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Posted on 07/20/09 at 08:20 AM
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A short response to an excellent A List Apart article entitled Burnout, written by Scott Boms.
Over the course of my 15 year career as an independent, I've burnt out at least once every year. It is as inevitable as seasonal changes. There is no silver bullet, no sure-fire way to manage the inescapable. Burnout will happen. Eventually, with experience, you will get to the point when you can anticipate the warning signs and start to plan your recovery.
There is no right or wrong way to recuperate. No right or wrong way to mitigate the effects of overwork, lack of work, demanding clients, dissatisfaction, home office issues, or any number of a million other reasons why we suffer creative meltdowns. Everyone is different and every answer or suggestion is a viable solution.
The fact is that unless you are, as a professional, one of the lucky few who managed to land that perfect cornerstone client or who got lucky and made a name for yourself or happen to be an exquisite salesman or are funded by a trust fund, most of us are subject to the whims of the one thing we cannot control ... the market. We are reactionary. We depend on referrals. No amount of Tweeting, no number of Facebook posts, or LinkedIn connections will help guarantee the "steady" flow of work we all fantasize about achieving.
It's a tough business and it will always be a tough way to make a living. That said, I probably speak for most of us in saying that, "I wouldn't have it any other way". I love my job and a periodic creative meltdown is not something that frightens me ... In fact, I've come to embrace it. There is no point in fighting the inevitable, especially when it gives me the best reason I can ask for to take a vacation.
Just plan for it and if you are the type who likes to "recharge" on vacation, notify your clients well ahead of time and get an iPhone to track "fires". I recently disappeared for two weeks and saved three jobs with a few emails. It's that easy to enjoy time off.
What are your methods of avoiding or dealing with creative Burnout? Discuss in our forum
Burnout is inevitable ... Embrace it.