Art Block vs. Artistic Burnout: What’s the Difference and How to Overcome Them

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What is the difference between art block and art burnout? How can you avoid these common struggles so that you can stay consistent with your practice and reach your art goals?
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There is no ‘right’ way to make art. The only wrong is in not trying, not doing. Don’t put barriers up that aren’t there - just get to work and make something.

​-Lisa Golightly


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The terms "art block" and "artistic burnout" get thrown around a lot—and they’re often used interchangeably.

While it may seem like there’s not much of a difference between the two (they both stop you from creating, right?), they’re actually very different.

It's essential to understand what is causing the problems you're experiencing so that you can overcome them, or avoid them all together in the future. 

Why?

Because deeper artistic growth requires consistency over a long period of time and, if you often lose momentum because of art block or burnout, this can prevent you from reaching the success you're after.

In this blog post, I'm explaining the differences between these two common artist struggles and I'm providing practical tips that you can take with you so that you can make the progress you're looking for. 
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Let’s dive in!

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What is art block?

​An art block is generally caused by a lack of creative practice and/or output. 

At times, this lull in our practice happens because events come up in our lives that we have no control over, and we get insanely busy.

Other times (let’s keep it real here), it happens because of laziness and not wanting to do the work.

An art block shows up as stuck-ness.

We don’t know where to start, we feel unmotivated/uninspired, and full of hesitation and/or self-doubt.

It’s important to remember that creating art takes a lot of brain power, energy, and being willing to step out of our comfort zones.

Because of this, it’s 100% normal to feel a bit uncomfortable when we’re re-starting, to the point that we keep procrastinating or stop ourselves before truly jumping in with both feet.

But you can do it!

Take baby steps forward so that you can begin re-igniting that creative passion of yours.

The longer you go without creating art, the harder it'll be to re-start.

If you find yourself constantly struggling with art block, chances are you’ll benefit from building up your art-creating “muscle”.

Make your art time part of your daily/weekly routines so that it becomes a habit and just something you do, as opposed to something you wait to get inspired to do.


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3 Tips to avoid art block:
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• Commit to a consistent art practice: Schedule time for your art each week, even if it’s just 15 minutes. Make it a habit, not something you wait to feel inspired to do.

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• Seek inspiration: Read art books, take classes, join new communities, or enjoy other creative work like music or film to get those creative juices flowing.

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• Stop overthinking: Sometimes, the best way to beat art block is to just start. Do anything to create momentum, even if it’s not perfect.​​

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What is artistic burnout?

​Artistic burnout happens by trying to do too much. 

This can be due to working on your art way too hard (which happens to lots of us who're doing it professionally), but it can also be a combination of working hard on your art and doing too much in other areas of your daily life.

Overloading yourself with more than you can realistically handle and doing too much at once for long periods of time, is a surefire way to burn yourself out.

Because our daily tasks and responsibilities don’t exist in a vacuum, everything we have going on contributes to our personal mishmash of “too much”.

Artistic burnout shows up as feelings of deep overwhelm and exhaustion.

You feel that, even though you’ve been working super hard consistently, you’re not doing enough.

It's important to realize that, though it’s normal to go through challenging/highly stressful periods in our lives, it shouldn't be the norm or what we strive to do long-term.

We must also remind ourselves that there's no finish line to reach, and that there will always be more to strive for in terms of developing our art skills.

So, make sure you're doing what you can to enjoy your journey, and don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

There's no need to rush. You're playing the long-term game here.

To avoid burnout, it’s essential to establish priorities and make taking care of ourselves mentally and physically a non-negotiable (this impacts our work and every other area of our lives).

3 Tips to avoid artistic burnout:
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• Establish your priorities: Focus on the most important areas of your life: personal well-being (mental and physical), professional development, and your interpersonal relationships.

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• Learn to say ‘no’: Protect your time and energy by saying no to things that don’t align with your priorities.

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• Make time for fun: Do creative activities that aren’t related to your art practice. Sometimes stepping away from your main focus helps you reset.

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Whether you’re dealing with art block or artistic burnout, know that both are temporary and happen to all of us. The key is to recognize what’s happening, take a step back, and make adjustments to your routine and mindset.

Taking care of your creative self is just as important as practicing your craft. I talk more about everything I do on a weekly/monthly basis to take care of myself as a working artist in this blog post. 

Give yourself grace, plan accordingly, and you’ll be back in the flow before you know it.

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I’m rooting for you! 

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