Being Creative Sucks, I Love It 

Written By Josh Taylor

Yes… that is a bold statement, but at times, this is absolutely true.

Being a creative means soaring to your highest of highs to being dragged to the depths of creative hell. One week, we love it because of how rewarding it feels to put something out into the world that matters to us and expresses how we feel. But the next week, we feel like we’re imprisoned in our own minds from the pressures of being a creative.

Working as a creative—whether you are a graphic designer, painter, writer, filmmaker, etc.—you inevitably feel this weight of creative pressure weighing you down. This pressure can come in many forms. Today we’re going to talk about three:

  • Creative block

  • Fear of flopping

  • Imposter syndrome

Let’s dive in.

Creative block? Stop forcing it…

Creative block, burnout, artistic drought, a slump… we all know the different terms, and unfortunately, we have all experienced them at one point or another. Maybe you’re even experiencing it right now.

As creatives, we have two modes: output and input.

Maybe these are terms you have heard, maybe not. I’ll give a quick explanation:

Output mode —This is the most commonly thought-of mode when people think of creatives. It happens when we’re pouring our energy into expressing ourselves through creation—when we’re actually building a tangible creative product for ourselves and/or an audience. When you have creative block, you are NOT able to enter this mode.

Input mode —This is the less talked-about creative mode. However, it is equally important. Input mode happens when you’re absorbing information, imagery, music, etc., to fuel your output. Without the input, you can’t create the output. You can’t grow a plant without water (as far as I’m aware, anyway).

Fundamentally, creative block or burnout happens when your attempt to output outweighs your effort to input. It’s a lack of inspiration—nothing else.

When this happens, you need to switch to input mode. As Rick Rubin describes in his book The Creative Act, you need to plant seeds (I recommend reading this book in its entirety). Once you plant these idea seeds, you can nurture them into a plant (i.e., outputting).

 The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. Photo by Julian Paul on julianpaul.me

It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes it's the only option. Sometimes, forcing yourself into output mode will just drive you further into your creative slump.

Here are some methods I use to enter input mode:

Go on a walk and listen to music.
Super simple, but sometimes it’s enough for me to get inspired. It can mean discovering a new artist or genre, or listening to an old favourite. Whatever. Just try it.

Consume creative content.
For me, this usually means scrolling through my FYP on Instagram, browsing Pinterest, looking through my recommended feed on YouTube, or throwing on a new movie. One tip on this: I follow a wide variety of creators on social media who are outside my niche. I follow everything from DJs to clothing designers.

You never know where your next seed may come from. At the end of this post, I’ll throw in some social media accounts I follow that are worth checking out if you’re struggling with creative block.

Meditation.
This one may or may not be your vibe. Sometimes, taking 10–20 minutes, sitting in a dark, quiet room, lighting some incense, and just focusing on being present can silence the noise preventing you from being creative. Give it a try—maybe you’ll hate it, maybe you won’t…

Taking time for yourself.
This is the last tip I have for overcoming creative block, and it doesn’t even really involve anything creative, per se. Sometimes, what you need most is a break. Get to bed early, hit the climbing gym, go for a run, or just rest.

Taking a mental reset can be needed, especially if you have been pushing yourself hard to create recently.

Fear of flopping

The second reason being a creative can suck is the constant fear of failing or poor reception from viewers. We have all spent 10+ hours on a project, bled our souls into it, felt like we perfected our craft, written up a wicked caption, and posted it on Instagram—all for 2 comments and 500 views.

It’s totally normal to be pissed off when this happens. More times than I care to admit, I have cussed out Mark Zuckerberg and blamed his stupid algorithms…

The bottom line is that when you create, you should be doing it for yourself. You shouldn’t be doing it for external validation or social media likes. I know I already referenced Rick Rubin, but I love his take on this subject: when you create something, you literally should not care what the audience thinks. Your creation should be for you and your self-expression.

Rick Rubin on creating for yourself. Photo courtesy of @weloveurban.

I like to switch my phone to “Do Not Disturb,” turn it off, and do some kind of other activity once I post. It’s a great way to forget about the pressure of social media reception and just exist, knowing I put something out that I cared about.

Obviously, if you are employed as a creative in any niche, it is important that the client or your superior is happy with the end product. I am not saying to shut your phone off and ignore the client’s revision request or an email from your boss… this is more geared towards people who are trying to create passion projects.

Do I suck?

Do I belong in this field? Is my work good enough? Do I just suck? This feeling is all too common in the creative space—the dreaded imposter syndrome.

The answer? Keep doing the work anyway. Volume overrules doubt. Likely, you’ll always question if you’re good enough. Everyone does.

The more you put out, the more you get comfortable in your own style, the better you’ll do, and the better your work will get. Make that thing, design that hat, create that song—just do something!

You’re not alone in this feeling—we all fake it ‘til it feels true. You won’t overcome imposter syndrome; you just work through it.

Wrapping up

The more you dive into your creative side, the more these pressures will arise… the answer is to become obsessed. Obsessed with becoming inspired, learning and improving, putting your work out there, and finding your own style.

The more you do this, the quicker you’re going to level up and find your own ways of dealing with these pressures.

At the end of the day, as creatives, we do this because we have to. It’s wired into us. So you may as well figure out how to ride the waves of creativity.

Hope this helped in some way… if you made it all the way here, thanks for reading this through!

As promised, here are some Instagram accounts I recommend checking out for inspiration: 

Josh Taylor

Die empty, create fully.




Josh Taylor
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