E45 Escape Burnout with this one shift
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Hello, my creative friend, welcome to this episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. Today, we are going to talk about the creative process, the highs, the lows, and everything in between. We're going to be exploring something many of us have faced at some point in our creative lives, and that's the feeling of fatigue when new sparks of new inspiration fail to ignite And excite us.
And we feel ourselves crushing and burning from the real exhaustion that's caused by creative burnout.
In this episode, you'll discover number one, that you should never feel alone.
If and when your creative energy takes a dive and number two, you need to take care of yourself of yourself. And that [00:01:00] means put on your oxygen mask first. And number three, There is a way to find fire after burnout. Today you'll find ways to rekindle your creativity again.
let me tell you a story. I have a friend who snaps a lot of pictures with her phone. Now, most of my family and friends take photos with their phones, but this one friend, well, her photos are something special on all the socials or she posts, everyone raves about how beautiful her photos are. Now she's taking the same variety of pictures that we all take of people, of places, of things, nothing really out of the ordinary, but her photos just seem to be It's a notch above the norm because of one special thing that she does so well. [00:02:00] Now she is not traveling to exotic locations. She's not using fancy equipment and she doesn't spend hours setting up her shots and editing her photos.
What's her secret to great photos? It's simple. It's focus. No matter where she is, she finds something unique to zoom in on, something beautiful to concentrate on. And because of what she chooses to focus on, her photos stand out. Amongst the crowd because she shifts her focus to find the beauty in the ordinary, in life's everyday moments.
Let's compare finding focus in a photo to finding focus in your creative life. [00:03:00] When we are feeling burnt out or blocked or uninspired, it's often because we are stuck. in the same patterns that we are focusing on.
And these are the same things over and over and over. So today we're going to consider our focus on what And sometimes who we are focusing on currently. And then I want you to consider why and how this current focus you might be having might be keeping you from creating the beauty and the energy and the creative excitement that you ultimately crave.
So first let's take a moment to acknowledge the burned out elephant in the room. If you're feeling burnout. My friend, [00:04:00] do not feel alone. Just don't. You have company, Creative burnout happens to many creatives. And it typically happens when you've been pouring so much energy into your work or your service project.
to others. Because of this heavy concentration on things that pull your focus away from your true creative passion or passions, you stray off path and figuratively you hit a wall. And imagine if you actually ran headlong into a brick wall, the result would leave you sore for days.
And it would zap your energy and your focus. And then. When you try to pick yourself up and get yourself back on track to wherever you were originally going, [00:05:00] well, that travel will now be very slow and it probably won't be enjoyable because you're fatigued by the wall you just hit.
Burnout is real and it happens when work is rugged or deadlines are scary or when creativity and life commitments are competing with each other, or when the world around us is loud and frightening. Yeah. One or all of these things could be happening at the same time. And these things can pull your focus away from your creativity that you would like to create today.
I have been in the depths of burnout. It's hard. It's overwhelming. It was an awful place to be, and I felt very alone when it happened to me. Thinking about telling [00:06:00] others that my creativity and my energy were depleted. Well, it seemed like I was admitting I was weak and that I wasn't capable of doing what others expected of me or what I promised I could deliver.
So, rather than saying anything, I struggled on driving my burned out creative engine straight into that wall. It was not a healthy time for me creatively and not a healthy time for my overall health and happiness. burnout is real, and when the demands of life rain down on you, it can be especially difficult because your energy is weakened.
but you keep pushing yourself on in the direction you think you need to be going And we often do all of this without taking time to recharge. But here [00:07:00] is some good news.
Burnout doesn't mean that you've lost your creativity, and it doesn't mean that it can't be rekindled and brought back to life, and sometimes brought back to levels that you did not know you were capable of achieving. It means that right now, you need to blink and clear your eyes. and shift your focus to a different perspective.
Just like making an okay photo look fabulous or exciting, sometimes all you need to do is just shift your focus and rethink what you're focusing on.
So, if you're thinking, so I just need to blink and refocus on what I'm looking at, Beth, that sounds a little too simple. Hang with me. [00:08:00] Let's continue. Let's take a look at why focus matters and why, what, you focus.
