READ ARTICLE ON UP MAGAZINE: https://upmag.com/ashley-advice-lets-talk-b-words/
About Art and the City: Ashley's Advice on Art and the City is Ashley (Lee Lee La Cubana's) monthly advice column on Up Magazine published on the first Thursday of every month. "As an artist and entrepreneur in New York City, I understand firsthand the challenges of balancing creative pursuits with the demands of everyday life and with my advice on Art in the City, I aim to touch creatives with the non-sugar-coated truths of navigating your creative journey."
In today’s social world where we often showcase our best selves and pursue our creative passions under the gaze of an audience, it’s time to address the “B” word: Burnout.
Amongst the unspoken struggles of emerging, blossoming and established creatives, burnout is one that is commonly encountered at every stage in the creative journey. The truth is, the pressure to constantly produce, innovate, and engage while balancing daily responsibilities can lead to exhaustion and a depletion of your creative spark, while leaving you with little time to replenish and care for yourself. However, I’ve learned along my journey that by recognizing the signs of burnout and implementing proactive measures such as setting boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and planning for success, emerging creatives can protect their passion and creativity while maintaining a healthy balance between their creative pursuits and personal well-being.
While style is a personal choice, as a modern artist, you don’t have much control over the many hats you wear. This was never explicitly stated on the projector slides in your art history class, but it has become evident that modern-day artists are not just artists; they’re also entrepreneurs and content creators.
The traditional meaning of being an artist has evolved into a multifaceted role that includes promoting, marketing, and networking. With that being said, it’s important to recognize your limits, understand your strengths and identify your needs in each of those areas of artistry. I find that being honest with yourself about your capacity makes it easier to not only maintain a healthy balance but identify when to pause, take a break or slow down.
Some signs of burnout include brain fog, over sleeping, struggling to maintain motivation, loss of enthusiasm, fatigue, detachment, withdrawal, weakened immune health or chronic sickness, and when you hit the “b” word full-on, chronic exhaustion. As creatives, we can already face burnout with varied non-creative work-life obligations. Although we’re always encouraged to constantly create, promote, network and engage, in order to get discovered, it’s important to not only check-in with yourself but prioritize your personal capacity over the societal demands to constantly deliver.
As an artist, small business owner, and full-time creative director, I personally hit my capacity over six months ago. Looking back, I could have easily identified the signs of approaching burnout 9 months before that. When I started my business, The Culture Candy, in 2020, I understood the hard work and sacrifice needed to build a business.
I created a 5-year business plan to develop a respected brand in my spare time, established partners for the business with specific roles, and worked toward building a name that gave us the option to work for ourselves when we’re ready. With our efforts, we hit our goal in establishing our brand name in 3-years, with the accomplishment of being a Forbes Under 30 listed company in 2023.
Burnout is one of those things that “sneaks” up on you, it’s a mess you watch happen in slow motion until the damage is done and you’re left with no clear tools or direction on how to clean it up. It’s like sitting on your couch, too exhausted to get back up for the glass of merlot you poured yourself but accidentally left on the shelf, in-view across the room, and watching your cat slowly approach it and knock it over, spilling onto your new, pricey, rug.
In December of 2022 I learned from Tayler Hernandez, who is not only my long-time friend but an engineer at one of the largest general contractors in the country and Executive Director of Technical Design and Finance at The Culture Candy, that it can take months to recognize you’re burnt out, and can take several months to even years to recover. During this conversation, Tayler acknowledged that she experienced burnout from business development in Summer of 2021 and needed to recover, while I was acknowledging that I was experiencing signs of burnout in the present moment. I later confirmed with my therapist that she commonly found with her patients, healing from burnout can take between 6 months to 3 years. I share this to emphasize that burnout is common and happens in slow motion, whether you process your state of wellbeing quickly or slowly, you can always decide to share your experience with a friend or therapist, and take the steps to avoid or recover from burnout.
Another “B” word that goes hand-in-hand with burnout is boundaries. Many creatives, like myself, juggle a full-time job while building their creative careers. Some live with family members, some live alone, some have children, some have daily wellness routines, some freelance, and so on. But, no matter our personal life circumstances, we all have additional weight in achieving work-life balance. I’ll be honest, boundary setting is something I’ve had to learn and continue to develop in my journey, but I have come to understand that it can save you from a lot of discomfort, including burnout. There are multiple areas in your life that may need a boundary in place for your wellbeing, and no matter if you’re looking to prevent burnout or understand how to recover from burnout, it’s never too late to set a boundary.
If you have identified that you don’t have enough personal or downtime in order to feel like your best self, then it’s okay to turn down social invitations, not extend your time to help a family member, or talk on the phone. When it comes to personal relationships, with healthy and thoughtful communication, the people in your life will understand that you need to prioritize showing up for yourself before others, and those who don’t will get over it when they see you emerge sparkly, re-energized and replenished.
If work is requiring a lot more of your time than usual, then plan out your free time with self-care and downtime. A frequent topic in therapy for me is work-life balance, and I often receive the feedback that self-care is just as important as your 9-to-5 and creative career development.
If you’re in a creative work role, outside of your personal art career, such as graphic designer, content creator, social media manager, creative director, etc., recognize that creativity is not an infinite resource, and pushing yourself excessively can drain your mental energy. It’s crucial to understand that even the most creative minds require rest in order to produce.
That being said, when you hit creative burnout give yourself the time and grace to refill your fountain of creativity. If your performance is less innovative or you’re struggling to produce, recognize that you’re human and are not a creative machine, you need elements such as rest, inspiration and most importantly balance to come up with your best ideas. Consider what creativity you have for yourself, and for your employer, and create a balance that allows you to pour into your personal and corporate projects.
If you’re experiencing stress and anxiety from work-life demands, it’s important to identify what tasks are brought up with a false sense of urgency and operate at a pace that is comfortable for your nervous system. When it comes to work and family demands, identify what’s logically urgent, what isn’t top priority, and prioritize your to-do list. If someone is needing your attention on a matter that seems falsely urgent, communicate what you’re working on and ask questions that confirm the task isn’t urgent in a way that doesn’t challenge their authority or needs. Prioritizing tasks, communicating your load and organizing your time is an essential part of stabilizing your nervous systems.
If you find yourself detached from your artwork or creating new work solely to produce in quantity instead of quality, you’re dissatisfied with the work you’re making, feeling physically unmotivated, or experiencing signs of depression, it’s important to pause and plan.
From one creative to another, I understand the urgency felt in jumping from opportunity to opportunity to stay relevant in the art scene, however as creatives we put much of ourselves and our essence into our work. The truth is, you cannot create your best quality work if you aren’t nurturing your spirit and whether or not it’s expressed to you, it will show in your work.
In hustle culture, there is an unspoken urgency to get discovered, to always say “yes” and always be prepared to network. As the art capital of the world, the New York City art scene is competitive to native and transplant artists, however when facing burnout, you have to acknowledge your worth. Dialing back your hustle for 6 months will only prepare you for a stronger season when you return to the art scene refreshed and ready to shine. Trust that your timing is your timing, and to be ready when your time comes the best way to prepare is to be the best version of yourself.
Avoiding creative burnout and achieving work-life balance is a complex balance that many creatives struggle with. By recognizing the signs of burnout, implementing strategies to prevent it, and prioritizing self-care, creatives can find balance between their creative pursuits and personal well-being. Remember, it’s okay to take a step back, reevaluate your priorities, and make changes that support your long-term happiness and success. With the right mindset and approach, you can overcome burnout and thrive.
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