3 Ways to Avoid Burnout When Creativity is Your Career and Passion
Doing what you love for a living sounds amazing until fear, stress, and anxiety rear their ugly little heads. UCREATIVE defined creative burnout as, “the heavy feeling of exhaustion and lack of interest in the work that you do.” Almost every creative person I’ve talked to has gone through a period where they just “Could Not”. Suddenly the passion you have for your work changes from a dream into a nightmare.
Here are 3 ways you can try to avoid burnout while pursuing your passion:
1: Learn how to say NO
The easiest way to get into burnout is piling too much on your plate. Learning how to establish boundaries in the workplace is one of the most important skills you can pick up. The problem with working in a creative field is that often the people you report to have no idea of what you do. As a result, proposed deadlines or expectations can underestimate the actual time it takes to complete projects. It’s okay to explain that more time is needed. And if you already have too much on your plate, don’t be ashamed to say “no” to new work.
2: Practice self-care
Self-care isn’t just some new buzz word for social media. Self-care is about ensuring you’re the best version of yourself. This idea of suffering from your art is often perpetuated in the media. Long sleepless nights and hours creating on end is not some badge of honor. Please, get some sleep. Anything that clears your mind and helps you relax can be a form of self-care. This could be exercise, meditation, reading, painting, yoga, or even just going for a walk. Relaxation should always be included in your schedule.
3: Pursue Passion Projects
You didn’t choose a creative career so you could mindlessly churn out work for other people. Prioritize time you spend making things for yourself! When you lose the passion in creativity it becomes yet another job you’re forced to clock into. Schedule time to make things that make you happy so you never lose that spark.
Creative burnout is almost inevitable, but learning how to better deal with it will affect whether you’re stuck for one day rather than three months. The more you put off your personal time and joy, the more time it will take to recover from being burned out. You are not just your work. So relax! Your joy and happiness are just as important as your work.