How To Stay Creative When Creativity Is Your Job
We’re artists, we are full to bursting with creative energy and ideas all the time right?...Right?
If you’re anything like me, chances are that is NOT how you feel most of the time. The fact is, most of us got into art and design because we love to be creative, but sometimes it can be overwhelming to feel like you have to be creative 100% of the time.
With that in mind, here are a few things I do to stay creative and to avoid burnout in my own freelance business as a lettering artist.
KEEP A LIST OF BORING TASKS HANDY
This might sound counter intuitive, but the fact of the matter is, you’re not going to be feeling creative all the time, and when you do find yourself in a slump, the worst thing you can do is sit around in an existential funk trying to force yourself to be creative. Doing nothing at all won’t get you anywhere, instead, change gears and work on something else that requires zero creativity. Update your portfolio, put together a better system for invoicing your clients, answer that email you’ve been avoiding for a week. When you focus your attention on some of those more boring, left brain activities, you give your right brain a much needed break. I find that after doing some more practical things on my to-do list, I finish ready to get back into creative activities and actually feel more inspired and ready to go.
Not sure what sort of tasks to work on? Check out my post “What To Do When You’re Not Working” for some good ideas of practical ways to spend your non-creative time.
2. WORK WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES YOU
I’m all about keeping a good routine and having a schedule (check out my post on daily, weekly and monthly planning for more on that,) but if I’m suddenly hit with a bolt of creative inspiration, I’ll drop everything I’m doing to act on that. If you’re feeling creative, then create! Take advantage of the motivation and creative juices. Logistical items on your to-do list can wait.
3. KEEP A PASSION PROJECT
Third, keep a passion project. When working in a creative industry is your job, it can sometimes be tricky to separate the joy of creating from the fact that you have to do it to survive. Because of this, I always recommend having a passion project to work on that is completely unrelated to your creative field of work. Lettering will always be my first love, but I’m always careful to keep a photography, painting, or design project around that I can work on that has nothing to do with lettering. Being able to create without the pressure of making money, or doing a perfect job, or making clients happy is a therapeutic experience. And being creative outside of work will improve the creative work you do for your job.
As an example, I’m currently working on a passion project where I’m designing an art book of old photos that I found at an antique shop. I’ve been working on trying to identify the locations in the photos, the year they were taken and who might be in them and am compiling it all into a book. This is not something I’m getting paid for, and the final book will probably only be seen by me. But it brings me joy and is a wonderful creative outlet.
4. SPEND TIME WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE
If you want to be more creative, surround yourself with people who inspire you. I find I get some of my best ideas when I’m talking to my artistic friends. It’s so important to have people you can talk to about your creative projects and who you can support in their creative projects as well. The best ideas come from collaboration, so get out of your house and go spend time with other creative people. If you’re not sure where to find them, visit a show opening at your local art museum, go to an event with your local AIGA chapter, or just get some of your instagram art friends together in real life for lunch.
5. LEARN SOMETHING NEW
The act of learning requires creativity and is a great way to get those creative juices flowing. You can read a new book, practice a new skill or even take a class. Formalized classes are especially helpful because they help you be creative in a structured way where there is a level of accountability built into the experience. Each time I take a new class I find myself feeling more inspired to use what I’ve learned to create.
If you’re looking to try something new, my online hand lettering classes are always a great place to start!
6. KEEP A JOURNAL
Lastly, keep a journal. When you’re feeling extra creative (or extra sluggish) keep a journal about it. Where were you when you felt this way? What time of day was it? Who were you with? Was there something different or unusual about the environment? Write these things down and look for patterns. If you find you’re always the most creative after you’ve been exercising, then make jogging part of your daily routine. If you find you do your best work early in the morning, schedule out time to paint in the early hours of the day. Being creative will be different for everyone, so figure out what works for you and track it so that you can be as effective as possible.
Being creative isn’t always easy, but as you practice creative habits you’ll be able to manage your time well, utilize your creative moments, and stay happy and inspired. Have you tried some of the things on this list? How did it work for you? Do you have other creativity tips to add? Leave them in the comments below!