Literally just had a session with my therapist trying to understand that breaks are not only good but necessary. My struggle intensely has been centered around working 45 hour weeks in a job entirely unrelated to my creative work, for which my creations suffer. Burnout transcends its source and explaining that to others is exhausting
My job has also decided to limit my department's work from home accommodations, so instead of getting the 2-3 hours of overtime pay that I should've gotten after today's shift, I'm short 4. Because God forbid I'm available at home to take care of my partner in a health crisis
The TLDR is that this resonates so deeply and trying to quantify labor of any form in time spent is such a hindrance and a harm and I cherish you sharing this with us brookes
Whenever I feel burnt out from making art, I ask myself: "Why do I choose art?" That gets me thinking about art topics I enjoy, new techniques I can try, and it reignites my excitement about being creative.
I feel like I’ve finally overcome my burnout as of last month! I saw a tweet once describing burn out as ‘doing the right thing the wrong way’ and it really resonated with me. A lot of the work that I was doing was more geared towards teaching about art with videos and tutorials and it didn’t leave time for me to make the art I wanted to make because my creativity was exhausted from doing the other stuff 😓 Taking a break from it all was helpful but I didn’t feel whole again until I got back to drawing for myself. It’s all about balance, not only between work and rest but professional and personal work 😌✨Another great video! This stuff is so important to talk about! 👏
I feel driven and a little bit anxious if I'm not creating something. I often get frustrated with my art. It's a terrible, volatile, mix. I burn out a lot due to frustration with my ow skill set and high expectations for my age range. I've ben drawing my whole life and I still just see scribbles most of the time. I'm impatient and that's a part of the issue. I've had to learn to slow down and focus. While that helps to re-frame my thinking - I'm not racing anyone or the clock, this is for fun, not a job - I still burn out. And by burn out I hit the wall full speed and land in a mental fiery crash. It's pretty impressive. But the anxiety to keep moving is still there. So I have to keep 'simple' projects on the back burner while I lick my ego's wounds. Stick men. I love my stick men. Keeps me sharp on proportion sizes and dynamic poses and character style with out having to render anything impressive. Shortly after I'm off again, racing towards the next wall with reckless abandon. I like to think of my stick men as little shoulder angels just watching, waiting to drag me out of the next blazing disaster. What was that definition of insanity again?
Great video! It’s easy to panic before realizing I’ve actually hit burn out, and videos like these are great reminders to reflect and re-access goals and get that important rest.
My husband can't understand why I'm only a hobbyist and I don't try to do art professionally. He really can't get the concept that the industry can be cruel and unforgiving to your physical/emotional/needs. Being a creative isn't like running through a bunch of accounting problems where you just rinse and repeat until the 8 hours are over. When I did art professionally I felt a constant state of burn out because the thing I did to recharge (ie art) was now not something I could do at my leisure, but not it was on a timeline and subject to the wants/needs/preferences of someone else. Now I just draw whatever I'm digging at the time and I'm so much happier and less burnt out. Best thing to get through burn out I think is to go to therapy. Something so relaxing about working with someone to figure out exactly what you need to feel better. You've got the most relaxing voice. You should have a podcast
I’m someone who burns out super easily if i’m not balancing my schedule evenly. Some of the things I do to bounce back is play some of my fav video games (I just got a Doenut in Viva Piñata) or to go on a walk. Every time I go out for a walk though I always make sure to go a lil extra farther to explore a new street I’ve never been on or that I’ve only been on a couple times. For me and anyone like me exploring new places and seeing new things is really important and definitely helps get me back on my feet. If I find i’m stuck running around in circles the best thing I can do is find something new. I also explore new art forms such as clay, crotchet, tea pot painting etc.
Wise words, my friend! I've seen all kinds of works being forced out/rushed to meet a deadline and the audience is left with a half-baked product. Don't push yourself too hard, know your limits.
Was starting to suffer burnout recently, but because I’m making stuff for a stall it is my work essentially. I felt pressure to keep going. I finally told myself to stop, and on a whim planned a picnic to a local stream with no people, no internet and no self imposed stress. When I got back I’d gotten out of my motivation rut. Breaks do work people and you aren’t wasting time, you’re just taking a pit stop 😊
I burned myself out on writing really badly, to the point where I didn't write for about 4 years. What got to me was a combination of my eating disorder ruining my ability to focus + toxic guilt building up a pavlovian negative reaction over time. I finally had to give myself permission to just not care about writing. Ironically, doing that also freed me up to learn how to draw! And the funny thing is that, after enough time, my authentic desire to write did eventually come back, too.
I suffered nasty burn out during art school. I mean NASTY - chronic insomnia, feeling like death, and what felt like a permanent headdache. I only felt like my self again once holiday breaks rolled around, and it still took me two weeks of constant rest to reach there. Then school would resume and the hell cycle began anew.
