u/yuiknami

For context, I am in my third of 4 years of an integrated masters in physics with astrophysics at one of the top unis in the uk for physics. I feel like i may be experiencing burnout, because the course is relentless, with 100% exam based modules plus no resits. Its incredibly challenging and what is making it worse for me is that astrophysics is not what i thought it would be. I recently began to market myself as an artist online, commissions started rolling in and i'm loving it. I loved art from a young age and being introduced to a potential life as an artist was the last straw which tanked any interest i had in physics. Before i had motivation to pass since i only saw my degree as a path to my future career but now i am dreaming of becoming a successful artist (sounds silly but its possible) and i dont even have career as a possible 'why' for why i should put energy into studying. I don't really want to hear that being an artist is unrealistic as a goal because it's not, but i understand my degree is a good fallback. This brings me to the next thing tanking my motivation which is the main issue: astrophysics is not what i thought it would be. It's super derivation heavy in the theory modules, I'm not learning anything new, i'm just repeating the same derivations for the maths behind basic astrophysical processes. Moreover my course has a HUGE amount of mandatory modules in things like fluid dynamics and quantum physics which I haven't been enjoying. I did a few planetary science modules which i LOVE, its everything i hoped astrophysics would be when i applied, but they are few and far between since im bombarded by all these other core modules, reducing my number of optional modules per semester down to only one. So i get ONE module i enjoy per semester. Overall i'm just hoping someone out there can relate, and has tips to keep me going before i burn out too much. Thanks!