Overcoming Artist Fatigue: Tips to Recharge Your Creativity
The limits of your creative ingenuity have been reached. You’ve peaked for the day? Week? Month? What do you do next when your very own strengths are suddenly weakening your ability to perform? Today we’ll discuss how to recognize these signs and what we can do to fight back.
Photo by Cottonbro Studio
As artists, regardless of the medium, we love the thrill and rush of all of the infinite creative ideas that come to us…but what happens when the thrill is gone and the adrenaline has subsided and you’re only left with you and a blank canvas? How do you scale the innovation cliff that you subconsciously didn’t know was slowly forming under your feet? Fighting fatigue is something that many people struggle with despite seeming to have it all figured out. We’re only human after all, so it’s only natural to feel an energy depletion from time to time. Now what if you’ve never experienced fatigue before, how will you know to identify it? The Department of Health defines fatigue as a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy that does not go away when you rest. People may feel fatigued in body or mind (physical or psychological fatigue).
A few common factors to look out for are traits like:
Poor sleep schedule
Dehydration
Unhealthy diet
Help yourself by trying to perpetuate a better sleep schedule. Anywhere from 6-8 hours should be ample in most instances. Remember, sleeping longer can also contribute to the inverse result of leaving you feeling more drained. I take advantage of Apple’s feature on their Clock app, which helps you understand your health and sleep schedule. For example, my bedtime on Monday, Thursday, and Friday is set for 10:45 pm. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays with me working from home remotely, I can be a little more lax with my sleep schedule, so this one is set for midnight. Either way, each night I’m getting at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep. You’re able to fine-tune and adjust right down to the minute what my wake-up time will be to meet my sleep goals each night.
For conquering dehydration, especially during Summer months, staying hydrated is imperative. Here in North Texas, our temperatures were showing triple digit numbers before we entered the month of June, insane, right? If you’re like me and constantly on the going moving around so much that you forget to take breaks, set a reminder on your phone to put yourself first with a sip of high quality H2O.
Additionally, Try keeping a bottle of water near your normal hang out spots around your home space like your desk in your home office, a night stand or bed post. Tumblers and I have gotten to know each other quite well these last few years. Don’t let dehydration catch you lacking!
Now lastly is something that we all do but not necessarily well, having a proper eating habit. Sure you may make sure you eat for the day but what you’re eating matters just as much if not more than how frequent. Giving yourself time hacks with food can be one of the most pivotal options you can make for creative energy. You only have so much time to meet deadlines without jeopardizing your work-life balance. So how do you accomplish this simple but somewhat time-consuming task of feeding yourself? Starting little by little, and day by day that’s how! You nor anyone else should expect someone to become a health guru by the end of the day making a complete 180° in terms of balanced meals. Have a snack here and there but don’t make it your personality trait at 2:00am when your metabolism is at it’s slowest.
“For lasting energy, include mostly complex carbs — whole grains, whole-wheat bread and pasta, beans and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes — on your low-calorie, high-energy diet.” Eating foods that are high in energy or low in calories is easy and affordable, so don’t feel like you need to run to your nearest Trader Joe’s for sustenance. In the morning, think about citric fruits like oranges that are packed with Vitamin C and natural sugars. Greek yogurt with granola is one of my early morning rituals. Now here comes lunch, what are we having? How about a turkey sandwich on whole-grain wheat with spinach, tomatoes, mustard, and…well you get the picture. A high-energy packed meal that you can remedy to your specific tastebuds, quick and easy to make too! Lastly is our dinner option, how about some chicken breast? Did you know that 100 grams of chicken has the same amount of protein as beef? Less grease and is low in calories.
I know that this may be a condensed list of some of the issues giving artists like myself fatigue but they are relatively common. Art is passion that is ignited, to keep that flame burning, you must continue to tend and nurture yourself. Think about it this way…how will your art, projects, and communities suffer if you’re not fully yourself. Write the idea down and come back to it when you’re feeling yourself, don’t force what can’t happen naturally. Take a glass of water to bed after a full meal and make sure you rest. We have work to do tomorrow.
Do you have any other ideas that need to go on the list? Drop them below in the comments. How do you tackle and manage artists fatigue?
