Let's Talk About Creative Fatigue
Let’s be real, nobody wants to admit sometimes their creativity has slipped away, whether that be for a short period of time or longer. But here, this is me, saying it’s happened and I’m getting it back.
Working as a content creator can put pressure to make sure every aspect that you share is perfect, whether that be in the content you share on your social media Instagram, Youtube, Stories, TikTok, wherever. It feels heavy and you may feel the need to always only share the good bits, but I’m going to be contradictory and say: Sharing the bad bits, the downs, the hard times and the transitional periods is good, too.
When I first started my Instagram, I was a snap, edit and post kind of blogger and didn’t really care if something was oversaturated or whether the caption was long or short. I got things in the mail from brands and I shared it - no questions asked, not realising I was doing work for free. This is normal as you develop, but I didn’t realise that I was selling myself short. I started teaching myself how to use a DSLR, styling for food photography and how to develop recipes that were unique but fit my aesthetic and taste. Now my style changed, I evolved and felt good about it, but around half-way through lockdown, I was really feeling exhausted with the constant need to be creative and continue to share only the best parts of my days, new recipes and I had worn myself thin with learning and developing, and I was working for multiple restaurants running their social/doing content creation/recipe development in addition to my own social media. I was literally coming up with things to do throughout the day so I could share. I was tired, cooking so many meals a day, trying to also explore London (although in a limited way) and didn’t feel like I had any me-time, or when I did, I felt guilty for not working.
Enter creative fatigue.
I slowly lost my spark for sharing, I felt confused as to what I wanted to share, and eventually, went through a slump. I felt like I had let my audience down, I brainstormed, but nothing felt right. I realised something had been missing. I hadn’t just let my body and mind rest, re-couperate and focus on what it wanted to do. So I turned off my computer, went lighter on my stories and just rested and relaxed. What came from this period of pause was new inspiration, new focus and a refreshed love for what I do.
Some days, I still feel this way, but what I wanted to share what I’ve learned in terms of sparking creativity and how to try and shake off your creative fatigue.
Don’t give into other people’s pressures — I am a yes person, I am also an easily persuaded person, I want to please and I want to be successful and often this may go against my beliefs or my visions for what I want to share. Do not let other people tell you what to share or how to share — it’s important that you follow your gut, your own decision will ultimately be the best one.
If you feel something, run with it — The amount of times I’ve woken up in the morning and thought, “I’m going to bake/cook/try this today,” and then convinced myself that it won’t come out right or it’s not worth it because nobody will be interested, I could could on all my fingers and toes. When you have moments of inspiration, motivation or ideas, don’t ask yourself questions or bring doubt to mind, just do it. This is sometimes how the best content is created and you’ll be surprised with yourself on what you can do when you set your mind to it.
Look for creativity — See someone’s feed you love? Find a post on Pinterest you like? Think about why you like it, and how you can find your own inspiration from it. Copying is not ok, but finding creativity in other people’s work can be. I’ve recently been loving Aimee Song’s content on Youtube, even her recipes. They are easy and engaging and the editing is simple but stays consistent across all of her videos. I’ve been trying to find myself on Youtube and how I sit, and watching her videos has made me feel more motivated and filled me with ideas on what kind of content I can create. I’ve realised that I stressed myself out too much about having highly professional videos when really I should just share what I can and how I like to.
Take a break and write it down — This can be the hardest thing to do, but can be the most important. Even just stick a notebook in your bag and go for a walk near home, you never know where your mind will wander to. The other week I had a random spark of inspiration while I was trying to read a book and thought, if I don’t write this down now, will I remember? So I just quickly jotted it down in my notes and now I am so glad I did.
Spend time with people who don’t do what you do — I absolutely adore all the people I have met through Instagram, but sometimes it’s nice to get a perspective from someone outside your industry. Our parents may not 100% understand what we do, but our friends can. One of my friends works in fashion, and we went on a walk for coffees a few weeks back, and after chatting about her work, travel, shoots, I had a creative reboot. We barely even spoke about Instagram, but, I came home feeling inspired and ready to get my creativity on. It’s nice to take the focus off of smaller things you are working on and look at the bigger picture, and plus, friends always are full of words of support that sometimes you need to hear, especially from someone who works in a totally different field.
When doing your own work, finding the spark is something that takes a lot of energy, but like dating, you’ll probably have to kiss a lot of bad ideas before you get to a good one. From this, I’m taking my own advice, and know, now, to keep chugging, know my worth, trust my gut and continue to share, whether that be the good, the bad or the ugly.