On is powerful. Focus can either trap you in a cycle of burnout, or it can show you the way out. When we are burned out, we tend to get tunnel vision. And we see and concentrate on things that are causing our fatigue, like deadlines, expectations from others, or expectations that we've set for ourselves, or comparisons and imposter syndrome that make us fearful to move forward.
And so the downward burnout spiral gets started, and then it continues. And our attention, our focus is on the things that are draining us, [00:09:00] because that's what seems loudest when we are feeling this way. But what if instead of dwelling on the pressures that we are anticipating what if we choose to shift our focus towards what sparked our creativity in the first place? Think back to that, our love of art or writing or music or whatever your creative passion might be.
What is that initial love of creativity
Was it writing, painting, sculpting? was it music? Was it performing? Was it pottery? Was it spreadsheets? Whatever it might be. Think about the excitement you felt when you were at your creative peak.
I want to check in with you, my friend, on [00:10:00] this very important thing. This can be a key in shifting focus away from creative burnout,
and that is understanding the role of rest with your creativity. Are you taking care of yourself, of your energy, and of your creativity? Creativity is not a resource that can run Without taking care of your creative engine. If you run out of fuel, you're stranded.
Often we run out of creative fuel or experience burnout. And this happens because you've been in one of those phases like, sure, I can do that by then. Or yeah, I can do that for you.
No worries. You know, that constant go mode. And we do this for too long without giving ourselves the rest we need. So let's pause for a second. [00:11:00] I want you to take a feel on your energy level right now. How tired are you
Sometimes the most creative thing you can do for yourself is to pull your focus away from what you're doing and simply give yourself permission to rest and then make plans to do this on a regular basis so that you keep your creative engine fueled and that's going to give you the energy that you might be missing right now.
Rest and making this a practice To stay rested allows your brain to reset and recharge, and it can give you new perspectives and that's focus. on the work that you are either creating or that you want to create.
So don't underestimate the power of rest in shifting your focus and overcoming burnout. If you'd like to learn a little bit more [00:12:00] about your creative energy, check back into the create today archives and look for episode six, where we talk about creative energy and it's amazing power. Now, you know that I love a good list, so today
I have three words that are easy to remember and that are attached to three ways where you can choose to shift your focus and rekindle your energy.
maybe you want to get yourself a post it note and write these words down. That way you can remember these three positive ways that you can choose to shift your focus and overcome creative burnout. Our first word is hope. Let's take a look at your proverbial creative glass. If you're burned out creatively right now, my guess is your glass is not filled to the brim with creative energy.[00:13:00]
So here's a way you can shift that focus. Adjust your focus from, what isn't in your glass to what you do have in your glass. You know, take on that positive outlook of my glass is half full, that perspective. Choose to find hope. through what you have and focus on finding the good things and the good moments in your day instead of focusing on what's not going right or things that you wish were different.
even if the good seems to be few and far between right now, focus on the bright and shiny points of your day. There's something good somewhere in your day that will be worth a smile. And then using this beautiful word hope, here's the shift in your focus that you can concentrate on.[00:14:00]
So I want you to shift your focus from The pressure of perfection to the process will be positive. When we're creatively burned out, we often get stuck thinking about the end results. What if this project isn't good enough? What if people don't want it?
What if my work doesn't sell? My friend, that's a lot of pressure. So instead of focusing on perfection, try to focus on the process. Just have fun being creative, enjoy the work. That's where hope lives. Just enjoy creating. Think about it. What would happen if you created without worrying about this final product, sometimes removing the pressure of thinking about the what ifs of perfection.
When you [00:15:00] remove that pressure, it allows hope to find and allow new ideas to flow. And suddenly your work is even better. Now, our second word.
is abundance. Sometimes burnout happens when you are forced to work in authentically. So you're creating solely for clients or customers, and your unique voice is pushed out of your creations. When this happens, it helps to realize and remember the abundance of your creative spirit and your talents.
You have a unique voice. Give yourself permission to shout your message when you need to. If you have to work for clients, and you cannot put your own voice into it, give yourself time in other parts of your day when you can just be you.[00:16:00]
Remember, you're one of a kind. And you do not need to always be matchy matchy with all that is trending. Take what you see, translate it, and then make it your own. And then, using our word abundance, you have an abundance of talents. Share it with the world.
shift your focus to play. and not productivity. This is a big one. So much creative burnout happens because you, the creative, you just become a wrist for someone else that makes you do the work. You're creating art that others want, and you're letting them use your wrist. But they don't want your brain.
your creativity is just what the client needs, just what the customer desires. But your creative voice.
is muted. [00:17:00] But what if you gave yourself permission to play on your own time What if you spent some time creating something that is entirely just for you and you created it using your own creative voice? Shift your focus from being just productive for others to being playful just for you and see how that changes over time.