Thank you! This video really helped me figure out what I was going through. I was drawing almost daily for the last few weeks, but today I just had no energy, and ended up just staring at my desktop screen. So thanks, Rest Understander™ :)
I was building a Mega Base in MC but I had some serious burnout since I couldn't find anything that met my standards and that just shot down my drive to play so I just restarted from a blank slate and took a few days off to rest I may not be on Full but I am doing better now. TL:DR breaks are so useful no matter what medium you use creativity on
I have a goal to reach in my professional career but right now I need a job. I have one as a graphic designer! But I'm still living with my parents... So most days im applying to jobs constantly and refining my graphic design portfolio. But I wanna do illustration I just don't have a good portfolio for it so I'm also constantly drawing. This plus the fact that my "rest" used to be writing and drawing means that I get burnt out fast. So now I can't write or sketch in my free time because that's sucking more energy. Not to mention these past few years in my social life haven't been great. So now I have a rule. Only create during the week, take off on the weekend, unless inspiration strikes. it's helpful. So much so that some weekends I do create because I've taken time for myself and then Sunday I'll be fully reserved and have great ideas. Rest is so important and I had to learn that the hard way.
I've had a hard time relating to what most artist refers to as creative burnout, because for me burnout was my 8 months sick leave with crippling anxiety (= panic attacks rendering me hyperventilating in fetal position on the floor), brain fog, insomnia and other physical symptoms. This came about after working myself too hard for too long. After climbing out of that hell hole (well, one never really recovers fully. But coping with the aftermaths) I was almost offended when people casually blurted out "oh, I'm burnt out, I need to take a day off". But after a while I switched therapist and the new one talked about exactly these three factors you are mentioning and the spectrum of burnout came to light for me. And I also realised how many times I've had small burnouts without addressing them. I'm much more mindful of these things now. Going through that complete crash was awful, but probably one of the best things that has happened to me as it made me stop ignoring my mental health and also taught me new ways of viewing life in general.
I got to a strange point where I'm only trying to output art while being too "lazy" to give myself a chance to rest and let myself be inspired by new input. It's ironic how the barrier for drawing has become lower to me than gaming/anime/music/etc. (which I've realized have always been huge sources of inspiration for me). I can spend 10.000 hours drawing purely from imagination, but without actually experiencing the creations of other people I won't get anywhere. This may sound weirdly opposite to most common advice about "wasting your time gaming/watching netflix", but in my experience it's important to have at least somewhat regular exposure to new media (or old ones you love!) to immerse yourself in the kind of things that motivated you to learn art in the first place. As long as it's quality over quantity and they have a positive effect on you in the long term! Aside from that, allow yourself to daydream and let your mind wander, it's kinda similar to needing enough sleep, or breaks between sets in the gym. Working a full-time job 0% related to art, I often feel pressure to make the most out of the few hours of spare time by spending as much as possible drawing. But it's pointless if there are no ideas left to put on your canvas. When I realized this recently, and gently got myself back into the media I loved, I felt inspiration gradually returning again, life started to make a lot more sense despite all the existing chaos. It's still a difficult habit to build, but it feels like the right direction for me.
Burnout is more of a common state of being for me these days. Mostly because being in and working in education for a decade-plus of my life busted and de-calibrated all my gauges. I might not always know where I'm sitting at fuel-wise because it might be offline and disconnected. The best I can ever do right now is to do small bits of work in those fleeting moments where I can see and monitor ALL my gauges when they're all online at once. I may not get a lot done at one time or in regular intervals, but I'm just content to make forward progress in this day and age.
Ive had a lot of stress because of school and just couldn’t draw, but I still continued drawing sometimes because I thought else I would stop liking it and quit.
Im a hobbyist lol but i still liked the video a *lot!* im definitely going to consider what pressures im putting myself under--it might not be my job, but i still have a lot of stuff i want to make before i die, and i dont want to fall apart doing it!
It Works!!!!!!! While Watching This Video, I Designed A New Gadget For My Inventor Character. I Keep Them All In A Journal, A Major Burnout Source Of Mine. Thank You So Much!!
Actually i felt identified with some situations of the video, like for example, i had pressure in some times and up to the point of quitting, but in that times, thanks to the people around me, i was able to get up, or thinking in other things that it doesn't matter when im drawin', but fortunately, i am still an artist to these days!
Awesome video! I found that rest was the only way to recover from burn out. I used to teach music and the pandemic was a stressful and somewhat forceful way of showing me that I was experiencing burn out by being a workaholic/overworking myself. During this time, I took a break from that profession and I think I might be ready to return for the next school year.
The oatmeal once described creating as breathing out. You can exhale for a while but eventually you need to inhale again, otherwise you suffocate. As breathing out is creating art, breathing in is consuming other people's art. I've found that looking at what others are doing, finding something to be a fan of, is great for reigniting my own artistic drive.
I can atest to burn out coming out of nowhere and even to the point that you didn't even know you had burned out. Knowing it, however, allows you to back off from what you're doing and understand the steps you need to take to recover. As to the question at the end of this video. I burned out pretty hard when working with blender (I had a crisis that a friend help relax that was the question of if I was an artist or not just because I wasn't working on pen and paper art) And it hadn't been the first time, but how I recovered wasn't just resting, though it could be argued that is what I did, but by looking up how other artists made things in the program and seeing those new angles of skill I was rekindled and wanted to try those new things out. I learned fast that just because you want to try new things, and you should, you shouldn't ONLY try new things. Learn those new things practice them, use those new skills in other ways in your art be it fan art or twisting your fan art road into your own path.
