Student Blog: Burnt Out? You're Not Alone.

The past three months have felt like a year. The past year has felt like a decade. As a result, I find myself in a constant state of exhaustion. I am often wrapped up in worries of how I'll complete all of the work I need to get done, and I usually feel like there's never enough time in the day to accomplish all I need to do. After expressing these feelings to others, I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. During times like these, I find it incredibly difficult to feel or be creative. Most days, I don't have the energy for it. However, I feel pressure to continue creating so that I'm ready to jump back into the theatre world once it is safe to do so. So how do we find the motivation to create when we are experiencing burnout? I've been thinking about this a lot, and discussing the struggle with friends, and have compiled this list of thoughts and suggestions of what to do when creativity fails to strike.

1. Baby Steps

If you are a person who worries about events far into the future, try to pull it back to the present. Though it is good to prepare for upcoming events, there is no use in expending energy worrying about events that are yet to take place. I know it is easier said than done, but focusing on each day is really all we can do. If you have a big goal you are working toward, but the thought of getting there is utterly exhausting, think about a small step you can take towards achieving it. If you want to learn a new song but it's really difficult, commit to learning one page a day, or whatever amount is do-able for you. There is no shame in taking things slowly. As the old adage states, "slow and steady wins the race."

2. One Thing a Day

Last month I embarrassingly admitted to Sarah, my incredible vocal coach, that I had not practiced that week. Life was too overwhelming, and I could not find the motivation to sing. She gave me this marvelous piece of advice- "do one thing a day" for myself and my craft. If I didn't feel like singing, I could work on a warm-up. If I didn't want to warm-up, I could pick a new song for my repertoire. Doing one action a day that helps me in deepening my craft is completely do-able. After using this advice, I found that one thing a day led to two things a day, then three, then four, and soon I was back to practicing every day. It's freeing to think that you don't have to do everything, just one thing a day.

3. Get Inspiration from Others

I get immense inspiration from watching other artists who are doing work that excites me. When I feel uninspired or burnt out, sometimes the best thing I can do for myself is sit on the couch and watch a good movie, tv show, or clips from concerts at 54 Below. Actively watching other artists can sometimes cause me to find a newfound excitement for getting back to work. My friend Maya shared that it can be helpful to create something based on an existing work. "Even though the inspiration isn't original, the content still is," she said. A lot of artists find their inspiration based on existing works. Just look at the current hype surrounding the ingenious new Bridgerton musical! Completely new content based on an existing work can be very exciting for both creator and consumer.

4. Try Not to Judge Yourself

The last thing you need in your life during a difficult time is self judgement. When you're working on something, remember that it doesn't have to be perfect! Actually, it shouldn't be! If it was perfect, then there's no use working on it. My friend Matthew expressed this same sentiment. He shared that when he's working on a script and is facing writer's block, "I stop trying to write art, and try to write bad scripts to get the story out. Then I go back and edit it all." If you judge yourself before the work is done, then it will be nearly impossible to accomplish anything. If you feel you can't create anything new, revisit something you've previously enjoyed. My friend Maya suggested to "revisit something you have previously done that's creative, and try to do a new thing with it, so it takes some of the pressure off of having to fully create something new."

5. Connect with Others

When I am dealing with creative burnout, I connect with friends and express how I'm feeling. Most of the time, I find out that I am not alone in my experience. That's one of the reasons why I decided to dedicate this blog to the topic! We all experience burnout, and it helps to know that you're not alone. If you have friends in the same artistic profession as you, reach out to them and talk about work you've enjoyed recently. If you are both willing, you could even collaborate on a project together. Utilize the connections you have with friends to spark creativity.

6. Take A Break

There's no shame in taking a break devoid of any creative activity! Sometimes we need to step away to realize how much we want to step back in. Even Alexander Hamilton needed a break, and look what happened when he refused to take one! (If you don't know what I'm talking about go listen to "Take A Break/Say No to This.") My friend Sara shared that reading a good book, taking a nap, or turning to social media for entertainment gives her the reboot she needs to continue her creative work. Even Emily Bear, co-creator of Bridgerton: The Musical admitted to experiencing creative burnout during an Instagram Q&A. When she and her artistic partner Abigail Barlow hit writers block, they "listen to music that inspires us stepping away for a moment." We all need a break once in a while! It's important to listen to your body and mind and give it what it needs.

7. Let it Out!

Sometimes when you are experiencing a complete absence of creative ideas, you need to let all of the other ideas in your mind escape first. My friend Shelbi, who works as a writer, shared the following advice: "When I experience writer's block, I rant... but its strategic ranting. I'll turn on my voice memos and I start recording and I'll just start ranting... eventually I'll hit a point or I'll say a phrase that unlocks the floodgates.I'll just keep talking, and then I go back and listen." She has found great success in using this method. Another tip she shared- just put on some good music and have a dance party in your room. Personally, I'm going to make sure to try this method out. I hope you do too.