My Favorite Ways to Overcome Creative Burnout

Jul 14

Have you ever sat down at your desk, looked at all of your beautiful art supplies, and…felt…absolutely…NOTHING?

Not an ounce of excitement, inspiration, or even the desire to create.

Believe me…as a person who is supposed to do this as a job, getting creatively stuck is no fun and, honestly, a bit embarrassing.

So if you are anything like me, the thought of What's wrong with me? has crossed your mind quite a few times.

Friend, if that's where you are today, I want you to know you are not alone.

Creative burnout is REAL. It can sneak in after busy seasons, stressful months, or simply trying to do too much for way too long. Sometimes it isn’t even the fact that you've lost your creativity (I promise you. It’s still there). It may just be that you have been carrying so much that there isn’t much room left for anything else.

Those seasons of life for a creative are so challenging. I have witnessed the pain of feeling like I lost “my creative spark.” I have gone weeks when my paintbrushes sat untouched on my desk. And it is not because I didn't love watercolor anymore, but because life felt so full that creativity slipped to the bottom of my “to do” list. Between work, homeschooling, church, family life, and everything else that fills our calendars, it was easier to tell myself, I'll just paint tomorrow.

But we all know that “tomorrow” can very sneakily turn into weeks or even months.

So if you are currently at what seems like a “creative stalemate,” let me give you a few ways to overcome it once and for all.

Lower the Bar

Whether you are a beginner or you have been creating art for YEARS, one of the biggest rivals to getting back into the swing of things is your need for perfection.

I have found that one of the quickest ways to overcome creative burnout is to stop expecting yourself to create a masterpiece. It’s just too high of an expectation when you are trying to find a way to get going again.

So instead of painting an entire floral bouquet, try painting one leaf. Instead of feeling the pressure of filling a whole sketchbook page, practice some basic brushstrokes. Instead of creating something to share online, create something with the intention that no one but you will ever lay eyes on it.

Tiny moments of creativity often lead to bigger ones and before you know it, you are creating with ease again.

Create Just for the Joy of It

As artists, it's easy to start measuring our creativity by productivity.

Will I post this?

Can I sell this?

Will people like it?

So what would happen if you made it a point to let go of all of that for just an afternoon.

Some of my favorite paintings have come from giving myself permission to play with no pressure or expectations. I just grabbed some paint, paper, and curiosity. Not everything you create needs a purpose or some deep story behind it. It’s absolutely okay and better to just create for the pure reason of bringing you joy.

Try Something Completely Different

Let’s face it. Sometimes we just get bored of the “same ol’, same ol’.” When we try to return to the same thing over and over, creativity can start to feel stale and it can be challenging to feel the passion to start again.

So, next time try something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

For me, I know that I like to play and experiment with different mediums and hobbies. When I felt stuck in watercolor, I just added more mixed media into my illustrations and found instant joy to create.

If you are normally into doing detailed work, try playing with abstracts.

Create a handmade sketchbook where you are free to play and experiment.

Put aside painting for a bit and maybe look into making collages or junk journal pages.

Giving yourself the permission to explore and you will find that it often reignites the inspiration you thought you thought you lost.

Find Other People To Create With

One of my favorite ways to overcome creative burnout is to find people who are excited to create with you.

Creativity has a way of growing when we share that time of explorations with others. I discovered this first hand after a close friend of mine proposed that we have a standing monthly “creative date” where we meet up and have fun trying something new.

What I love about it is that for once, I get the freedom to create and play without the pressure of teaching anything or recording my painting progress for future tutorials. We just agree on a simple tutorial, bring our supplies to a local cafe, and have fun creating and catching up on life. And really, its her enthusiasm and excitement to learn something new that help remind me why I fell in love with creating in the first place.

Sometimes all it takes is seeing someone else's joy to remember why you fell in love with creating in the first place.

Remember Why You Started

Which leads me to my last reminder:

Before you worried about perfection, compared your work to others on social media, and wondered if you were really “good enough to call yourself an artist,” ponder on this one little question:

Why did you start creating?

For me, watercolor was a way for me to fight my need for perfection, get closer to God through scripture, and be fully present in my body and mind. It was a way to slow down, notice the beauty and blessings all around me by creating something incredibly unique from my own two hands.

So whenever I begin to feel creatively burned out, I try to return to that reason instead of chasing the world’s view of perfection.

Because for me, creativity was never meant to become another source of pressure. It was meant to bring me more peace and life.

A Simple Invitation…

Now before you go, one of my favorite ways to break out of a creative rut has always been to learn something new.

There really is something refreshing about stepping away from your normal routine, gathering with other creatives, and making something simply for the joy of it.

That's only one of the reasons I'm so excited to be teaching at this year's Summer Creative Retreat with The Pigeon Letters.

50+ bite-size workshops over 6 days. ALL COMPLETELY FREE to attend!

During my workshop on August 1st, I'll show you how to create a simple DIY watercolor sketchbook—a project that's practical, fun, and perfect for giving yourself a fresh place to experiment without worrying about perfection.

The retreat is filled with inspiring artists, encouraging lessons, and creative projects designed to help you reconnect with your creativity alongside other students who are just excited as you!

If you've been feeling creatively burned out, maybe this is exactly the fresh start you've been looking for. I’d love for you to join me!

Learn more about the Summer Creative Retreat 2026