4 Best Tips for Stressed Creatives

Whether you’re an artist, a scientist, a new entrepreneur, or a business professional, everyone has to deal with the pressure of being more creative.

Our personal standards and our workplaces compel us to be creative and to constantly come up with unique solutions to problems that see no end.

Jobs that demand creativity will take a toll if you don’t deal with the build-up of stress from the very beginning. As you experience more stress, you’ll feel weighed down and see a drop in your productivity.

However, there are simple things creative people can do to beat stress and stay creative at the same time.

Here are four things you can incorporate to keep moving forward and not be dragged down by stressors of your work life.

Bake a cake, play the Ukulele, have fun

Being creative becomes a stressor when you have to conjure up inspiration for work reasons. As a result, many creative people disconnect from their passion projects because they’re exhausted. Or because they associate creative work with their daily jobs.

It’s critical to associate creative work with fun again. And to that end, you need to do something fun and creative without any agenda for these activities.

For example, I think you'd agree that music is a universal de-stressor. So, how about learning to play a simple instrument like the Ukulele? It’s a great instrument for a beginner, it’s relatively inexpensive, and occupies less space.

Another practical way to relax your mind is to cook or bake. There’s something about putting ingredients together and enjoying the aroma of baked things that makes you feel good again. You can even start a food blog as a way to share your knowledge and express yourself.

The point is to get involved in some kind of creative activity that is fun, engaging and doesn’t come with any pressure to perform well. By developing new creative habits, you’ll continue to exercise your mind and bring new knowledge to work.

Carry a notepad

Another great way for creative people to deal with stress is to write down how they’re thinking and feeling.

Most creatives have busy minds. With their brains constantly thinking about what they’ve learned and the problems they want to solve.

A major issue is simply allowing these thoughts to occupy your mind without doing something about them. The more they float around without any closure, the more stressful you’ll feel.

Writing down your thoughts and ideas on the go changes ethereal and abstract concepts into black and white. You’ll find them easier to deal with when they seem separate from your mind.

Try keeping a notepad and a pen with you all the time. You can quickly pull them out and write down what’s going in your mind and instantly feel better.

Multitask - in slow motion

"Slow-motion multitasking is when we have several projects in progress at the same time, and we move from one to the other and back again as the mood takes us or the situation demands." — Tim Harford

Learning to multitask intelligently is transformational. If you’re stressed from applying creativity to your everyday work, try applying slow-motion multitasking to your projects.

What is slow-motion multitasking? It’s the process of working on multiple projects simultaneously by moving from one to the other based on your moods and feelings.

You might write a blog post now for your business and then choose to dabble in watercolors. Next, you may decide to brush on your skills with an online course and then reach out to a customer. All in one day.

Slow-motion multitasking can be just the right thing for creative people to become more productive and even happier.

Make friends with your fears

Fear is a powerful and deeply rooted survival mechanism in our minds. But it can also cripple creativity when we don’t stay aware.

Are you scared of your work not being original enough or not as good as the last one? And when you’ve done well before, you may feel even more pressure to prove yourself the next time.

Fear can be a major contributor to stress for creative people. And it’s important to deal with it to feel comfortable at work and do your best.

It’s important to accept fear as a guide rather than an enemy. Whenever you feel uncomfortable, worried about your self-worth, or your ability to deliver, use these feelings as anchor points.

You need to take a moment to breathe, go for a walk, or disconnect from your work. Negative feelings are just signs that you’re overwhelmed and need a break or a change of pace. And you should always take the time to relax when you’re experiencing stress.

When you take a break and come back, you’ll find that you’re even more productive and creative than before.

Conclusion

If you’re a stressed creative, then following these tips just might help you in your work and personal life.

You’ll find it easier to stay creative and energized even when you have to apply yourself on a daily basis.