Seemingly there are some people who claim to be not affected by burnout. Id like to be able to find out for myself if that is actually possible for myself, by keeping close balance on myself
*_Sometimes I tend to break away my usual "schedule" to balance out my music and arts... and end up doing something else._* *_I still feed this creative drive whenever I stumble on some other work..._*
This is exactly why, despite the fact I really do NOT want to spend time off this month, I am not making videos rn 😞 I get restless not doing stuff and it's been too long but re-uploading old content wore me out and I am just not ready 😩 I hope I'll be rejuvenated when I return, since I am trying to plan out a new schedule.
I've been feeling pretty tired all week from working on my graphic design degree, so this video was really well timed. Even under pressure I feel it really helps to step back and let your creative energy recharge a bit.
Awesome video! It’s almost ironic the timing of it. For the past few weeks I’ve done so much work and a lot of full illustrations and I definitely need to take a break before I get burnt out.
When i first started my second major attempt at video game making, I got burnt out after a month of putting almost all my spare time into it. Being single and disabled, that is a lot of time. Like 10 hours a day. I ended up expanding the project too much. So eventually I started a new project using mostly the same ideas and assets I created for the first, and i've been forcing myself to maintain a small scope, telling myself to make a "minimum viable project" first, then i can add onto that later. Its helped a lot. I did indeed take a break in between iterations. But changing the scope and starting a new file without as much clutter helped a lot.
I have definitely fallen into the trap of trying to force myself to work harder because I think I should have recovered after a certain point, but that just makes it worse. I can't really think of any times I've "fully" burnt out but every so often I'll have spells of not being able to work and then blaming myself for it. Maybe it is burnout, but not bad enough for me to think it's worth taking a break. IDK.
I think I’ve been dealing with burnout for years. Since college, I’ve felt lacking in my skills and while I’m more than happy to gather information, it’s a huge struggle to get anything on paper. I feel like I’m always far behind and no matter how my work turns out, I’m insanely critical. I don’t know what to do and I’m thinking of visiting a therapist since it’s so perpetual.
"How you every been able to recover form burn out successful?" No, I have a lot to figure out, when I hit burn out I have a tendency to float, as doodle in my sketchbook and not focus on anything specific, or dip a little bit in this subject of study or that subject of study. But I am not able to get my full concentration on anything. It usually takes weeks- months before I have recovered. I have been trying new ideas to try to figure out how to get out of this burnout so I'll have to see.
As a casual artist I let my motivation gradually come to me, even to the point of stopping in the middle of a drawing because I can feel my skills getting into that low zone. Then I get homework done and make time for a little TV or reading and then I'm back to art :>
This video is fantastic, I don't really know if i'm experiencing burn out, but i'm just not feeling like drawing lately. maybe because I got a new gaming laptop that finally lets me play some good games in it. I guess it's ok to not draw and take a break once in a while, I also had the mindset of as long as I draw I am happy, but over time I slowly realized that wasn;t the case, that I don't need to over saturate ,y life with art. This video's great
Great video as always. I still don't think I've truely burned out when creating, but I also make sure to pace myself and try new things when I am feeling like I am spiraling out of control.
I'm having a burnout right now and this video showed up at the right time (I think UA-cam is on to me...) I guess I'd count as a hobbyist but even then I'd still take at least a day or two to take a break cause when I'm tired I stop asking questions about my art, stop challenging myself and start to compromise. but my brain just had that idea for a piece and I got too excited and completely dropped the intended break that I planned and here we are. Thanks for the video man I'll be sure to follow through and take regular breaks from now on (T^T)7
I always tune your video everytime I make my comic. This is a perfect video for me too bcs currently im in my lowest state creativity-wise (medschool has been beating me up), i feel so guilty abt it bcs i keep giving myself constant rest from making comic because of it, i feel like im not productive enough. This video makes me feel at ease :)
Thank you! While I'm not exactly 'burnt out', I've been very unmotivated. I haven't drawn in nearly two weeks because I started a new job and have been sick for nearly two months, but I still found the discussion in this video to be incredibly enlightening. I feel bad for not drawing, but I have barely evaluated why I feel unmotivated. Your examples have helped me word exactly how I feel, and now that I know what it is, I can work on myself to get back into drawing again! I can't ever see myself not ever drawing again. (: Thanks! And curious, will you revamp your Procreate comic tutorial?
This is the best video on this subject that you've done, and maybe that I've seen recently in general, in an incredibly concise 10 minutes. I don't have the energy to add much to the conversation, other than just saying that it's _so_ valuable to be _repeating_ this over and over, as we're still continually beat down by all these... _systems_... into believing otherwise. Into not treating ourselves better.
Literally just had a session with my therapist trying to understand that breaks are not only good but necessary. My struggle intensely has been centered around working 45 hour weeks in a job entirely unrelated to my creative work, for which my creations suffer. Burnout transcends its source and explaining that to others is exhausting(Good luck)
Nope, still in burnout and honestly feels like its getting worse. Unsure which one of the three points in this vid is the problem, but probably a mix of all three.
