When designing it was fun

Burnout and a tired right hemisphere of the brain

I remember my first years as a formal designer, designing every day, 7 days a week, a minimum of 8 hours a day, constantly creating, thinking, and learning. Back in the day for me, it sounded like I was thriving and was doing the most to better myself as a productive person and a designer. Today was the worst decision I could make. 

I enter a loophole that lots of creatives have gone through or are going through right now, -queue the dramatic music- The creative burnout.

In the world of creativity where we need to constantly ideate, and create innovatively every time this loss of inspiration and motivation can pose a significant challenge. Here I will compile how I discover how my creative blockage looked and how I managed to get out of it. 

Understand and recognize your creative burnout: 

Creative burnout occurs when the demands of consistent creativity and the pressure to perform exceed an individual's capacity to cope. A sense of defeat, lack of motivation, procrastination, a refugee in bad habits such as bad eating, diminished creativity, no discipline, and the horrendous impostor syndrome.

Recognizing these signs and accepting them as a process is crucial to solving the problem. 

Self-Care: 

Engaging in activities that promote mental and physical well-being is the fundamental part to get out of the hole. Creating a healthy work-life balance, setting boundaries, and taking regular breaks are equally crucial for nurturing creativity and preventing another hole. Meditation is a way to calm your mind and just to see what thoughts are the thoughts polluting your mind, or just be quiet for 10 minutes a day, with no technology, and no distractions.

Collab:

Working with other designers will bring out the best in you. Seeking help to either finish or do a project is a great way to open your panorama and perspective on things. I created what I consider the best projects in my career with another designer. There are also Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media groups with great designers. 

Break time is essential:

Regular breaks are essential to prevent creative blockage. Taking breaks and doing nothing is as important as being proactive. Taking a break means to heal and taking care of your body. 

And lastly, I understand we as creatives want to create the best and the most creative and innovative solution ever for everything we do, but “Everything that can be invented has been invented”. 

Work smart, not hard.