Bhavana
I agree with most of what has been said here. I also have taken "breaks" from the cards, for different reasons - but I am not a pro, i don't take money for readings. I can get thru a reading without relying on looking things up, however, I have never felt that I was good enough at it to go into business for myself (though from what I have seen with online readers today, it doesn't take much to attract customers.) It's learning the relationships between cards that is the tricky part for me, so many different possibilities, and how the general meanings change depending on where the card falls and what cards are around it.
I suspect that many online readers rely on books or notes. I watch a lot of videos that readers post - and I have noticed that many of them NEVER shuffle on camera. Why not? Maybe some do it to save time - but I think that too many online readings are staged, that they pick the cards beforehand that will best answer or apply to the customer's question or situation. Maybe the more honest ones don't stage the cards, but I think they do look up the meanings and consider the whole spread before taping the reading, and then make it look as if the reading is spontaneous. While that isn't really that bad, I don't consider it to be very professional, and I would not pay for an online reading if the reader was not willing to do it on video, and post one straight video, from the shuffle to the cut to the very end.
As for taking a break, I have done it more than once with tarot. A few times, years went by where my decks just floated around, wrapped with a rubber band, in the kitchen junk drawer. I understand what you are saying, as I am an artist too, and sometimes I just don't "feel" it. I don't work well under pressure, and if I am not in the mood, forget it....but in order to make a living, it's like you said - you just have to sit down and do it - and often, once you start, things have a way of working out. It's the same with the cards. I may not be in the mood, but once I choose a deck and start shuffling and looking at the cards - things change!
I suspect that many online readers rely on books or notes. I watch a lot of videos that readers post - and I have noticed that many of them NEVER shuffle on camera. Why not? Maybe some do it to save time - but I think that too many online readings are staged, that they pick the cards beforehand that will best answer or apply to the customer's question or situation. Maybe the more honest ones don't stage the cards, but I think they do look up the meanings and consider the whole spread before taping the reading, and then make it look as if the reading is spontaneous. While that isn't really that bad, I don't consider it to be very professional, and I would not pay for an online reading if the reader was not willing to do it on video, and post one straight video, from the shuffle to the cut to the very end.
As for taking a break, I have done it more than once with tarot. A few times, years went by where my decks just floated around, wrapped with a rubber band, in the kitchen junk drawer. I understand what you are saying, as I am an artist too, and sometimes I just don't "feel" it. I don't work well under pressure, and if I am not in the mood, forget it....but in order to make a living, it's like you said - you just have to sit down and do it - and often, once you start, things have a way of working out. It's the same with the cards. I may not be in the mood, but once I choose a deck and start shuffling and looking at the cards - things change!
I'm on a break right now, actually. Still visit the forum because I love the people and the place, but it's natural for interests to wane and wax. I find that in the summer I am often more interested in my hands on/outdoor hobbies. I know I'll be back into it, maybe when the weather gets colder. 