#Creative Burnout

[ghostmistdraws]

Creative slump? No, no. Creative frenzy. Too many idea, not enough time, not enough energy. It's too much, I do nothing.

[adorkastock]

Take care of your body and mind, art friends. ♥ Need help with the basics? Check out Mind. Body. Artist. It's a blogcast site @astrafauna & I started about taking care while making art. It's on hiatus right now but there's tons of useful stuff in the archive. Content breakdown below the cut ✂️

Introduction to MBA List of topics we have done and hope to do Meet the hosts: Sarah Dahlinger Sarah Forde

Mental Health 🔵Dealing with Crowdfunding Stress 🔵Define Who You Are 🔵Monthly Wrap Up 🔵Is This What You Want to be Doing? 🔵Use “And” 🔵What does a trout have to do with social media trolls. 🔵How to Take Advice to Win 🔵Do What You Need to do to Succeed 🔵Using an Alternating Schedule to Balance Both Art and Fitness (or whatever recharges your battery) 🔵One Success Metric to Win 🔵Art and Grief 🔵There Is No Time Limit for Getting Back Up 🔵Pick your Perfects to Achieve your Real Goals 🔵Can't work? Time to study! (with short exercises) 🔵Creating with ADHD 🔵How to Balance Creative Work and Day to Day Work 🔵Overcoming Self Doubt and Creative Burnout 🔵Getting Back Up After a Failure

Physical Health 🔵How to Roll Out Your Arms for Tendonitis Relief or Prevention 🔵Four Way Wrist Curls 🔵Ice/Hot Baths for Tendonitis Relief 🔵Stretch Your Wrists and Forearms 🔵Stretch Your Hamstrings: My favorite hack for eliminating low back pain. 🔵Tendonitis Flare Up: Fixed in a Few Days 🔵What I Learned from a Year of Never Missing a Workout. 🔵Let’s talk with a Licensed Massage Therapist about pain while making art.

Food Prep 🔵Recipes Intro 🔵Egg Muffins 🔵Lavish Bread Mini Wraps 🔵Five Minute Crock Pot Veggie Chili 🔵How to Make All Your Meals for a Week Without Really Trying 🔵All Week Salad 🔵Chicken with Onions 🔵Slow Cooker Pork Stew

Artist Interviews 🔵Interview with Loish 🔵Interview with Iris Compiet 🔵Interview with Doug Hoppes 🔵Interview with Heather R. Hitchman 🔵Interview with Brynn Metheney

[bibisbooktalk]

Being a writer and not knowing what to write or where to start sucks. I want to make a living out of writing. It's been my dream since I was a child to become a published author. My style and writing preferences have changed through the years. I used to write more than I do now. I barely even open a book to read anymore.

I'm never happy about any ideas I get, never satisfied with anything I come up with, and I always end up stuck somewhere in the plotting stage. I wrote fanfictions from 2020 to 2022. I stopped when I found out all of my stories had been re-published in different fanfiction websites without my consent.

That didn't stear my dream, though, didn't change what I wanted. It encouraged me to start working more on my original work rather than fanfiction. However, my writing hasn't come smoothly since my days as a fanfic writer. My ideas were more frequent then, and I would spend hours and sleepless nights writing. Now I'm stuck staring at a blank page, trying to figure out what I want to achieve as a writer. Do I want to write fantasy or romance, YA or adult fiction. Do I want to make vampire novels my trademark or do I want to write fae romance.

How do I write about what I don't know? I lack a community where I can talk about my work, yet I am also afraid to share my ideas and find myself betrayed. Writing is more than just words on paper, yet writing has become meaningless words to me.

I'm pointlessly attempting to string sentences together, to create something worth it, something good, something groundbreaking, yet the words don't come, and nothing seems special enough or interesting enough. First drafts aren't meant to be good, but I feel like I'm running out of time. I can't even write a prologue.

"Start in the middle.", "Start with the action." But nothing comes to me. It is frustrating to be a writer and have no creativity at all. I've been imprisoned in this "writer's block" since 2022. So, what do I do? How do I figure out my story? How do I take control of the narrative? How can I love writing the way I used to again?