I'm a very small artist that used to post alot on Deviantart back in the day. I undersold my art a shit ton. I also have adhd so I tend to draw and draw and draw until I can't, often. Not as much as when I was in my younger years but. It is hard to believe that a creative person, or anyone for that matter, will not experience burnout at some point. Just because it is something I tend to love, and do automatically (I'm the sort to doodle over everything even now at 30), I understand that there is something to balancing out the things I enjoy. Unless it's pokemon. That's something I can do endlessly and have since I was 8. Sure, there were a few years where life made it hard to do much but. But I digress. Burnout occurs a shit ton, in many arena's in life. Especially in a workaholic, capitalistic driven society. Which is a larger problem, but what you can do personally, is try and balance on the time you have off. If you can afford to, don't work those extra hours. It isn't worth it. Life is short. Even in creating art. To do only one thing, non-stop is largely unrealistic.
I've been pacing myself better recently along with looking back at past work I've done, both of which have helped a great deal in evaluating my reasons for why I love creating. Its so easy to get caught up in our passion for something that at times, we can put it before our own wellbeing. You gotta remember to recharge, and value yourself along with your art. Can't wait for the Stormfellers teaser, man.
I've long struggled with having reasonable estimates of my own abilities. I have a lot of very different interests and skills, and I wrestle with guilt if I'm not putting all my energy into each of them. Your comment at the end about letting values steer you on course is so true: I've learned that sometimes I just have to put a passion aside for the sake of doing any decent work at all. And if I work sustainably now, maybe I'll have time for other projects in the future; if I completely burn myself out, I'll never get to any of my dreams at all. There's a huge component of sunk-cost fallacy in here, too. I've had to put aside a ten-year-long UA-cam "career" that never went anywhere for the sake of my own sanity. I'd love to go back to it at some point, but for now it's slowly simmering on the back burner.
Learning when to cut your losses can be one of the most valuable skills imagineable. Everyone has to give up certain things at certain points in their lives, and even though it will hurt and feel like a waste, the healthiest thing you can do is to minimize any extra damage and keep the lessons and experience you got out of it. Things might not work out even after years of effort spent on it, but it doesn't mean that time was wasted, and quitting doesn't have to mean you're weak, or that you lost.
everyone, about burnout: just rest mate c: university students: you are a funny man (i am actually freaking out tho, how do my teachers expect me to make a student film alone, in a year, when i cant even do a character design in an entire week and we dont even get half the vacations/holidays a normal person should get)
I feel like I've been burnt out since August of last year. My job is so mentally exhausting that I just don't have the excess bandwidth to be creative. And when I do, I feel guilty about painting instead of practicing graphic design (my career)
Hey, great video! It makes me feel easier to take a break as I can note it as recharging the batteries. I've struggled with burnout for a long time and this video really made me evaluate what I'm actually doing. But I have a question: "How do we take a break" often times I find myself itching to draw duing a break and forcing myself to just sit there. It never feels good. Would love to hear your advice on how to take a break!
I've been drawing everyday since uh, as long as I can remember and now I'm burning out..... I guilt trip myself when I'm not drawing something🗿if you can't take a long break, take a lot short of breaks, guys. Burnout is a monster aight, bc of it, I'm starting to despise art somehow.. it's quite sad
Greetings from a hobby level artist! I've had people tell me that my art and characters are similar to an eight year olds, childish and frankly a little strange. Any advice as to what to do in these situations?
Burn out is so real. One thing these videos never seem to cover is community. Artist don’t operate in voids, our art is us externalizing our thoughts to be communicated. Get a healthy group of peers to literally talk to. In most cases particularly with teachers you may be the only artist. Find other creatives to help feed your mind and invigorate it. That in itself is such a healthy part of creativity.
When people say to look at other people's art to get inspired, that can go two ways. You might get inspired, but if you're in the wrong mood it'll just make you melt down into a pit of "I will never make anything this good I might as well pack it in."
I wish it was this simple. I get scolded every time I try to take a break at school. The only thing I can really do to try and inspire myself is by drawing a simple basic shape and seeing what I can do with it.
What about random spurts of creative burst outta no where like that you can't even stop for like days on end? I don't suffer burn out just take a nap n get back at it again. But I lack the tools like software and the hardware to record/ make music on AMD it's driving me fkm crazy rn i feel like im a boot to explode
Literally just had a session with my therapist trying to understand that breaks are not only good but necessary. My struggle intensely has been centered around working 45 hour weeks in a job entirely unrelated to my creative work, for which my creations suffer. Burnout transcends its source and explaining that to others is exhausting
So sorry to hear that, Sal. I really hope things lighten up for you, that's so tough.
My job has also decided to limit my department's work from home accommodations, so instead of getting the 2-3 hours of overtime pay that I should've gotten after today's shift, I'm short 4. Because God forbid I'm available at home to take care of my partner in a health crisis
The TLDR is that this resonates so deeply and trying to quantify labor of any form in time spent is such a hindrance and a harm and I cherish you sharing this with us brookes
Well said. Sorry for your struggles and I hope things get better for you.
Whenever I feel burnt out from making art, I ask myself:
"Why do I choose art?"
That gets me thinking about art topics I enjoy, new techniques I can try, and it reignites my excitement about being creative.
