10 Tips to Get You Going Again
If you write, design, compose, or otherwise create for a living, you’ve likely endured those maddening and disturbing periods where it feels like your creative well has run dry. Like, drier than a Popeye’s biscuit. Creative burnout is a soul-crushing occupational hazard that affects most of us at some point in our careers, and we ignore its life-damaging consequences—from not producing our best work to bearing our wounded identities as creators—at our own risk.
Creative burnout is more than everyday work stress. It’s a strange brew of fatigue, lack of motivation, crankiness, hopelessness, and artistic self-doubt that pervades day-to-day life. It’s the feeling that you’re creatively spent and just a pile of crispy toast and ashes. If that sounds familiar, take the short quiz below to see where you stand.
More days than not, are you:
- Constantly tired and weary?
- Completely overwhelmed?
- Feeling like you’ll never create anything good ever again?
- Comparing yourself to other writers/designers/creators and always feeling inferior?
- Unreasonably irritable?
- Putting off that huge project that’s due in a few days?
- Not starting any new projects until you have the perfect idea?
- Feeling undervalued and unappreciated?
- Telling yourself that any past successes were just due to luck or flukes?
- Overconsuming food, alcohol, or media?
- Thinking about chucking it all and becoming a phlebotomist?
If you answered “yes” to five or more questions, you may be experiencing creative burnout. (I know the last question was oddly specific. You can substitute bartender, barista, or another doom-fantasy job for phlebotomist.)
The good news is there’s a lot we can do to fill up our creative wells again. Some of these suggestions sound basic, but there’s real science behind them. Give at least a few of them a try and you’ll eventually see results.
Here are 10 ways to beat creative burnout.
- Eat healthy foods more days than not. If you find this bit of advice irritating, I’m with you. Not only are my go-to foods cookies and cheese, but most days I forget about food until I almost pass out, then end up raiding my pantry and eating like a raccoon. Whether it’s feasting on junk or unintentional fasting, you won’t feel good or do good work with a half-starved brain. A healthy diet helps creativity by boosting cognition, so even if it’s something as small as snacking on a banana instead of a brownie or tossing some blueberries on your Cap’n Crunch, try to eat better.
- Get moving. Again, totally annoying advice that works. Moderate movement will improve your mood and flood your brain with oxygen and nutrients. It may even help with creativity. Plus, it gets you out in the fresh air and away from your desk. Even a 15-minute walk at lunch will get results.
- Rest. Yes, we really do need 7 – 9 hours a night. Women over 35, good luck with that and let me know how it goes.
- Take a break from your phone. A modest “digital fast” can help you clear your brain, focus on the here and now, and free up hours of your time.
- Take yourself on an artist’s date. In Julia Cameron’s classic guide, The Artist’s Way, she encourages us to take ourselves on a weekly date and explore something that interests us. It doesn’t have to be artsy. Some of my solo excursions have been to greenhouses, silent movies, chapels, and the Reading Terminal Market. The idea is to spend time replenishing your senses and imagination.
- Deliberately engage in activities that allow your mind to wander. There’s a reason folks get flashes of inspiration while taking a warm shower or enjoying nature, on long drives, and while playing an instrument. It’s at those times that your mind unclenches and your thoughts jiggle loose. If you’re too busy to spend 30 minutes watching your bird feeder, you probably need to watch it for a whole hour. You read that right.
- Hang out with other creatives. No one understands how you feel better than other writers and visual artists. You don’t need to talk about work; you don’t even need to tell them that your well has run dry. Just talking, laughing, and commiserating with those who share your sensibilities and struggles can give you a boost.
- Do something crafty. I like to crochet crooked little hats that people thank me for, but never wear. Origami is relaxing, too. I once spent weeks folding a thousand paper cranes with my daughter. The point isn’t to make something great, but to create something tangible and get your hands moving without pressuring yourself to make capital A-R-T art.
- Do something different. Get in the kitchen and teach yourself how to make peanut brittle, write a poem if you’re a painter and start sketching if you’re a writer, work with crayons or clay, make paper roses. Whatever you do, try to involve all of your senses, and remember to play!
- Give back to the community. One of the best ways to get over yourself is to give of yourself. Whether you’re coaching soccer, slinging sausage at the VFW’s pancake breakfast, or reading to children, when you volunteer you’re engaging in a world that’s oblivious to your creative exhaustion. It’s medicinal.
Take care of yourself.
If you’ve made some or most of these changes and are still slogging through your day, it’s time to talk to your family doctor to rule out any physical problems. You may also want to seek out a mental health professional to rule out depression—and yes, there is a tenuous link between creativity and depression—anxiety, ADD, and other issues. If you don’t know where to begin, you can always start with this online mental health screening.
It does get better.
With some slight changes to your routine, a few good new habits, and some targeted self-care, you can refill your empty well with inspiration, curiosity, and creativity. Your fellow artists know what you’re struggling with, and we know you can feel good again.
How do you deal with symptoms of creative burnout? Share your suggestions in the comments below!