Your level of energy and see if that doesn't help you reignite some of that lost inspiration. Now, our third word is renewal. And if you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked, look outside of your usual creative space. Often, burnout comes from staying in the same creative lane for too long. If you haven't recently felt a light that streams into your [00:18:00] creative consciousness, filling you with new ideas, it might be time to step outside and actually feel some sunshine.
Or it might be time to mix things up and experience that tingle of feeling uncomfortable with something unknown as you learn something brand new and adapt and become excited about something that is different and challenging and making new creative possibilities for you.
And then using renewal, here's the shift in your focus that you could choose. If you're an illustrator or a musician or a writer, maybe mix up your style or your genre, or try a subject matter that is entirely new to you. Or my friend, step completely outside of your creative zone and get yourself tingly with a totally new creative experience.
So, if [00:19:00] you're a writer, Maybe try drawing. If you're a painter, try taking photos. No matter what type of creative you are, get out there and do something creatively unexpected that might make you excitedly uncomfortable doing something brand new.
if you want to try something new or unexpected, something that really will make you feel uncomfortable in a good way, try singing in a concert with a choir or performing with a community theater group, or find an art club that paints community murals outside.
See where I'm going here, shifting your focus to a different or completely new creative outlet can help reawaken your excitement. You might find that concentrating your focus on something new gives you fresh ideas to bring back that primary passion [00:20:00] that you love so much.
So remember, creativity isn't about forcing yourself to stay on the straight and narrow.
It's about exploring and wandering and letting your curiosity guide you. When you shift your focus, you're allowing yourself to explore a new idea, new techniques, new ways of thinking that new perspective, And sometimes burnout happens because we've lost touch with our creative values.
We're focused on things like making money, getting likes or pleasing others rather than what really matters to us. So making this shift in focus we then realign with who we really are and what we care about. So ask yourself, what do I love about creating?
What makes me feel alive? [00:21:00] These thoughts will help you reconnect with your creativity. When burnout is holding your creativity hostage. Let's do a quick focus check in right now. Think about your creative work.
What have you been focusing on lately? is it number one, pressures of completing a project for a client? The deadline? that you need to meet? Or are you worried about criticisms or judgment that you might have when you finish the project?
Or number two, are you focused on the joy of the exploration, the curiosity that your creative passion is providing for you? If your answer is number one, this is your reminder to make a choice to just Shift your focus, take a breath and ask yourself, what can I focus [00:22:00] on right now that will bring back some of the love that I had in creating in the first place?
Remember when you make this focus, life isn't going to suddenly be all unicorns and cotton candy, but it will help you get a grasp on things that you can do to make a change. Shifting your focus can be the key to overcoming creative burnout. It's not about forcing yourself to power through whatever it is that is causing the fatigue.
No, it's about gently guiding your attention towards the things that will help revive and rest and inspire you.
so what are you focusing on right now? My friend, here's an easy way to help you shift your focus away from burnout. It's. And onto the positivity that will help you build your creativity. [00:23:00] Join me at my next create today workshop. You're invited to my going forwards with your creativity. This workshop is designed to help you
focus on your energy, your creativity, your enjoyment of the process, and your creative confidence.
Do not miss this going forwards workshop. It's a fabulous way to spiral up.
Your energy, your abilities, and your happiness. For details, visit www.bdi-create.today. and you can register for the going forwards workshop and you can choose a date that is perfect for you. Remember, the focus you choose for your creativity is essential for sustaining your creative energy and your health.
When you're feeling creatively healthy, your energy will radiate out to the lives of those who depend on you. and need you [00:24:00] every day. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. If you found a breath of fresh air in today's episode, please share Create Today with your friends and your family and take a moment to leave a review.
Until we chat again, my friend, think about hope about abundance and think about renewal. What are you focusing on? Until next time, I hope you find creative energy to keep you happy and healthy in heart, mind, body, and soul.
No matter where you choose to focus today, stay creative, my friend.
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