I feel like I’ve finally overcome my burnout as of last month! I saw a tweet once describing burn out as ‘doing the right thing the wrong way’ and it really resonated with me. A lot of the work that I was doing was more geared towards teaching about art with videos and tutorials and it didn’t leave time for me to make the art I wanted to make because my creativity was exhausted from doing the other stuff 😓 Taking a break from it all was helpful but I didn’t feel whole again until I got back to drawing for myself. It’s all about balance, not only between work and rest but professional and personal work 😌✨Another great video! This stuff is so important to talk about! 👏
I feel driven and a little bit anxious if I'm not creating something. I often get frustrated with my art. It's a terrible, volatile, mix.
I burn out a lot due to frustration with my ow skill set and high expectations for my age range. I've ben drawing my whole life and I still just see scribbles most of the time.
I'm impatient and that's a part of the issue.
I've had to learn to slow down and focus. While that helps to re-frame my thinking - I'm not racing anyone or the clock, this is for fun, not a job - I still burn out.
And by burn out I hit the wall full speed and land in a mental fiery crash.
It's pretty impressive.
But the anxiety to keep moving is still there.
So I have to keep 'simple' projects on the back burner while I lick my ego's wounds. Stick men. I love my stick men.
Keeps me sharp on proportion sizes and dynamic poses and character style with out having to render anything impressive.
Shortly after I'm off again, racing towards the next wall with reckless abandon.
I like to think of my stick men as little shoulder angels just watching, waiting to drag me out of the next blazing disaster.
What was that definition of insanity again?
Great video! It’s easy to panic before realizing I’ve actually hit burn out, and videos like these are great reminders to reflect and re-access goals and get that important rest.
My husband can't understand why I'm only a hobbyist and I don't try to do art professionally. He really can't get the concept that the industry can be cruel and unforgiving to your physical/emotional/needs. Being a creative isn't like running through a bunch of accounting problems where you just rinse and repeat until the 8 hours are over. When I did art professionally I felt a constant state of burn out because the thing I did to recharge (ie art) was now not something I could do at my leisure, but not it was on a timeline and subject to the wants/needs/preferences of someone else. Now I just draw whatever I'm digging at the time and I'm so much happier and less burnt out.
Best thing to get through burn out I think is to go to therapy. Something so relaxing about working with someone to figure out exactly what you need to feel better.
You've got the most relaxing voice. You should have a podcast
I’m someone who burns out super easily if i’m not balancing my schedule evenly. Some of the things I do to bounce back is play some of my fav video games (I just got a Doenut in Viva Piñata) or to go on a walk. Every time I go out for a walk though I always make sure to go a lil extra farther to explore a new street I’ve never been on or that I’ve only been on a couple times. For me and anyone like me exploring new places and seeing new things is really important and definitely helps get me back on my feet. If I find i’m stuck running around in circles the best thing I can do is find something new. I also explore new art forms such as clay, crotchet, tea pot painting etc.
Wise words, my friend! I've seen all kinds of works being forced out/rushed to meet a deadline and the audience is left with a half-baked product. Don't push yourself too hard, know your limits.
I just got myself out of burnout. I’ve started working out, and this week is a short vacation. So I feel refreshed
Was starting to suffer burnout recently, but because I’m making stuff for a stall it is my work essentially. I felt pressure to keep going. I finally told myself to stop, and on a whim planned a picnic to a local stream with no people, no internet and no self imposed stress. When I got back I’d gotten out of my motivation rut.
Breaks do work people and you aren’t wasting time, you’re just taking a pit stop 😊
I burned myself out on writing really badly, to the point where I didn't write for about 4 years. What got to me was a combination of my eating disorder ruining my ability to focus + toxic guilt building up a pavlovian negative reaction over time. I finally had to give myself permission to just not care about writing. Ironically, doing that also freed me up to learn how to draw! And the funny thing is that, after enough time, my authentic desire to write did eventually come back, too.
So glad you pointed out the fanart trap. It's been my biggest gripe I've had with the Internet for YEARS.
I suffered nasty burn out during art school. I mean NASTY - chronic insomnia, feeling like death, and what felt like a permanent headdache. I only felt like my self again once holiday breaks rolled around, and it still took me two weeks of constant rest to reach there.
Then school would resume and the hell cycle began anew.
Thank you! This video really helped me figure out what I was going through. I was drawing almost daily for the last few weeks, but today I just had no energy, and ended up just staring at my desktop screen. So thanks, Rest Understander™ :)
I was building a Mega Base in MC but I had some serious burnout since I couldn't find anything that met my standards and that just shot down my drive to play so I just restarted from a blank slate and took a few days off to rest I may not be on Full but I am doing better now.
TL:DR breaks are so useful no matter what medium you use creativity on
I have a goal to reach in my professional career but right now I need a job. I have one as a graphic designer! But I'm still living with my parents... So most days im applying to jobs constantly and refining my graphic design portfolio. But I wanna do illustration I just don't have a good portfolio for it so I'm also constantly drawing. This plus the fact that my "rest" used to be writing and drawing means that I get burnt out fast. So now I can't write or sketch in my free time because that's sucking more energy. Not to mention these past few years in my social life haven't been great. So now I have a rule. Only create during the week, take off on the weekend, unless inspiration strikes. it's helpful. So much so that some weekends I do create because I've taken time for myself and then Sunday I'll be fully reserved and have great ideas. Rest is so important and I had to learn that the hard way.