Novel writing will never stop being my dream, and I refuse to give up even through this endless fog. However, it doesn't stop me from wondering if I'm wasting my time. If writing was just once a brief hyperfixation—a dream never meant to be.

[excali-bruh]

I am hope. | Dream | The Sandman, written by [redacted].

I can’t lie, I’m in a huge creative slump at the moment (massive burn out, you know how it is), and though I’m not completely happy with this piece it’s the first thing I’ve been able to finish for weeks now. Gotta start somewhere, right?

[bonegloss]

You're not a failed artist.

After over almost two decades on the internet, entering various art communities and establishing my online presence, I've noticed something.

The persistent idea that you've "failed" as an artist if you get a "real job" will not go away.

This, for the longest time, permeated my electronic meat slab and nestled in deeply MUCH to my detriment . For years I fought with myself over this idea. Self-flagellating and noisy, negative thoughts were almost suffocating because I was unable to Do Art As A Job consistently and efficiently enough to maintain a living off of it. Between navigating life for almost 30 years not knowing I was autistic (and all that entails) and trying to turn something I love into something I could make a living off of, it was a vicious and repetitive cycle of trying something new, getting burned out, entering a depressive state, climbing out of it, rinse and repeat. This is clearly unsustainable, especially now that I am more independent in my adult life; bills aren't going to wait for me to get out of my depressive funks. Even having jobs and still making art on the side today, this idea is still nestled in there, nagging me sometimes.

Would I like to make a living off of my art? Of course! Would it be even better if I was supported from making stuff from my own IP's? You fucking bet. But I know how I operate, I know I can't personally do that (yet? maybe?). Now, I realize not everyone can just go get a job, and I don't want this to come off as a rally cry to Just Go Out and Work (I know many creative people are disabled or have other reasons they cannot work), but I do want to stress that its okay if art needs to remain more of a hobby than a job. It is okay if you cannot sustain yourself solely as a living artist. Over the years, I've burned myself out so god damn hard and have watched others work themselves to (near) death or can barely scrape by because of this incessant feeling that we need to be doing art 100% of the time to have "made it". It is hurting us both physically and emotionally to keep this shit up.

Going forward, we have to do better. There is no shame in having an income that is not dependent on the things you make. I think that it can help alleviate a lot of stress and fatigue that can become associated with creating (and thus, making it hard to do something you love). We need to learn to be kinder to ourselves and unlearn comparing our experiences to what we see from other creative peers on social media. Its hard, finding work sucks ass, and no job will be perfect, but if it can help you survive a little easier and rekindle your relationship for creating the things you love to make, it'll make a world of difference.

You are not a failed artist. You're doing what you can so you can keep doing what you love.

[a-midnight-luna]

I experienced a creative burnout a few days ago. Here's my advice.

First, remember to take breaks. Your mind needs time to lay down and "regenerate" creativity. If you push it to the limit without breaks, it will start malfunctioning like a broken machine.

Second: it is okay to do nothing if you feel like doing nothing. I know the outside world can be demanding and fast, but people need rest and sometimes that rest might mean doing nothing for a couple of hours. Our minds and bodies have the ability to heal themselves if we give them enough time, so doing nothing sometimes might actually be the right answer.

Third: let go of control. It is easier said than done, I know, but trust me when I tell you that letting go of control of some things weighing you down is the best way to get over burnout. If you stop stressing over something that doesn't need that much attention, you'll feel like you lift a weight from your shoulders and are finally able to breathe, and you'll be able to go back to your normal life with a fresh vision, and are able to focus on the important things again.

Remember: our minds are not machines that work all the time without resting. People need sleep. People need leisure time and have fun and rest. Because that's the balance of life. There's no light without darkness and there's no day without night.

So let your mind rest. Let your body rest. Take some time off and do nothing. In the end, it will be like letting a wound heal itself just by letting the cells and the nature of the body do their job without interfering, knowing they'll grow back again.

[bog-teeth]

this comic has no art - 11.11.2024

[ridreamir]

Older Kieran x Reader Quick Snippet

[TW: Depressive behavior, angst] [Potential Spoilers for The Scarlet and Violet DLC!]

