My go-to plan when I’m all of out ideas

How I survive creative burnout when my income depends on it.

99% of the time, I love working in a creative field. I don’t take it for granted, especially as someone who’s never labeled myself as being “creative” until my twenties. I still find it hard to believe that I can do fun artistic things and get paid for it.

The remaining 1% encompasses the times where it feels like I’m trudging through quicksand just to think of one idea. During those times, I find it impossible to ideate anything much less actually trying to execute.

In these moments I question whether I should’ve been a creative at all. Am I worthy? Am I actually good at what I do? Am I creating things I’m proud of? As my thoughts start to spiral, inspiration dissipates along with it, leaving me feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

I learned early on that to be apart of this industry, you can’t sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. Creativity can and should be something you’re actively pursuing and improving. Whether that looks like consuming other art forms to draw inspiration or just taking better care of yourself so that your brain can actually do it’s job, “being creative” was never going to be a passive experience for me.

What does creative burnout look like

Besides feeling like you’re fighting for your life just trying to think of one idea (any idea!), creative burnout will often show up in other areas of your life as well. Some common signs are:

• Chronic mental fatigue: Even small creative tasks feel exhausting and overwhelming.

• Increased self-doubt: You constantly question your abilities and the value of your work.

• Procrastination: You find yourself avoiding creative tasks and putting them off until the last minute.

• Physical symptoms: Headaches, insomnia, or changes in appetite often accompany mental burnout.

• Emotional responses: Feeling irritable, anxious, or even resentful toward creative work you once loved.

• Loss of purpose: You struggle to remember why your creative work matters in the first place.

I've experienced all these symptoms at different points in my career. The most challenging thing is that burnout creates a vicious mental cycle—the more pressure I put on myself to perform, the more elusive the ideas become. Similar to trying to force yourself to fall asleep: the harder you try, the less likely it’s going to happen.

My go-to plan when I’m all out of ideas

Although I have yet to figure out how to prevent creative burnout from sneaking up, I have developed a plan for when it happens. Unfortunately, sometimes I do just have to push through. Especially working as a creator, big brands just don’t care whether you’re “feeling creative” or not. So having some strategies in my back pocket that give me a solid push back into some sort of normalcy definitely helps.

Do less to do more

I learned about the Default Mode Network (DMN) in a podcast last year and to explain it simply, it’s a mental system we have that becomes active when we’re resting. This system is linked to idea generation and creativity which literally means science says more rest = more creativity.

Your DMN can be activated when you’re doing repetitive or “auto-pilot” tasks as well such as when you’re walking, showering, or working out. I knew there was a reason why all my best ideas come during my showers.

Besides active rest and trying to enter your DMN more throughout the day, if my schedule allows it, I’ll also try to do a creative fast. You can set your own rules for your fast but the only rule of my fast is that I’m not allowed to do any creative “work” for a specified amount of time (usually 6 - 24 hours).

Below the paywall you’ll find the rest of my 6 step plan to digging myself out of creative burnout. Paid subscribers will also be able to see the entire archive of Our Cafè’s content like expanded articles, premium travel guides, and all my more private thoughts and musings on life. A subscription comes out to less than a coffee a week on the annual plan.