Creative Burnout and How to Break the Mould
Photographer: Tyrone Lewis
What is creative burnout you ask? Well, regular old burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that is caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you are feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained.
Creative burnout is all the above and results in the inability to write, read, perform or do anything you once loved to do. The passion you once felt for this artform has now been replaced with an obligation to meet deadlines and produce new work with no motivation to do so. The ink has dried up and you find yourself scratching the page with nothing coming out. It often takes its form in the infamous writers’ block, performance anxiety and the all-round favourite procrastination. It is important to identify these triggers that cause the aforementioned. These can be as simple as staring down the barrel of a blank page and imposter syndrome. Creative burnout, however, does not necessarily have to be a terrible affliction. This is what I have found to work when I am in the pits of a burnout.
Treat it as an opportunity to fall back in love with reading and writing. This is the time to fall back in love with your own voice and break the harmful patterns and behaviours that perpetuate your burnout.
First of all, give yourself a break. Stop forcing yourself to work at something that is no longer bringing you joy, instead you want to remind yourself why you fell in love with this artform. Whether it was a particular performance on Youtube, a book, a play, revisit it. Now is the time to break out of your rut and visit new places and discover inspiration in different areas of the world; read new books, practice writing in new styles and play with different mediums than you are used to.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Honestly, be your best friend. I know that sounds quite sappy but at the end of the day you are your number one cheerleader and supporter. If you are against yourself from the beginning you will have a hard time going forward. Both reading and writing are solitary acts so if you are alone with an enemy it will more than likely end in mutual destruction. Be understanding of what you need, and what draws your interests. Surround yourself with what inspires and motivates you.
Social media does not have to be a pit of comparison and pressure, limit what you see and control your feed. Fill it full of positive affirmations and content that motivates and inspires you and put those positive affirmations into practice. Create your own or compile a list of your favourite ones that have the greatest relevance or effect on you
Recite those positive statements to yourself whenever you feel your mind succumbing to self-sabotage and negative thoughts.
Next step, decide what kind of boss you want to be. As a writer and performer you are both boss and worker, so work out a schedule that satisfies both roles. Create a timetable for writing and creating, submitting to publications, and applying for grants. Highlight important dates and make achievable goals. Emphasis on achievable. It’s important to dream but remember you are a carbon based lifeform that is governed by physical laws.
Some days you can be a fireball who opens their laptop and can work eight hours straight without breaking a sweat or feeling time go by. Other days the idea of opening the laptop at all sounds like the biggest chore in the world. Create perks for yourself and don’t forget to reward your hard work and celebrate milestones. This is the time to strategize and get the most out of your motivation. Set aside small portions of time with attainable goals and build on the momentum. Plan what projects you want to start, finish and promote and create a detailed plan on how to make it possible.
Share your success with those that you love. If you are surrounded by people who do not offer support, find a crowd that does. If you do not have a sustainable support network - build one! Join writing groups, online or in person, find your cheerleaders that want you to succeed and celebrate those moments when you do. Whatever method you find works for you please remember to share your art, it’s important.
Whether you believe it or not, you were gifted with a talent to play with language. You see the world like no one else does and that is exciting. There has been a conversation happening for centuries between all the writers and poets and philosophers sharing ideas, theories and perspectives. Join the conversation. What you have to say is important. Don’t let your creative burnout be the end. Take it as a stopping point to refocus and reset before you take off on your journey again.
For the last year I have been in a rut and suffering from creative burnout. I know how hard it is to pull yourself out, but it is possible. Take your time, and when you are ready you will find the world is still right where you left it, it’s not going anywhere and neither are you.
Melissa Ridge
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