It's been a long time since he made his own parchment. Then again, it's been a long time since he's been back at his desk, in his childhood room, in his hometown. Wax stars set aside with the custom stamps he'd once whittled out of apple wood, he dusts off the top of an old letter book his grandfather once gave him. He doesn't know how long it's been. Those years he spent locked in his room, perfecting his craft, outlining each and every ridge of Oni Mountain and rereading every book he had on that small bookshelf in the corner. Each rewritten letter, every stroke obsessed over, every flick and scratch controlled over and over until he got it just right... Every step of the process enacted by him...

Now he pulls out a notebook full of pristine blue lines, mass reproduced, tidy, artificial, looking to scratch down his spiraling, unpredictable thoughts. It's... been so long since anyone has heard from you. It's been even longer since he's been able to successfully create something. He has all the polymer, all the wood, all the string, straw, and beads.

He... rips out another page and crumples it up, the perfect, smooth surface irreparably tattered in his tight fist while his hair pools down to cover it. His head sinks lower, and lower, and he loses all the strength he had to hold himself up. He sits there for a while.

[blububbie]

Nobody talks about how stupid you feel when you apbruptly change career paths 3/4s into your final year of high school. Like yes I've spent 12 years studying creative arts. Yes I want to completely 180 that shit into forensics and criminal psychology. Yes I'm stupid. Yes I'm doing it anyways.

[nvvawi]

la creatura, big yawn

still in creative burnout but I realised that it's not the only thing holding me back from drawing. I'm also the issue because I judge my every move too harshly and my dissatisfaction with my every brush stroke translates into dislike of doing art.

reblogs appreciated!

[cjoat-boost]

March 4, 2024 Edit of this still relevant post from February 27, 2024

For those that view any of my online presences (including my blogs)…Um, this is something for you to know.

Please save this post so it doesn’t get buried by queue.

My& Current Health Situation

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I wish to communicate this to y’all now so that…I don’t end up worrying anyone when this happens. It may have been noticeable by some folks that I’m dragging, heavily. I’m not having a good time right now with my body. With this comes with an onion of issues detailing certain aspects of what I’m going through.

I know I have a lot of obligations. Not only as a creative and content creator; but as a friend, a mentor, Guardian or even older peer, and myself. I’ve neglected myself for too long. I have been noticing my vitality decrease; and my CFS and POTS flaring up further.

Social Justice is something I’m always perceiving and sensitive to; and as such, the strain I’ve noticed too late has been worsening. Includes many emotional meltdowns and outbursts from me that I can no longer control or hold back.

Trying to figure out how to exactly sort through the mass tangles of my traumatized emotional and mental state isn’t as simple as I hoped for me. While I’m creatively burned out, I am suffering Autistic burnout. A double whammy of all things.

I’m finding myself getting “stuck,” unable to physically move for hours at a time. I’d move upstairs to eat something but end up being there for what’s normally an half hour task…for nearly 2+ hours. Even so, trying to force movement to do tasks that is considered “everyone can do these” is mentally painful and physically locking. Even if I have to desperately use the bathroom when I’m about to fall asleep, my headmates (AKA alters) have to switch to co-front or “snatch me back” in order to get my body moving. That’s with the sudden rocket spike in heart rate and blood pressure, and loss of balance (at the very least).

I’m already struggling to cope with many things due to the fact that I haven’t been able to draw much at all; or create anything and write anything. Especially trying desperately to fulfill my word on things I had the energy to do, but no longer do. So much of my struggles I can’t properly transmute. It’s so upsetting.

Thus, there’s going to be a sudden and abrupt shift in posting or messaging. I don’t know when. But it is coming.

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(Especially since I’ve been feeling mania over the weekend. All weekend, Saturday and Sunday, I manic cleaned large portions of certain areas I occupy as well as my housemate. Today I’m feeling the aching in my joints badly, with my calves swearing hell at me. I’m wearing my wrist brace too, I just…I’m rambling.)

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I wish for you to know what’s happening if you don’t see or hear from me, my headmates, or any of my online presences (as depicted here: https://cjoatbysamwise.com/cjoats-links ) No one is being forgotten. I’m not abandoning anyone. I’m not ghosting anyone. What I do know (still coming to terms with it ngl) is I need to stop, fully stop, and recover. It’s looking like my body is going to do that for me by force. It’s going to be abrupt and sudden to the inconvenience of many, including my housemate, unfortunately.