I've had a hard time relating to what most artist refers to as creative burnout, because for me burnout was my 8 months sick leave with crippling anxiety (= panic attacks rendering me hyperventilating in fetal position on the floor), brain fog, insomnia and other physical symptoms. This came about after working myself too hard for too long. After climbing out of that hell hole (well, one never really recovers fully. But coping with the aftermaths) I was almost offended when people casually blurted out "oh, I'm burnt out, I need to take a day off". But after a while I switched therapist and the new one talked about exactly these three factors you are mentioning and the spectrum of burnout came to light for me. And I also realised how many times I've had small burnouts without addressing them. I'm much more mindful of these things now. Going through that complete crash was awful, but probably one of the best things that has happened to me as it made me stop ignoring my mental health and also taught me new ways of viewing life in general.
I got to a strange point where I'm only trying to output art while being too "lazy" to give myself a chance to rest and let myself be inspired by new input. It's ironic how the barrier for drawing has become lower to me than gaming/anime/music/etc. (which I've realized have always been huge sources of inspiration for me). I can spend 10.000 hours drawing purely from imagination, but without actually experiencing the creations of other people I won't get anywhere.
This may sound weirdly opposite to most common advice about "wasting your time gaming/watching netflix", but in my experience it's important to have at least somewhat regular exposure to new media (or old ones you love!) to immerse yourself in the kind of things that motivated you to learn art in the first place. As long as it's quality over quantity and they have a positive effect on you in the long term! Aside from that, allow yourself to daydream and let your mind wander, it's kinda similar to needing enough sleep, or breaks between sets in the gym.
Working a full-time job 0% related to art, I often feel pressure to make the most out of the few hours of spare time by spending as much as possible drawing. But it's pointless if there are no ideas left to put on your canvas. When I realized this recently, and gently got myself back into the media I loved, I felt inspiration gradually returning again, life started to make a lot more sense despite all the existing chaos. It's still a difficult habit to build, but it feels like the right direction for me.
Burnout is more of a common state of being for me these days. Mostly because being in and working in education for a decade-plus of my life busted and de-calibrated all my gauges. I might not always know where I'm sitting at fuel-wise because it might be offline and disconnected. The best I can ever do right now is to do small bits of work in those fleeting moments where I can see and monitor ALL my gauges when they're all online at once. I may not get a lot done at one time or in regular intervals, but I'm just content to make forward progress in this day and age.
“Rest Understander” ! 🤣😂 Glad you are back 👍🏆
Ive had a lot of stress because of school and just couldn’t draw, but I still continued drawing sometimes because I thought else I would stop liking it and quit.
Im a hobbyist lol but i still liked the video a *lot!* im definitely going to consider what pressures im putting myself under--it might not be my job, but i still have a lot of stuff i want to make before i die, and i dont want to fall apart doing it!
It Works!!!!!!! While Watching This Video, I Designed A New Gadget For My Inventor Character. I Keep Them All In A Journal, A Major Burnout Source Of Mine. Thank You So Much!!
Actually i felt identified with some situations of the video, like for example, i had pressure in some times and up to the point of quitting, but in that times, thanks to the people around me, i was able to get up, or thinking in other things that it doesn't matter when im drawin', but fortunately, i am still an artist to these days!
The cool part is, I was playing Mario Kart while you were making the racing analogy. :D
Burn out is scary,I fear the beast
Awesome video! I found that rest was the only way to recover from burn out. I used to teach music and the pandemic was a stressful and somewhat forceful way of showing me that I was experiencing burn out by being a workaholic/overworking myself. During this time, I took a break from that profession and I think I might be ready to return for the next school year.
The oatmeal once described creating as breathing out. You can exhale for a while but eventually you need to inhale again, otherwise you suffocate. As breathing out is creating art, breathing in is consuming other people's art. I've found that looking at what others are doing, finding something to be a fan of, is great for reigniting my own artistic drive.
I can atest to burn out coming out of nowhere and even to the point that you didn't even know you had burned out. Knowing it, however, allows you to back off from what you're doing and understand the steps you need to take to recover.
As to the question at the end of this video. I burned out pretty hard when working with blender (I had a crisis that a friend help relax that was the question of if I was an artist or not just because I wasn't working on pen and paper art) And it hadn't been the first time, but how I recovered wasn't just resting, though it could be argued that is what I did, but by looking up how other artists made things in the program and seeing those new angles of skill I was rekindled and wanted to try those new things out. I learned fast that just because you want to try new things, and you should, you shouldn't ONLY try new things. Learn those new things practice them, use those new skills in other ways in your art be it fan art or twisting your fan art road into your own path.
