Student Blog: Getting Refreshed After Burnout

People typically say that getting burnt out is like pressing a gas pedal when there isn’t any gas. In my experience, it’s more like a sputtering car rather than an immediate stop. I feel that when I am getting burnt out, whether it be from the monotony and constant workload of school or even from not having anything to do for a long period of time, it is a slow decline rather than a jump. I have also been told many times the various ways to avoid burnout. Here is something I have learned in 3 ½ years of a BFA program; you really can’t. That’s not meant to be discouraging. Burnout is just going to happen when you have a schedule that is constantly one or two things all the time. So instead, I propose making plans to get out of burnout.

In my senior capstone class, we read a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I highly recommend the book for any type of creative person as it is all about finding who you are and figuring out what you want your future to look at as an artist, but one part of it talks about things to keep yourself feeling creative. One idea from that book that I have found is a great way to wrench yourself out of the burnout place is going on an Artist Date. This is simply doing something/going somewhere that makes you feel creatively fulfilled. For example, I love sitting out somewhere in nature (highly recommend Sevier Park if you are a Nashville person) and just reading, whether it be a play or just a fantasy book. It relaxes me, yet makes me feel that I am still engaging in storytelling and being creative. 

A more simple way I have also found of wiggling out of burnout is doing a simple, mindless task that makes me feel productive. It being December, my current favorite is wrapping presents. I also like to cook and bake while turning out good music. Giving my mind a break from critical thinking and just doing a fun task with my hands really helps get me out of my own mind and the frustration that can sometimes live there when I am burnt out creatively.

My end-all be-all tip would be to make sure to hang out with other artist friends. You don’t have to be doing anything creative. It could simply be meeting someone for a coffee and hanging out together. But chatting and moving with another person (and therefore, another mind that isn’t your own) is the most beneficial thing for me to feel refreshed. Burnout can be such a scary word and topic, but reaching out to another person who makes you feel good, makes it feel truly not scary at all.