Creative Burnout for Artists: Finding Balance in the Chaos of Real Life
Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a killer day. I wanted to drop in and be totally real: my brushes are gathering a tiny bit of dust right now. 🤷♀️
The last few weeks have been a beautiful kind of chaos. We had family visiting from New Zealand — so many laughs, good food, and precious time together. But between the constant hosting, mum life, and running an art business, my energy levels hit zero.
And to top it off, I’ve spent what feels like a million hours battling the Meta ad gods to get my campaigns working. It’s like trying to pass a driving test in another language. It’s done now (hallelujah!), but wow — it totally zapped my creative battery.
So here’s the truth: I’m tapped out. I want to paint — especially my new Mexican-inspired art series — but my creative engine is idling. If you’ve ever felt that frustrating space where you want to create but can’t quite get there, you’re not alone. This is what creative burnout for artists really looks like.
my brushes are gathering a tiny bit of dust right now
When the Creative Spark Flickers Out
I’ve realised something over the past few weeks — sometimes, creativity doesn’t vanish because we’ve lost passion. It just gets buried under noise: family, work, visitors, deadlines, dishes, emails. Life doesn’t slow down, and neither does that quiet pressure to “keep producing.”
But here’s what I’ve been gently learning to do instead.
Some days, I just walk into my studio without an agenda. No masterpiece expected. I put on music, breathe, and let the space remind me why I love being there. If all I do is move a few brushes around or mix colours for no reason — that’s enough. It’s still art. It still counts.
Other times, I stop taking the “serious” work so seriously. I grab scraps of paper and play. I let colours bleed, overlap, or clash — a small rebellion against perfection. Those messy, throwaway moments have a strange magic. They remind me that creativity isn’t about control; it’s about curiosity.
And when I feel completely empty, I fill the well again. I listen to Mexican guitar music while cooking dinner. I flip through Frida Kahlo’s paintings and remember how she turned her pain into power. I watch the light shift through the studio window and notice how it hits the canvas differently in the afternoon.
Little by little, these small moments bring me back.
The Artist Life Balance
Being an artist, a mum, a partner, a host — it’s a lot. Some days it feels impossible to do it all. But maybe that’s the real balance — not perfection, but permission.
Permission to pause.
Permission to play.
Permission to trust that the spark always returns.
Because it does. Every single time.
Ready to See the Art That Happens Next?
If you enjoyed this peek behind the curtain, you can view the work I’ve created after breaking through this block on my Available Works page. You can also see the progress of the Mexican series and other current projects on my Instagram.