HOW TO OVERCOME CREATIVE BURNOUT

In this post, I will be sharing tested and trusted tips on how you can overcome your creative burnout.

These tips helped me overcome my creative burnout this year prior to my decision to relaunch my blog and my freelance writer website.

It is good to be back in this space after a huge hiatus. No, I did not stop writing within that break, I created a newsletter specifically on Nigerian Popular Culture writing and the sign-up list is increasing by the week, you can read more on that here!

However, before I opened a Substack newsletter, I struggled with writing. i found it difficult to summon the strength to create content for a while. It spread through my social media accounts and I found myself scrolling through other people’s pages for hours, wasting my data, not creating content, and feeling bad about it every night. My creativity burnt out. So, I took a step back to figure out to overcome my creative burnout.

Here is a guide.

My Success

Over the years, I was blogging while in school and I am glad that my passion for writing encouraged me during my years in school; because of it I was able to gain so many experiences from different genres/niches of writing and it also let me decipher the kinds of writing niches I enjoyed writing and the niches I DID NOT enjoy. I was also able to sell my writing skills as a small business. I was a freelance writer (I was a ghostwriter at some point).

Look who was an entrepreneur without even realizing it. Since 2018, I have been paid by individuals & businesses to write web content for their brands. It was with this side hustle of mine that I was able to improve my writing skills; improve my communication skills; make some money while being a student.

My Pitfalls

However, there were so many mistakes I made over the years because of my naivety. The problem was me not taking blogging seriously enough to transform it into a business. All I was doing was just writing… it was just a hobby than a business strategy. And when I finally did turn into a small business, I lacked the right tools to reach my full potential as a freelance writer. Which meant there were days I was underpaid and undervalued by clients who outsourced jobs for me. The fear of pitching to brands I was interested in working with overwhelmed me. I felt I was still an intermediary freelance writer. Instead, I focused on what I call ‘’ mindless blogging’’ – blogging about EVERYTHING I wanted without so much as a strategic plan. And while this perspective served its purpose, it is about time I changed it.

My Turning Point

Looking back now, my creative burnout was a blessing in disguise. It was during that silent moment alone that I realized that I was not believing in myself enough. You know what happens when you doubt your own potential, you become afraid to put yourself in places where opportunities might find you. You belittle your own achievement and refuse to self-promote your skills and experiences.

Using google, I revived my creativity to its fullest advantage by taking an online course during quarantine and it opened my mind to so many things. I realized my silliness. I had all these experiences and I was afraid to use it to launch a career even though I was good at it. That is crazy! My village people almost won!

SECRET WEAPON

I also did this crazy thing – I asked my friends and family (who know me as a writer) to tell me what they think about my writing skills. It is a risky move especially if their words mean a lot to you. But reading their words really helped me gain back my confidence. IT made me see myself through the eyes of others.

If there was something I was sure about my life, it was that I wanted to be a writer. I knew I wanted to make a living out of it. However, I never fully understand how. Now I do!

I was able to overcome my creative burnout by

• reading their words,

• going back to my archives and

• reading my own works, and

• re-strategizing my creative plans

So, here’s a short list to help you.

HOW TO OVERCOME CREATIVE BURNOUT – A quick list.

• Stop Overthinking. List the reasons why you are unmotivated to create.
• Comparing yourself with someone you idolize will cripple your motivation. Stop it! List the areas you are GOOD at.
• Focus on one task for an hour – e.g. write a post, record an episode, record a video.
• Publish it even if it does not feel ‘’perfect’’.

This list was what worked for me. I had to keep repeating it and I realized what I needed to do. This helped me figure out what my next step would be. We writers just need to stop seeing freelance writing as a hobby. We need to take it seriously. If people were willing to pay me to write for them since 2018, then I really must be good at what I do.

WEBSITE LAUNCH

This website is going to focus on Freelance writing and my plan is to educate, inspire, advise someone out there who is still struggling to transform her passion into a livelihood. I know how scary it can be, I have been there. Every content created by me on this website focuses on Content Writing, Creative Writing, and Digital Marketing.

It is also the right place for potential/returning clients to contact me directly for hire. This is my source of livelihood especially now that I am fresh out of University and I need to take adulthood seriously and start being financially independent (scary stuff).

So, what kinds of content will you be getting?

• Freelance Writing – Tips, guides, tutorials on how to be a freelance content writer, and how you can market your content to the right brand, audience.
• Social Media Strategy – Tips, guides, tutorials on how entrepreneurs, especially in Nigeria, can use social media to boost their small businesses
• Digital Marketing – Tips, guides, tutorials on using digital data to improve sales and business.
• Lifestyle Writing – Tips and advice on how I balance my freelance writing career with my personal life.
• Creative Writing – Tips and guides that will help writers curate articles using storytelling that will engage their audience.

WHAT NEXT?

Are you a writer who needs to know how to monetize your skills?

Are you a small business owner who needs digital marketing strategies?

Do you want to learn tips on freelance content writing?

This blog can help you!

I know I have your attention and I hope I grab it for a really long time because I am going to help you not make the same mistakes I made.  My aim IS to inspire and educate. Are you ready?

If you have any questions including more tips on how to overcome your creative burnout. Please comment below.

Feel free to check out my About Page and Contact page as well.