I don’t know how long this will last. But I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep “hustling” like this. Does this sound repetitive? I wanted to communicate before suddenly I’m unable.

Does this sound repetitive? I’ll end it here. I wanted to communicate before suddenly I’m unable.

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I’ll end it here with how you can support me while I’m down, only able to and wish to (I’m aware financial situations are a big struggle at the moment, there is no pressure to.)

Provide support by these links:

Thank you for reading until the end; have an awesome week ahead. Please remember to hydrate and eat. 🫶🏽❤️‍🩹

[sugiieop]

chaos. 🖇️

[okamirayne]

Burnout Recovery

Meaning, something that burnout can ruthlessly steal from you. What returns it?

Thank you to every single blessed individual reviewer, reader and reacher who has ever reached out to me regarding my writing and shared your experience of my storytelling madness. I’m currently rereading every message and review I’ve ever been blessed to receive; to remind me how to answer the vital questions posed here that I have struggled with ever since burnout hit:

What is the gift you carry in your soul? What have you brought with you into the heart of the village?

I love and appreciate those who so kindly remind me of the meaning of what I do, which trumps all drill-sergeant self-talk, and forced modern-culture motivation mantras (the hustle shit) that only leads to further stress and illness. 🙏🏼

Modern Culture is fucked sideways and upside-down right now. Hello Clown World 🤡

Takeaways:

Cultivate your own myths and soul-medicines to find your meaning. If you can’t find joy in your old go-to pleasures right now, please find relief from any of your pressures.

If nothing seems to fill you right now, you may need to Empty Out rather than consume or try to fill what feels like a void. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether we’re truly empty inside, or too full of shit to feel.

It feels strange to share this, but as people have enquired (and are so sadly suffering similarly), I said I would do my best to offer my random and humble findings as I navigate my own way from the hellfire wasteland of burnout back to my writing worlds again.

I hope this helps someone. 🙏🏼 Even if it’s just to acknowledge their sadness.

For any other creatives going through burnout and are in the baby steps of recovery — or even if you’re sitting in the wreckage and not yet on recovery’s road just yet— I get you, I see you, I hear you, I feel for you, and I wish you so much grace in gently cradling and protecting the gifts you hold whilst your mind/body/spirit heals so you can return to your creative projects again and feel what the fires of burnout scorched and then extinguished in you.

Beauty CAN come out of Ashes.

And that beauty doesn’t have to be a phoenix. It can be a tiny, tiny spark — and even if the spark doesn’t catch just yet, stay with it, stay with it, please stay with it ✨

~ Rayne ☕️💜

Thank you BtB readers/reviewers for staying with me as I return to HHU to help me find my way back to my sparks once more ✨💖 Love and appreciate you 🙏🏼

[12amarts]

[makethiscanon]

Yesssss, I wrote a full 3k fic in a day. Honestly, three days off from work and I get my creativity back. Shame I'm back to the grind tomorrow, but hey-ho, at least that's another fic ready to post on Ojiro Day. NINE DAYS, GUYS.

[lazui-l]

Sorry this is kind of a weird desperate vent post but please tell me I’m not the only one who will just read a book/watch a show/play a game/witness whatever form of media and start hyperfixiating on it because of how enjoyable it was

and then you walk over to the creative workshop part of your brain and you sit down and go “I want to make a story just as good as the stories I’ve been hyperfixiating on. I want to make something that will effect the reader just like how (insert inspiration) affected me” so you start brainstorming a plot or a character or a setting

But then you just stop and look at your ideas and think to yourself “I’ll never be as great as (insert certain artist/author who’s inspired your work) I’ll never have the positive emotional impact on someone like they had on me” and you just start hating everything you make and get swallowed by this endless pit of “I’m never gonna make anything great enough” and that makes you so miserable because you genuinely love creating stories and creating characters but your anxiety and constant need for validation drains the joy you once experienced and you feel like an unfinished painting on fire.

Like maybe this is a very universal experience with writers but I’ve never really seen anyone talk about what it’s like to have certain pieces of fiction you adore and bullying yourself into believing you could never make something as great. Has anyone else gone through this/are going through this??? Anyone have any advice or experiences or anything??