I was burnt out. Real talk: dealing with burnout as a creative

Burnout is extremely common for creatives and people in tech. I experienced it myself for several months, and I'm here to talk about it. This video is the first of a "real talk" series that hopes to address some common struggles we go through from time to time. Please comment below if you like these types of videos or not! Much love 💜
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ABOUT THIS CHANNEL
The goal of this channel is to teach you what you need to know about being in the design industry, whether you are a student or starting your career as a traditional graphic designer or going into tech as a UI/UX designer. I cover education, finding a job, what to expect on the job, and how to be successful. Have a topic request? Leave it in the comments!
ABOUT ME
I'm Christine Maggi, a multidisciplinary designer with experience in graphic design, UI design, UX design, advertising, and copywriting. I love sharing what I've learned over the years about working as a designer with high school students, college students, or anyone looking to work in the design industry.

[@PlaybookUX]

Burnout is real and thanks for talking about it. By engaging in conversations about it, we can help normalize it in the workplace.

[@DesignGal]

I agree! Thanks for the comment.

[@simpernchong]

Design careers are often draining and take up lots of your time. Take care of the health.

[@RobHope]

Burnout is super duper real. Especially making videos. Thank you for taking the time to make this vid. It's important and more people should be doing this.

[@DesignGal]

Thanks, Rob! 👊

[@YoungIceMgk]

I feel like ive been burned out for the past 2-3 years. I used to hop on my computer even on weekends to work on graphics and now client work is such a burden to me nothing is ever fun for me anymore. lol all i think about is working or getting new clients to make money but lost a sense of happiness

[@DesignGal]

I feel you. Hang in there! Take a walk or something else to get some time away from the screen. That always helps me :)

[@Salamaleikum80]

Burnout doesn't come from too much work it comes from lack of control and autonomy. I can work 10hours a day with autonomy without feeling burnt out and work only 3 hours a day where everyone micromanages me and i will be burnt out.

[@mzr457]

Basically now they expect you to know the entire Adobe CC Suite, Figma, Sketch, Coding, Illustration, all while you "keep learning" and pay you 50k. Meanwhile the old boys, Gen X Creative Directors with psychology degrees don't have half the skillset or design chops and would be equally screwed if they started now. Also, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone thinks they know what's right and has a different opinion and you will end up making 10,000 iterations and updates. RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@DesignGal]

This is a common scenario, unfortunately.

[@dailybobo550]

I really appreciate all the content you have made so far and this video especially has struck a chord with me. I am so guilty of giving into this "hustle culture" and thought it was totally justified to plan out every minute of my day and be working all the time, even it meant putting my physical and mental health on the backburner. I follow other creatives and successful entrepreneurs who preach that you have to work the hardest you ever have, no matter what, in order to make your dreams come true. You have to pull all-nighters, you have to sacrifice time with friends and family. And in a sense they are right, you do have to work hard to reach your goals and sacrifice some things, but you don't have to sacrifice your physical and mental well being to do so. What good is making the thing that was supposed to bring you joy and purpose into the thing you start to dread and feel like work? What good is being successful if you are not even healthy enough to enjoy your success due to self-neglect? You are so right about finding balance and not letting hustle culture encourage us to push things too far. Having a sense of urgency can be a good thing but it can also be a very negative thing if you let it be. I used to think that time was against me every day and I would be so hard on myself if I couldn't get everything I wanted to get done for the day. But now I consciously write in my journal every morning that "time is on my side" and "there is enough time to do everything I want to do" and it helps take some stress away and reminds me that I will eventually accomplish what I need to and I can still take the time to take care of myself. OMG sorry for the novel but I resonated with the things you said so much. Keep doing what you love! It's really appreciated!😊💕

[@DesignGal]

"What good is making the thing that was supposed to bring you joy and purpose into the thing you start to dread and feel like work?" UGH YES so true. I love your new attitude that time is on your side! Way to go for journaling.. that's always been hard for me but I am wanting to incorporate something like that into my daily routine. Thanks so much for the comment!

[@Oceanflow84]

Thank you for sharing your story Christine!! Yes please, I am interested in seeing more videos like this!! :)

[@DesignGal]

Noted!

[@perc-ai]

wow you are so pretty, i just subbed you givve great advice for UI/UX noobs

[@Exnihilo37]

I’m glad you are feeling better. Great video btw 👍

[@BronzeBoxer_]

Christine, thank you for your honesty and authenticity!

[@DesignGal]

Thanks for saying that!