Seemingly there are some people who claim to be not affected by burnout. Id like to be able to find out for myself if that is actually possible for myself, by keeping close balance on myself
*_Sometimes I tend to break away my usual "schedule" to balance out my music and arts... and end up doing something else._*
*_I still feed this creative drive whenever I stumble on some other work..._*
This is exactly why, despite the fact I really do NOT want to spend time off this month, I am not making videos rn 😞 I get restless not doing stuff and it's been too long but re-uploading old content wore me out and I am just not ready 😩 I hope I'll be rejuvenated when I return, since I am trying to plan out a new schedule.
I've been feeling pretty tired all week from working on my graphic design degree, so this video was really well timed. Even under pressure I feel it really helps to step back and let your creative energy recharge a bit.
Awesome video! It’s almost ironic the timing of it. For the past few weeks I’ve done so much work and a lot of full illustrations and I definitely need to take a break before I get burnt out.
When i first started my second major attempt at video game making, I got burnt out after a month of putting almost all my spare time into it. Being single and disabled, that is a lot of time. Like 10 hours a day. I ended up expanding the project too much. So eventually I started a new project using mostly the same ideas and assets I created for the first, and i've been forcing myself to maintain a small scope, telling myself to make a "minimum viable project" first, then i can add onto that later. Its helped a lot.
I did indeed take a break in between iterations. But changing the scope and starting a new file without as much clutter helped a lot.
I have definitely fallen into the trap of trying to force myself to work harder because I think I should have recovered after a certain point, but that just makes it worse. I can't really think of any times I've "fully" burnt out but every so often I'll have spells of not being able to work and then blaming myself for it. Maybe it is burnout, but not bad enough for me to think it's worth taking a break. IDK.
Awesome vid! I need that jamborellas pin so bad
I think I’ve been dealing with burnout for years. Since college, I’ve felt lacking in my skills and while I’m more than happy to gather information, it’s a huge struggle to get anything on paper. I feel like I’m always far behind and no matter how my work turns out, I’m insanely critical. I don’t know what to do and I’m thinking of visiting a therapist since it’s so perpetual.
"How you every been able to recover form burn out successful?" No, I have a lot to figure out, when I hit burn out I have a tendency to float, as doodle in my sketchbook and not focus on anything specific, or dip a little bit in this subject of study or that subject of study. But I am not able to get my full concentration on anything. It usually takes weeks- months before I have recovered. I have been trying new ideas to try to figure out how to get out of this burnout so I'll have to see.
As a casual artist I let my motivation gradually come to me, even to the point of stopping in the middle of a drawing because I can feel my skills getting into that low zone. Then I get homework done and make time for a little TV or reading and then I'm back to art :>
Very well said. I've never experienced burnout, but I saw its after-effects in someone close to me. It's made me keenly aware of how bad it can get.
Another great video! Recently I've been getting more into art / character design and these videos of yours really ahve been helping!
Great to hear!
This video is fantastic, I don't really know if i'm experiencing burn out, but i'm just not feeling like drawing lately. maybe because I got a new gaming laptop that finally lets me play some good games in it. I guess it's ok to not draw and take a break once in a while, I also had the mindset of as long as I draw I am happy, but over time I slowly realized that wasn;t the case, that I don't need to over saturate ,y life with art. This video's great
Great video as always.
I still don't think I've truely burned out when creating, but I also make sure to pace myself and try new things when I am feeling like I am spiraling out of control.
I'm having a burnout right now and this video showed up at the right time (I think UA-cam is on to me...) I guess I'd count as a hobbyist but even then I'd still take at least a day or two to take a break cause when I'm tired I stop asking questions about my art, stop challenging myself and start to compromise. but my brain just had that idea for a piece and I got too excited and completely dropped the intended break that I planned and here we are. Thanks for the video man I'll be sure to follow through and take regular breaks from now on (T^T)7
I always tune your video everytime I make my comic. This is a perfect video for me too bcs currently im in my lowest state creativity-wise (medschool has been beating me up), i feel so guilty abt it bcs i keep giving myself constant rest from making comic because of it, i feel like im not productive enough. This video makes me feel at ease :)
Thank you! While I'm not exactly 'burnt out', I've been very unmotivated. I haven't drawn in nearly two weeks because I started a new job and have been sick for nearly two months, but I still found the discussion in this video to be incredibly enlightening. I feel bad for not drawing, but I have barely evaluated why I feel unmotivated. Your examples have helped me word exactly how I feel, and now that I know what it is, I can work on myself to get back into drawing again! I can't ever see myself not ever drawing again. (:
Thanks!
And curious, will you revamp your Procreate comic tutorial?
This is the best video on this subject that you've done, and maybe that I've seen recently in general, in an incredibly concise 10 minutes. I don't have the energy to add much to the conversation, other than just saying that it's _so_ valuable to be _repeating_ this over and over, as we're still continually beat down by all these... _systems_... into believing otherwise. Into not treating ourselves better.
Thank you so much!
Thanks brook this video has been helpful. 6:10 and yes i agreed youtube should do that.
Literally just had a session with my therapist trying to understand that breaks are not only good but necessary. My struggle intensely has been centered around working 45 hour weeks in a job entirely unrelated to my creative work, for which my creations suffer. Burnout transcends its source and explaining that to others is exhausting(Good luck)
Nope, still in burnout and honestly feels like its getting worse.
Unsure which one of the three points in this vid is the problem, but probably a mix of all three.
