July - October 2020 involved writing and designing a book, completing five other university projects, helping organise grad exhibition, documenting work on a studio blog, doing personal projects on the side, working part-time in a design job, covid and lockdowns.
Let’s just say all my creative ideas packed up and went on holiday… for about four months after October. I had never encountered this before. It was like a big part of my life shut down for a good while. So, from November to February I had an unplanned break from all things creative. My weeks were a lot simpler without all the side hustles, but I did miss the feeling of making something. The only creative outlet was probably my visual journals. I made myself create a collage one morning, and let’s just say it will never feature on Instagram. I just had to trust that creativity would return when the time was right. I would welcome it back with open arms.
Visual Journalling
Early Feb
During this time, I was able to focus on other areas of my life and making sure they were healthy: relationships, personal wellbeing and work/life balance. Despite normally being a very future-focused, goal-orientated person, I was able to be present in each day rather than racing through a to-do list with self-imposed deadlines.
One sunny day in early March, inspiration returned. I knew it had come back and I felt different, felt more like myself again. It was as simple as that. Creativity is now back to being a regular part of my week and I couldn’t be more grateful.
There’s often talk of trying to prevent creative burnout. I’m finding that its inevitably going to happen at one point in time or another. You come out the other side with a greater appreciation for the work you create and the mediums you enjoy.
To anyone else journeying through creative burnout, I would say…
- Your worth should not be tied to your productivity
- There is a time and a season for everything
- Rest cannot be rushed