Battling creative slump and recovering from burn out
Hello beautiful folks!
It’s pretty mad how time flies in 2023, in a blink of an eye it's already the last day of January. I started the year with quality time with my friends and my partner, career planning, and celebrating Lunar New Year with my family. 2023 so far has been really slow to me, I don’t have much going on and truthfully, I am facing a really bad creative slump. This could be a result from working really hard non-stop in Q3 and Q4 of 2022, I got really burnt out and numb in making creative work.
If I have to be truthful, I actually got lost in my creative path again and got irritated with my creative process. In these uncertain and scary times, it's normal to get burned out easily, especially since we live in a fast-paced world. When we are not doing something productive, we start to feel deflated and catch ourselves in a self-sabotaging spiral.
A promise I made to myself in January was to prioritize my passion project and stop procrastinating on it, but the moment I stare at my iPad workspace, I can’t help but to feel demotivated and derailed.
And this is when I realized that it is time I need to pause from creating, I am actually resting and I need to fully embrace that it is all right if some months you don’t feel productive.
Because productivity isn’t just doing amazing work, productivity could mean spending quality time with your loved ones, or even planning for what’s next. I have also learnt that not having work is something that is out of our control, and what’s within our control is how we can respond to this situation.
This uncomfortable creative slump can be inevitable especially if you are a freelancer, it could also be a hint that there is some inner work you need to work on. I recalled that uncomfortable moments are a scarcity sign that we need to take a pause from our routine. Instead of looking at these scary times as a fear, let’s navigate this difficult path with curiosity and compassion.
Here are some of my action steps and kind reminders that worked out for me, you can give it a try if you want to:
Reading is one of the greatest joys during this slow season, it's liberating to reconnect myself with wisdom through amazing writers. One of the books I read called “I did not do the thing today” taught me that productivity is different to everyone. Instead of beating up ourselves for being unproductive, try to unravel the feelings of self-blame when we encounter them, and set your own definition of productivity goals.
As a freelancer, I have accepted the fact that there are fast and slow seasons. It is not realistic to work and grind all year and not rest, to work like a hamster running on the wheel non-stop is not an ideal way to get things going. Slow season is basically a self-care season. It is also a gift from being a freelancer because with good rest, I can produce quality work.
My identity is not attached to work’s achievement, I have family, friends, and my partner to spend time with. I feel content when I get to spend my time with them because the older I grow, I find it difficult to spend time with them especially how I had a busy schedule
A quiet time is also a good time to work on your career reflection and your next steps. Review what worked out for you and what were the lessons you learnt from events that didn’t work out. Personally, I overworked in 2022 due to having too many different income streams. I am not against having different income streams but I think it's important to learn how to diversify them to both active and passive income. I have learnt to let go teaching slowly because my focus this year is to get into publishing and hopefully more merchandising projects. This means letting go one certain income but I felt I have outgrown myself and it's time to redirect my focus.
Make crappy art. I find that this is the best time to get your hands dirty again. Recently, I have been experimenting with gouache and markers. I didn’t make great art, but I am proud of the process. This messy experiment is a way for me to combat perfectionism and untangle these creative block knots.
This is the most mundane job for freelancers, but I think it's crucial to work on your bookkeeping because tax season is coming. I feel that it's overwhelming for me to track my expenses in one shot, hence I recommend doing it consistently. While working on this, this is also when you can start setting financial goals for yourself
Cry out loud. Heal your wounded inner child with compassionate self-talk, I recently discovered that I will beat myself up whenever I am not doing anything productive. I’m my worst inner critic and I felt really bad that sometimes I talk to myself as a bully. I find that crying is actually a healthy way to cope with difficult emotions, and it releases stress. Once you grieve, take your time to talk to your wounded inner child as if you are your own best friend. I find that writing letters to myself is a very soothing activity. You can write words like “You are more than enough” “Thank you for being there for me”, because the world is already so harsh on us, please don’t forget to be gentle on yourself.
Create a safe space for your creative juice. I find it relaxing that
Time is the time to go out and exercise, turn that creative slump into motivation with movement. Taking small walks around my park feels refreshing to my mind, and remember to nourish yourself with vitamins and supplements. You have to take care of yourself before your work, health is the real wealth!
That’s all for my self-discovery and healing journey at this moment. I hope that my little reflection could spark some inspiration to you.
