement in entering a new phase in his career and in exploring his personal creativity.
Checkout MORE’s music video below.
Meanwhile, with the album’s title track, Arson, j-hope gave new meaning to the word by implying that artists deliberately burn themselves for the sake of their art and dreams.
Check out Arson’s music video below.
Main photo from BTS (방탄소년단) @bangtan.official on Facebook.
Written by Diana Cleto
Diana, known to friends as Yana, is a full-time mother of eight furry kids and a part-time digital marketing intern at PS Media Enterprise. She considers writing as the only thing she owns, so even while she has a strong love-hate relationship with it, she weaves words with utmost sincerity. But she probably spends more time locked in her room, binge-watching Korean variety shows.
j-hope is the first member to show off his individual colors with Jack In The Box which was dropped on July 15, Friday.
Through the pre-released track, MORE, the rapper expressed his excitement in entering a new phase in his career and in exploring his personal creativity.
Checkout MORE’s music video below.
Meanwhile, with the album’s title track, Arson, j-hope gave new meaning to the word by implying that artists deliberately burn themselves for the sake of their art and dreams.
Check out Arson’s music video below.
Let’s support each member’s solo projects while waiting for the best moment that is yet to come. Head on to Spotify or other music streaming platform and stream j-hope's new album Jack In The Box!
Main photo from BTS (방탄소년단) @bangtan.official on Facebook.
Written by Diana Cleto
Diana, known to friends as Yana, is a full-time mother of eight furry kids and a part-time digital marketing intern at PS Media Enterprise. She considers writing as the only thing she owns, so even while she has a strong love-hate relationship with it, she weaves words with utmost sincerity. But she probably spends more time locked in her room, binge-watching Korean variety shows.
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