Refresh your creativity
How to get out of a creative rut and keep the creative juices flowing
So you’re feeling less creative lately, more tired, a bit out of it and uninspired. We bet we’ve all been feeling like that for quite some time now, or at least from time to time since we started doing creative work. There has to be a way to be more mindful of these types of situations, to understand why we experience them, and how to overcome them, right? Right?? But first, let’s ask the most important question.
What exactly is a creative burnout?
The inability to access one’s creativity is usually referred to as creative burnout or creative blocks. Although it is widely assumed that people who work in the creative industries are the most affected, this does not mean that amateur artists and aspiring creators are immune.
For individuals who have never experienced or heard of creative burnout, it is a real condition recognized by the World Health Organization alongside occupational burnout (sorry you had to find out like this, project managers).
Both are similar in nature, as they arise from the mismanagement of work tasks, overwhelming stress, and general overall fatigue. This can make you feel disconnected from your job or the things you’re expected to be doing overtime, whether it’s because of a professional obligation or just because you wanted to pursue a creative venture.
Burnouts in the creative industries may feel devastating, especially for those who rely on creativity for their livelihood. Oftentimes it all comes down to needing to pay rent, feed the cat, and support the caffeine addiction necessary to deliver a project — all of which come at a cost.
So, what do you do when you hit creative burnout? As Will McAvoy said in The Newsroom: “The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that you’re creatively burned out and should do something about it”. That’s how we remember it, at least.
How can you tell that you’re creatively drained?
Creative ruts, like us, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles of looking blankly at a computer screen for the majority of the afternoon. Chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, detachment, ineffectiveness, cynicism, anxiety, and even depression all go hand in hand with burnouts, enabling each other.
The most common sources of creativity are inspiration and excitement. We could say that burnout is dictated by one or both of those elements being absent, but often it is not. We may feel burned out because we are not challenged enough in our work, or overly so, overworked or under-worked, frustrated, or just plain old bored.
How to get out of a creative rut
Well just do the opposite, right? Stop being depressed, get up, look at pretty pictures and learn a new skill, correct?. If only it were so easy…
Obviously, you know best what sparks your creativity and gets the juices flowing. That being said, learning new skills and staying up to date with techniques and types of creative content won’t hurt ;) You may even find new creators that you like and that you can look for to get inspiration.
Since we brought up creators, we feature a bunch of our faves that inspire us to keep pushing through and motivate us to make cool inspiring stuff ourselves periodically on Instagram @elevenpm.co. We’re very excited to be able to curate a small Community Spotlight and share it with all of you!
If you’re not necessarily up for picking up a new unfamiliar technique, it just seems too daunting of a task, or just logistically complicated, experimenting with constraints may shake things up a little and give you the push you need. Use a theme you wouldn’t normally choose, a color palette you didn’t create, do an online creative challenge, what’s there to lose?
Another thing you might want to try changing is your environment. Clean office, clean mind to create nice stuff, or whatever that phrase was. Set up your office differently, organize your digital files, and wipe the dust off the keypad. Not all cleaning has to be procrastinating.
Lastly, be kinder to yourself. Take a break if you need to. Spend time with your loved ones and seek inspiration in your real-world connections. Your creative tools will be waiting for you where you left them.
We know it’s hard to keep at it and continue doing creative things when we’re not all that inspired. Sometimes you just need a breather, a moment of mindfulness, and some patience with yourself. If you could use a little help with remembering to check in with yourself, we have the perfect thing for you: [click here].
