by Jeanne Takenaka, @JeanneTakenaka
Have you ever endured a season of creative burnout?
This spring, a lot of life happened, leaving my creative well not only dry but absolutely parched. I was talking with a friend, worrying about the next blog post I had to write. Because, even after a three-week break from blogging, I had nuthin’.
At all.
In stressful seasons, our bodies, minds, and spirits will focus on the essentials for surviving another day. There may be nothing left for creative endeavors. First, we must care for our physical needs:
get enough sleep,
eat good-for-us foods,
get outside in the sunshine and fresh air, and
find ways to experience rest, when possible.
After you’ve met your body and mind needs, consider these ideas:
8 Ideas to Move Beyond Creative Burnout:
1. Don’t stop your life and squeeze your brain until some sort of inspiration eeks out. Sometimes the best thing is to continue with your day’s tasks and let your brain noodle on the idea/stuck place in your story/next blog post. But, have a way to write/type the idea when it does come.
2. Work on another project. Schedule social media posts for next week. Work on a blog post’s SEO. Do laundry. Count your forks (okay, maybe not this one). Or my personal favorite: edit photos for future uses. Find ways to make progress in your writing life or/and your real life.
3. When you’re not in a creative slump, prepare a reserve of materials, like blog posts and story ideas. Store them for when the creativity isn’t there and use them when you need them.
4. Keep a Story Ideas folder with story sparks, so you have some ideas to draw from when nothing fresh is coming to mind.
5. If your story is not inspiring you and you haven’t figured out its end yet, consider determining what the end will be so you know what you’re aiming for.
6. If you can, take a step back from writing and discover/re-discover what you love about it. Are you writing in the genre that excites you? Are you willing to try something new? Is God inviting you into a new writing venue? Talk with Him about your dry well and ask for His guidance. And then wait for it.
7. Read. Read both in and outside your genre. Don’t analyze. Just read for sheer enjoyment.
8.Determine if fear may be driving you. That deadline is looming big in the windshield, and you’ve got more story to complete than time to write. If you’re dealing with fear, turn it over to the Lord and trust that if He’s given you the gift of a contract, He can help you meet the deadline. You do your part; He’ll do His.
Most importantly, in a time of creative burnout, go to the Giver of Creativity in prayer and trust He will give you what you need when you need it to fill your well.
Award-winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real-life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days. You can connect with her on her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.