How to reignite your spark
Creative burnout is more common in marketing than people want to admit.
It can be an embarrassing problem. You hide it from your co-workers and even your best friends. When it's time to perform, you can't create excitement. You're missing your usual spark.
You turn to the internet for answers, which results in a mix of truth and fiction or, worse yet, some woo-woo cure that requires you to find a hard-boiled emu egg, a black cat, and a Betamax tape of The Joy of Painting before the next new moon.
You feel you've lost your purpose. You doubt you'll ever deliver fireworks again.
It's OK. It happens to everyone. Creative burnout is more common in marketing than people want to admit.
The pressure to perform, to satisfy clients with brilliant and unique ideas at an increasingly vigorous pace to keep up with the growing competition available in the global marketplace, drains creatives quickly, leaving them spent and unable to generate new ideas.
It's time to normalize discussing creative burnout and find ways to reignite the spark.
The most common mental symptoms of creative burnout are increased self-doubt, you don't enjoy your art anymore, and you're not your usually joyous and cheerful self.
The physical symptoms mimic stress in your body, such as the inability to sleep, panic attacks, fatigue, and body aches.
Please raise your hand if you're experiencing any of these symptoms right now. Please don't be shy. We're sharing in a safe environment.
Admitting it is the first step to overcoming it. Getting support from your co-workers and friends is a good start. There's a good chance they've felt the same at some point in their careers. Sharing your feelings is surprisingly cathartic and is a positive first step to overcoming creative burnout.
Creative burnout is awful, but doing nothing is an acceptable way to combat it. When we say do nothing, we mean absolutely nothing. Put your phone away, turn off your computer, and do not binge Netflix, Disney+, or CraveTV.
"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self‑conscious, and anything self‑conscious is lousy." – RayBradbury.
Be boring. A 2013 study demonstrated the difference between relaxation and boredom; the results suggest boredom promotes more associative thought than relaxation. Being bored triggers daydreaming, and those daydreams will help reignite your creative spark.
Enjoy others' creativity. Do you have a favourite artist, writer, or commercial jingle composer? (Did you know The Neptunes and Justin Timberlake are writers on McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" jingle?)? Take a moment or two to rediscover the creative works that first inspired you to enter this business.
You're not perfect, and that's OK. Our clients need our creative works to be an 11/ 0. It breeds perfectionism, which means we can be hypercritical of our 9/10 work.
Take a moment to look at your early work and follow your growth to your latest (pre-burnout) work.You may not be perfect, but you'll be amazed at your progress.
After looking at your past work and other creative influences, take a baby step and create something just for you. Create something where the output doesn't matter, as there are stakeholders other than your well-being.
May we suggest composing a limerick with fingerpaints?
Go for a walk, look at the sky, stare into the ocean, and wrap yourself in blue. A scientific study from the University of British Columbia suggests people associate the colour blue with openness, peace, and tranquillity. It encourages the brain to feel safe about being creative and explorative in thinking.
Recovering from creative burnout takes time. Be sure to allow yourself that time and recognize that it's better to prevent it from happening.
Take breaks, don't try to do everything, and whenever possible, work in a positive, supportive, and nurturing agency that values people over awards.
Merchant North is hiring good people for our diverse and inclusive Montreal Agency. Please take a moment to check out our latest openings.
Answer The Call; we might have a position that's just, we might have a position that's just right for you.