The Art of Overcoming Creative Burnout

Burnout; I’ve spent the last few weeks feeling like I’d reached the end of a creative cul-de-sac. I’d become accustomed to creating art against the odds, without an ideal working environment or conventional tools and resources – but suddenly, motivation itself collapsed on me and I was met with a sudden wave of defeatism.

It all sounds very dramatic, I know. But in reality, this was my mind making excuses for itself and wallowing in self-pity. I just needed a creative break.

Sometimes, as creatives, we become so dedicated to a particular style and form that we focus our entire efforts on that alone – and consequently, find ourselves drifting into a creative fatigue. Burnout.

Trying a different style or an entirely different craft can be a refreshing break, and so that’s what I did. I set myself a deadline, then spent a few weeks being slightly quieter than usual (as you may have noticed on the blog), researching and reading, and trying my hand at various watercolour styles before resuming normal service shortly after. It helped significantly.

Creativity isn’t about mechanically churning out piece after piece, but about genuine expression from a genuine place. We are at our best when our minds are allowed space and flexibility to grow without restriction.

So maybe the term ‘burnout’ isn’t entirely accurate. Perhaps we should call it ‘growing pains’ instead.