Have you ever heard the saying, 'Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life'? Well, I think it's complete rubbish.

You see, there seems to be a cultural misconception that being creative isn't very hard. Don't get me wrong; I am not here to preach that 'creativity is suffering,' but I would like to make the case that creativity can be taxing if not approached in a balanced way. Failing to take care of it can lead to creative burnout. Contrary to popular belief and the perpetuated myth that if you 'find a job you enjoy doing, you will never have to work a day in your life,' you absolutely can burn out while doing the creative things you love.

So how do you prevent this? Well, that's exactly what I'm going to teach you

For my entire working life, I have done a "job that I love", or at the very least “liked” Throughout that time, I have experienced my share of creative burnout. So, the notion that doing a job you love means you'll never work a day in your life really doesn't hold true for me.

I believe the problem lies in the fact that we don't really talk much about this thing called creative energy. In today's general language, we don't have many words to define, let alone quantify it. However, just like our own physical energy, creative energy can be exhausted and completely spent. Furthermore, we don't quite understand how to nurture or take care of it, even in the most favourable of circumstances, like doing something you absolutely love. So many creative people find, with complete surprise, that they’ve hit burnout while pursuing something they are head over heels passionate about and love doing.

The thing with creative burnout is that it takes a long time to bounce back from. I've heard multiple experts explain that generalised burnout can take years to recover from, and I'd say creative burnout is not far off that in many cases. So, pushing yourself to the point of creative burnout hardly seems like a sustainable option.

The key to prevent this is approaching your creative life with sustainability and longevity in mind. You have to set a pace to work at that you know is sustainable, and will see you working creatively for years to come. You also have to put certain safeguards in place to protect your precious creative energy.

You might be wondering what that entails.

Well, I believe it involves changing your life in the following areas:

- Balancing different types of creativity in your life
- Instituting a regimen of creative rest.

Let’s look at these in more detail.

Balancing Different Types of Creativity In Your Life

Under the concept of "creativity," I believe there are two different types: "little 'c' creativity" and "big 'C' creativity." To truly optimize your creative life, it's essential to understand both.

"Little 'c' creativity" is closely related to creative play and has no significant objective. Instead, it's done for the joy of the process, without any expectations or pressure. Regardless of the finished product or result, it is a carefree and straightforward form of creativity. This may look different for everyone, but you'll likely instinctively know what it means for you. For me, my creativity is expressed through cooking, playing a musical instrument, or doodling in my sketchbook. It's where I find simple enjoyment in the creative act.

You may notice hints of this type of creativity in your life. It could be as simple as finding joy in baking, decorating your home, scrapbooking, crocheting, sewing, etc. You should acknowledge this kind of "little 'c' creativity. It's an essential part of your creative self-expression, which can bring a feeling of rich abundance into your life and help bring out your sense of play.

"Big 'C' creativity" is creative work that requires deep thinking, focus, strategy, and dedication. It typically has a larger purpose or end goal and may involve external pressure. This type of work can be very rewarding, but without the proper safeguards in place, it can lead to a degree of personal and creative "depletion." I've noticed that too much of the "big 'C' creativity" without strategic pockets of creative rest and carefree "little 'c' creativity" can lead to creative burnout.

Instituting a regimen of creative rest

It might seem like overly simple advice, but rest is an essential part of the creative process.

I’ve observed that more so than others, creative minds need space and room to wander. Rest is that time we allow the mind to reset and gather the needed cognitive resources for the next bit of creative exertion. Creativity cannot thrive in a constant “hustle and grind” mentality. If we fail to give ourselves the needed rest, eventually our creativity and creative work will suffer.

Renowned author Aldous Huxley framed it perfectly when he said:

"The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed. Proficiency and result come only to those who have learned the art of doing and not doing or combining relaxation with activity."— Aldous Huxley

With this in mind, I believe that creative rest is the active choice to step away from your work, let it simmer in the subconscious part of your mind and come back to it at another time.

There are two types of creative rest: active and passive.

Active rest is closely tied with"little 'c' creativity". It involves resting from the "Big 'C' Creativity" whilst doing something else that reinvigorates your creative energy. Active rest allows you to feed back into your sources of inspiration with play and allows the creative mind to continue working on the big 'C' creative projects under the surface.

Passive rest is a quieter rest that involves stepping away from creativity altogether for a time. It could be physical rest allowing our bodies to recoup or stepping into a different environment and doing an activity unrelated to your creativity. There's nothing like fresh air and a day in nature to reinvigorate our creative energy.

Alternatively, it could be the consumption of other sources of inspiration. To feed back into our creative energy, we may need to absorb sources of creative expression outside of our own -- reading a book, watching a movie, visiting a gallery.

Introducing deliberate periods of rest into your creative life can have huge benefits. It can reinvigorate your creative juices and leave you feeling lighter and rested, ultimately showing in your creative work.

So with all this in mind, how do we bring all of this together to future-proof our creative lives from burnout?

Well it’s a matter of balancing all of these elements. The secret to a sustainable creative life is balancing our different types of creativity and peppering our schedule with pockets of rest.

Imagine that these facets of your creative life are like the spokes of a wheel. Each spoke keeps the wheel balanced, allowing it to move forward smoothly. However, if any of these 'spokes' or areas in our life are lacking, our creativity starts to wobble and may eventually fall apart.

So, ask yourself:

• How much time do I dedicate to 'big 'C' creativity' in my life?

• Does this need adjusting to incorporate more playful and lighthearted 'little 'c' creativity'?

• How much rest do I integrate into my creative life?

• Does this need adjusting so I can step away from my creative work and return to it feeling refreshed?

If, after asking yourself these questions, you realise that adjustments need to be made, take action. Your creative life and output rely on you to do so.

Takeaways

• Preventing creative burnout requires balance.

• This is achieved by including:
  - Different types of creativity.
  - Introducing deliberate periods of rest

• Doing so means you'll build a sustainable creative life and schedule.

What's Next?

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