Great video!
Been getting back to drawing by going back to paper and pencil, I've actually been having fun and feel more creative ^^
"Well that's a shame. I like making art. I should have your jobs if you don't want them!"
Sweet summer child.
I'm a very small artist that used to post alot on Deviantart back in the day. I undersold my art a shit ton. I also have adhd so I tend to draw and draw and draw until I can't, often. Not as much as when I was in my younger years but. It is hard to believe that a creative person, or anyone for that matter, will not experience burnout at some point. Just because it is something I tend to love, and do automatically (I'm the sort to doodle over everything even now at 30), I understand that there is something to balancing out the things I enjoy. Unless it's pokemon. That's something I can do endlessly and have since I was 8. Sure, there were a few years where life made it hard to do much but. But I digress. Burnout occurs a shit ton, in many arena's in life. Especially in a workaholic, capitalistic driven society. Which is a larger problem, but what you can do personally, is try and balance on the time you have off. If you can afford to, don't work those extra hours. It isn't worth it. Life is short. Even in creating art. To do only one thing, non-stop is largely unrealistic.
All right
I've been pacing myself better recently along with looking back at past work I've done, both of which have helped a great deal in evaluating my reasons for why I love creating. Its so easy to get caught up in our passion for something that at times, we can put it before our own wellbeing. You gotta remember to recharge, and value yourself along with your art.
Can't wait for the Stormfellers teaser, man.
rad
Thank you for this. I really enjoy your videos.
I love your videos, always helpful and great quality
Happy to hear that!
I've long struggled with having reasonable estimates of my own abilities. I have a lot of very different interests and skills, and I wrestle with guilt if I'm not putting all my energy into each of them. Your comment at the end about letting values steer you on course is so true: I've learned that sometimes I just have to put a passion aside for the sake of doing any decent work at all. And if I work sustainably now, maybe I'll have time for other projects in the future; if I completely burn myself out, I'll never get to any of my dreams at all.
There's a huge component of sunk-cost fallacy in here, too. I've had to put aside a ten-year-long UA-cam "career" that never went anywhere for the sake of my own sanity. I'd love to go back to it at some point, but for now it's slowly simmering on the back burner.
Learning when to cut your losses can be one of the most valuable skills imagineable. Everyone has to give up certain things at certain points in their lives, and even though it will hurt and feel like a waste, the healthiest thing you can do is to minimize any extra damage and keep the lessons and experience you got out of it. Things might not work out even after years of effort spent on it, but it doesn't mean that time was wasted, and quitting doesn't have to mean you're weak, or that you lost.
everyone, about burnout: just rest mate c:
university students: you are a funny man
(i am actually freaking out tho, how do my teachers expect me to make a student film alone, in a year, when i cant even do a character design in an entire week and we dont even get half the vacations/holidays a normal person should get)
I feel like I've been burnt out since August of last year. My job is so mentally exhausting that I just don't have the excess bandwidth to be creative. And when I do, I feel guilty about painting instead of practicing graphic design (my career)
Hey, great video! It makes me feel easier to take a break as I can note it as recharging the batteries. I've struggled with burnout for a long time and this video really made me evaluate what I'm actually doing. But I have a question: "How do we take a break" often times I find myself itching to draw duing a break and forcing myself to just sit there. It never feels good. Would love to hear your advice on how to take a break!
I've been drawing everyday since uh, as long as I can remember and now I'm burning out..... I guilt trip myself when I'm not drawing something🗿if you can't take a long break, take a lot short of breaks, guys. Burnout is a monster aight, bc of it, I'm starting to despise art somehow.. it's quite sad
Too late. Been dead inspirationally for two years.
All my creative ambitions have up and died. Drawing, writing, worldbuilding.. all of it.
Corporate energy vampires 🧛♂️
Greetings from a hobby level artist! I've had people tell me that my art and characters are similar to an eight year olds, childish and frankly a little strange. Any advice as to what to do in these situations?
Burn out is so real. One thing these videos never seem to cover is community. Artist don’t operate in voids, our art is us externalizing our thoughts to be communicated. Get a healthy group of peers to literally talk to. In most cases particularly with teachers you may be the only artist. Find other creatives to help feed your mind and invigorate it. That in itself is such a healthy part of creativity.
Considering the weird time we live in, doesn't surprise me we are burnout.
Therefore, I make art once per month and my health is better than ever
i did a random art challenge to recover from burnout
When people say to look at other people's art to get inspired, that can go two ways. You might get inspired, but if you're in the wrong mood it'll just make you melt down into a pit of "I will never make anything this good I might as well pack it in."
I wish it was this simple. I get scolded every time I try to take a break at school. The only thing I can really do to try and inspire myself is by drawing a simple basic shape and seeing what I can do with it.
What about random spurts of creative burst outta no where like that you can't even stop for like days on end?
I don't suffer burn out just take a nap n get back at it again. But I lack the tools like software and the hardware to record/ make music on AMD it's driving me fkm crazy rn i feel like im a boot to explode
Ah disappointment to what i can't make n dont get to finishing.
The main times I burn out are when I haven't been managing my nutrition or exercising. Without energy, it's tough for an artist to do much of anything