What to do when your creativity starts feeling like work
When creativity becomes the the core your work, creative burnout often lurks closer than we’d like to admit.
What’s supposed to be fun - creating, expressing, imagining - often comes packaged with deadlines, feedback loops, and revision requests. Before you know it, the this that once lit you up starts feeling like a chore.
So…how do we find our way back to our spark?
Cross-Create art
If you’re stuck or burned out in one medium, switch things up:
Tired of painting? Write about it.
Can’t bring yourself to write? Try out crocheting.
Dread editing another video? Color a mandala.
The longer you stare at something, more flaws you’ll start to see. Repeat a word 100 times and it suddenly sounds wrong. Creative work is the same way. Shake it up - your creative spark might be waiting in a different corner of your mind.
Break it down
Deadlines don’t always allow for long breaks - but you can work in smaller steps.
Break your big goal into tiny, manageable pieces:
opened the program you need? That’s a win.
Worked for 5 minutes? That’s a win too.
Be your own cheerleader! Celebrate micro-victories like you would for your best friend. You deserve encouragement and support just as much as anyone else.
Take true breaks
Choose breaks that actually recharge you. Scrolling through your phone isn’t one of them.
Instead, get up. Stretch. Drop your shoulders. Breathe deeply. And fix that shrimp posture of yours!
If your creativity lives on a screen, make sure your rest doesn’t.
Nurture creativity
Build an environment that invites curiosity, wonder, and self-expression. Adults are often too focused on being “professional” - but sometimes creativity needs a little cringe.
Ask yourself: What if it actually works out?
If being slightly cringe helps you stay inspired, that’s a trade worth making.
And when you’re not working for a client - what do you create just for you? Let your personal projects reflect your authentic voice, free from constraints.
Final thoughts
One book I can warmly recommend on this topic is Amie McNee’s “We need your Art”. I even wrote a review on it - feel free to check it out.
The world would be much duller without creatives who paint, write, build, and share.
Stay creative & BE BOLD,
Soso