Blah's

That would be one of the big differences between photography as a hobby and as a profession.  When it's a hobby you can work at your pace and on what you want.  When it's a profession (or at least someone is paying you for it) you have to produce on somebody else's timeline. 

This probably doesn't help much in your situation, but that's the reason I always have 3 or 4 different projects going.  Right now I'm working on a web application, my photo web site, a web site for a client, and another web project.  When I get blah over one I just jump to another for a little while. 

What has worked for me in the past when I really had to do one specific project was to break it up into smaller chunks.  Rather than sitting down with the intention of laying out an entire album, make your goal to layout 2 spreads.  After you get those two spreads done go out and play with your dog, walk in the park, watch a few minutes of TV, or something to get your mind off of the task you're dreading.  Then come back and do another small set of the whole project.  Or work for an hour and take a 10 minute break. 

For me a good amount of physical labour gets the blood going again. A quick jog down to my shooting range behind the house about 500yds away and back is usually enough. If it's a frustrating day there's a 26 round intermission halfway through the jog.

What more can I say, all has been said, I usually leave everything and do something else to get my mind off of it.

Oh, another note on the never-taking-pictures thing.  We go to soccer games a lot and a friend of mine asked if we take our camera and take lots of pictures (we have great seats) and I said "Hell no, I am there to enjoy myself, not to work".

Don't get me wrong, I love photography, and I do feel sad that it feels like work, but it's the best work ever, at least.

I hate editing, but, I love to have the camera on hand, working or not.

When I painted a lot, I would do drawing exercises. There were things I learned to do that were actually designed to help my drawing and painting skills, but I would do them to get my 'right brain' working.  I can't have interruptions during this or I switch to 'left brain' thinking again, so it has become more difficult with kids and everything else, but it still works.  I guess what I'm saying is, if there is something else that is a part of you that seems to get you in a 'right brain' mood, do that.  Maybe it's going outside with your camera and making interesting photos of mundane objects, maybe it's reading a chapter of a good novel, maybe it's writing an article (I know you like to write), maybe it's listening to music.  Something will help you get your mind working in a creative way, and that's what you need to figure out.  Then you know what to fall back on every time in the future as well.  It has to be something you enjoy and involves a transition of left-brain and right-brain activity, I think.  It can't be boring, and it might not work well if it's completely unrelated (although that might not matter).  I do agree about the breaks, and the shooting things !!  But the police around here don't like me shooting in my backyard too much.

Travis