Top 4 Signs That You Have Creative Burnout
You’re struggling to come up with new ideas or haven’t felt the drive lately or create. Could you be experiencing creative burnout? While burnout can make it feel like your inspiration to create will never be what it once was, creative burnout can actually be an opportunity to think, live and create in brand-new ways. Here are 4 ways to recognize creative burnout and overcome it!
For the last 4.5 years, I’ve had the chance to do freelance work as a content writer for a ton of small businesses online. But my writing history didn’t begin there.
I started writing songs and picture books around 4 years old. Since then it’s been poems, stories, blogs, literally anywhere there’s been space for words to fill.
But keeping paid to do what I love – writing was the first time that I really fully experienced creative burnout. Creative burnout is something that can happen whether you’re a songwriter or a painter, a videographer or a poet. It has no discrimination, age or sex preference. At one point or other, creative burnout happens to almost all creative people. But when you know how to deal with creative burnout, it can actually become a stepping stone to new, expanded levels of creativity.
Creative burnout symptoms
So you sit down at your desk to write but no ideas come to mind. You realize you haven’t taken any photos with your camera in weeks. You sit in brainstorm meetings at work but can’t think of one single creative idea to save your life. The thought of picking up your guitar makes you want to do literally anything else. These can all be symptoms or signs of creative burnout.
No doubt there will be days where you feel like creating and days when you don’t. But how do you know when it’s time to take action and give yourself a kick in the pants? What exactly are the creative burnout symptoms to look out for?
Here are a few of the most common symptoms.
- You’re easily irritated – Maybe it just seems like lately, everything and everyone is bothering you. Nothing at work is going right. You have one hair day after another. You feel like you just don’t have the patience to deal with the everyday inconveniences and irritations that keep coming up.
- You’re exhausted – When someone asks how you’re doing, especially as it’s related to your creative work, the first thing you can think to say is some version of “I’m overwhelmed” or “I’m exhausted!” There’s certainly nothing wrong with feeling this way and it’s a part of everyday life, but when coupled with other creative burnout symptoms, it may be a sign that something bigger is going on.
- You’re procrastinating – a lot – Your art or creative work is something you’ve always loved. But are you finding that now you never feel quite up for doing it? If find yourself procrastinating and putting off tasks deadlines and designated creative times as much as possible, it’s likely that you have creative burnout.
- You have an increasing lack of confidence – Feeling like nothing you do will ever be good enough? Less and less sure of your abilities or if you even have a creative bone in your body, you may be suffering from creative burnout.
Now that you have a better idea of the types of creative burnout and what it can look like, let’s get to the solutions!
How to deal with creative burnout
The good thing about creative burnout is that it’s not permanent. It’s often just a sign that you need a break or something needs to change.
I want to share 7 ways to fight creative burnout that you can start today. All of them are totally free and can be done in just a few minutes a day.
You may find that some of these tactics work better for you than others, so just stay open and being willing to try things. Eventually you’ll find the perfect blend of strategies that help you kiss creative burnout goodbye.
1. Create in a new way
Maybe you’re a writer and you just can’t seem to find any new words that are good enough to put down on a page. Maybe you’re a painter and everything you paint seems to fall flat. These frustrations don’t mean you’re not a creative person. They may mean you need to create in a new way. Give yourself a break from your normal creative work and try something new. Take a pottery class. Cook a new recipe you find online. Write a song on that old guitar in your basement. Let yourself making something in a new way, using creative muscles you haven’t stressed before. Now rinse, repeat and do it whenever you’re feeling stuck.
2. Move your body
If you’re struggling to recover from creative burnout, give your mind a rest and move your body instead! If you’re not in the best shape or you haven’t stepped foot in a gym in 20 years, then all the more reason to take this step. You don’t have to do anything hard or impressive to get a little bit of exercise in. There are hundreds of different ways to move your body and get your heart rate up, from dancing to your favorite song, taking a long walk each day or doing a yoga video on Youtube. While you wait for creativity to flow again, moving your body is a great way to relieve stress, increase blood flow and lower your cortisol, all creating a better environment.
3. Connect with a friend
In today’s world, so many of us have deadlines and assignments looming at all times. It’s easy to fall into a state of productivity and let that trump our need for relationship. So when you feel stuck in a rut or like you can’t create one more thing, why not connect with a friend? Ask someone to meet you for coffee, just to get to know them better. Call an old friend on the phone that you haven’t talked to in a few years. If your neighbors are outside and it’s a nice day, go outside and actually talk to them. Connecting with other people can help us to get out of our own heads and get a new perspective on the world around us.
4. Give yourself permission to rest
If you’re dealing with the signs of creative burnout, one of the easiest things you can do is let yourself rest. A lot some time in your day a few days a week to genuinely just relax – without your laptop on your lap and without scrolling Instagram incessantly. Take a short nap and see what happens. Let your mind rest too. The burnout that you’re experience may be your entire body and mind telling you that you’re in need of a break – stat.
5. Journal
Even if you’re not much of a writer, journaling can be such a powerful way for us to get our thoughts, feelings and ideas out of our brain and down onto a page. Journaling doesn’t have to take long and it doesn’t need to look a super specific way. Just make sure you’re using an actual pencil or pen and an actual piece of paper – not a computer. Write down your thoughts, your fears and your frustrations. Whatever comes to mind, write it down and be honest with yourself about it. Now do this again the next day, and the next day. You’ll be surprised how much lighter you start to feel when you aren’t carrying around these feelings and thoughts with you in your head each day and instead let them live on paper.
6. Just go live
One of the best ways to start feeling more creative again? STOP trying to make yourself create. Seriously. Instead, go experience life. Take a walk. Try something new. Meet a friend for coffee. Go see a movie. The best creative inspiration comes from actually living. The more of it you do, the more creative you’ll eventually feel.
7. Try out some time management tools
When it is time for you to start creating again, try providing yourself with a little more structure to your creative time! While this might not sound appealing after first, you’ll actually find that within structure, you’ll experience a new sense of freedom. Try setting a pomodoro timer or simply your phone alarm for 20 minutes. Allow yourself to have 20 minutes of totally uninterrupted creative time. Then, stop and give yourself 5-10 minutes of rest. You can even disperse these blocks of creative time throughout your day. This reduces the pressure you may feel to be productive at all times, and it helps you to make the most of your days, giving yourself a balance both of action and rest.
Motivational quotes for burnout
Here are a few motivational quotes and thoughts that can help you if you’re currently feeling creative burnout.
“Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” — Ovid
“Don’t get discouraged: it is often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” —John Wooden
“I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful.” – Marissa Mayer
“If you get tired, learn to rest — not to quit.” — Banksy
“Failure is the fuel that moves new projects forward.” – Seth Godin
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” — Anne Lamott
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” —Margaret Thatcher
“Being overwhelmed means that your life or work is overpowering you. Regain control by clarifying your intentions, setting realistic expectations and focusing on your next step.”― Daphne Michaels
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
“Burnout is nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions your soul has departed.” -Sam Keen
Conclusion
These are just a few tips on how to deal with creative burnout. If you’re standing in the middle of a season of burnout right now, it may feel like you’ll never be able to create something worthwhile again. You may wonder if you’ve lost your gift or should give up and move on. But remember: A season of burnout is often just that – a season! Don’t give up on yourself or your gifts when things get hard. Eventually you’ll feel ready to create again.