I’m here staring at a blank word document, trying to figure out how to start this post. Often in sports, we are told that we are a group of creative people. While I agree with that, what do you do when creativity goes missing?
Right now, with the state of athletics and the world, it’s hard to stay positive. It’s hard to be creative with a job when there are no events to look forward to. With so much unknown it can be extremely difficult to do anything creative. Knowing the effort, you are putting in might not amount to anything.
When you work in a creative field you think you have to be ‘on’ all of the time, but in reality, that is not how life works. Having your work displayed on a public stage during a downtime can make you question everything about yourself… Or maybe that’s just me.
I’m not a naturally creative person. Growing up I was very serious and kept to myself. Working in sports has brought that trait out in me. Working in sports information as well as graphic design has let me be both analytical and creative, but with that comes burn out.
What happens when you are overwhelmed with requests, life and other job responsibilities? Something is going to break, and you hope it’s not you…
Burn out is sometimes a part of life, but what do you do when you have to be creative when you don’t have any creativity left?
For me too often I just keep pushing myself. I keep saying yes to projects. I keep trying to get things off my to-do list. I keep telling people I am fine. I keep thinking my creativity has to come back at some point… Right?
Those ways never really work out, so what is the right way to combat having to create while not feeling creative? I’m in no way an expert, but here are some ways to get out of that funk. Some of these things will work for you, but some won’t. Find what works for you.
Take care of yourself!! If you are not taking care of yourself, you can’t really help anyone else. You can’t pour out of an empty cup.
Ask for help. This is very hard for me, but when you feel overwhelmed a lot of the times asking for help really makes things easier.
Step away from a project. Save your Photoshop file and close the program for the day. It can wait.
Take the day off from creating. You might still have to do other things but turn your brain off from creating or looking at creative ideas.
On the other side. Look at what others are doing. Athletics is a copycat league, so look/ask what others are doing to get inspiration.
Binge-watch something. Bake something. Try a new hobby. Go for a walk. Treat yourself. Basically, turn your brain off for a few hours.
Give yourself grace. Give yourself time. Allow yourself to struggle but remind yourself there is a bright side even when it’s hard to see.
See/call friends. Connect with new friends. Vent, chat, talk about non-work things.
Do a brain dump. Often for me, I get stressed out because I have too many ideas, dates, or questions in my head. Take an hour and write out everything that is on your mind.
Reach out to other creators (my DM’s are always open) and ask how they get inspired.
Ask for feedback. Sometimes you might not have the chance to do the above options. But find a community of like-minded people that will challenge you, but also provide support when you need it.
I don’t know who I am writing this blog for, but right now it’s okay to feel bad. It’s okay to question what you are doing with your life, but don’t question your worth. We all need each other. Sports will return eventually and by supporting each other that moment will be even sweeter.
- Emily McMillan (@emily_mcm16)
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