Category: Emotional and Mental Well-Being

Involves issues like anxiety, stress, self-efficacy, mindfulness, and maintaining mental health while pursuing creative work.

How I Take Advantage of Slow Work Periods

slow work v2 1

This summer was a very slow work period for me. But this slow pace was intentional because I was feeling burned out from my projects. I was constantly worried about what I needed to do and wondering if I was on the right track. The endless “Should I do this?”, “Should I do that?” was exhausting. Like a little annoying monster in my head that was bothering me all the time.

So about two months ago, I decided to slow down and get rid of this monster. I continued to work on manageable client projects that were fun and fulfilling. But when the project wasn’t a 100% fit, I immediately declined. It’s okay to say no when you need time to recharge (if you can afford it, of course).

I have to say, the last few weeks have been incredibly refreshing. The monster has left my head and now I’m enjoying my pseudo-summer vacation, feeling recharged and ready to dive back into my projects with renewed energy.

Balancing Work and Life

Because of this slow work period, my schedule is quite unique. I did my official “summer vacation” with some stuff left to do, but continued to do some work at a slow pace. My partner and I planned some small adventures around Switzerland and intend to have about 2 days off per week, depending on the weather. Together we’ve created a semi-vacation that gives us a nice work-life balance for the rest of the summer. Meaning it is a mix between slow work and enjoying some free time.

The Importance of Slow Work Periods

There are times when intense work is required. Deadlines or the desire to make significant progress on projects may demand more effort. These intense periods are beneficial but must be balanced with breaks or slower periods of work. It’s important to realize that we’re not machines and it’s easy to feel guilty about not doing enough. Society often places a high value on constant productivity, making us feel inefficient if we take time to slow down. Pushing yourself too hard without taking breaks can lead to burnout and a decline in the quality of your work. And then we have the monster in our head that keeps bothering us.

Your ability to control your workload depends on your job, but if you are a freelancer or have a flexible job, you can control how much you work. The same goes for your creative passion projects outside of work. You decide how much you can and will do! Setting realistic goals and knowing when to step back is essential for your productivity and mental well-being. By integrating slow work with periods of intense work, you can maintain a high level of performance without compromising your health or happiness.

Benefits of Slow Work

Here’s a list of the benefits of working at a slower pace I noticed for myself.

  • Better quality of work
    • When you slow down to work on your projects, you automatically produce better work.
  • Mental well-being
    • You will feel better mentally.
  • Reevaluate priorities and goals
    • When you work more slowly, you have more time to think. I have used this time to better align my priorities and goals with my values.
  • Better decision making
    • If you don’t have to stress about a decision, you’re likely to make a better one.
  • Process improvement
  • Increased creativity
    • I always do better creative work, when I’m not stressed and in a good mood. Slow work provides that and is perfect for your most creative work.
  • Ability to do other things
    • Sometimes we don’t experiment and try new things because we don’t have time. So we can use it in slow work periods to try new things.
  • Better work-life balance
    • Well, if you work less, you have a better work-life balance.

How to Embrace Slow Work Periods

Sometimes slow periods happen naturally. You may feel the need to slow down after finishing a project or during less busy times, such as the summer or holidays. For me, burnout from my projects and the loss of my father derailed my work-life balance this year.

You can also schedule slow periods of work when you know there are busy times ahead or you just finished a crazy work period. Your body often signals when it’s time to slow down, so listen to it and don’t push yourself too hard. This approach is even good for your productivity because, after an extended period of slow work, I return to my projects with more enthusiasm and intensity.

Conclusion

Embracing slow periods of work can significantly improve your productivity and overall well-being. By knowing when to slow down and when to speed up, you can create a balanced work routine that prevents burnout and keeps you motivated. So take control of your schedule, listen to your body, and find the rhythm that works best for you. And don’t forget to destroy that little monster inside you that’s bothering you!

4 Mistakes That Cause a Creative Void in Your Mind

Creative Void Illustration

You take the time to create something. Something from your creative mind. But unfortunately, you sit there, in front of this yawning emptiness and your head is completely empty. You have no idea what to do. You still know how to do it. You want to, but you just can’t. Sometimes there are no ideas, other times there is an invisible resistance that you can’t overcome. Your mind is in a creative void. And you need to get out of there.

What many creative people don’t know is that we make mistakes that can create this situation. In this article, I’ll show you four mistakes you may be making and give solutions on how to prevent these errors.

1. You haven’t started yet

Nothing comes from nothing. Often we stand in front of our work and don’t know what to do because we don’t dare to start. But what stops us from just starting something? It doesn’t have to be the finished idea we are working on. A little warm-up exercise can help us get in the mood for creative work. Start with anything! It doesn’t matter what. When you draw, draw something you see in front of you. If you don’t know what to photograph, photograph the first thing you see. Get into the flow of things, get dirty, start! Only then can the creativity come and the ideas that you need for your project.

2. You put too much pressure on yourself

Let’s face it: you haven’t started yet and you’re already worried what you’re doing won’t turn out well. Push those thoughts aside and try to see the journey of your work as the goal, not the end result itself. You are doing it because you enjoy the process, not just to see the finished product. Think of what you are doing as a thing you can learn from and improve upon.

3. You don’t experiment

Sometimes it helps to just let go and experiment. Do something you’ve never done before. May it be a new technique or a different material. Use this to find something that can enhance your normal work. This way you can start with something without putting pressure on yourself and get into the flow of working on something creative.

I once tried to draw only with brushes. In the end, I worked for over a year with a brush and learned important things that I still use in my work today.

4. You have no plan

This creative void often has something to do with the fact that we don’t know what we are doing. What exactly do we want to do and why? Create a plan for it. Are you doing this just to have fun? Then write down what exactly you enjoy doing and apply it to your work. Is it the motivation to learn something new? Then think about what exactly you need to learn and how to do it. You can also plan a whole project that can last weeks or months. That way you always have an idea of what you can do.

I’m working on a comic book in my spare time where I have almost everything planned out. I just have to execute the whole thing, so to speak. That’s why I don’t have any problems with this creative void – most of the time at least – because I know exactly what my goal is and what I have to do for it.

Conclusion

Try to avoid one mistake after another so that the creative void doesn’t stand a chance! Never overextend yourself and don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work out. Changes and improvements need time. Therefore take it!

What a healthy relationship with your art looks like

The relationship with your art can be bad and you could not even notice it. Like every other relationship, you need to treat it with care. It is important, so you will stay creative. You can’t be creative with the negativity surrounding you. As a result, you will feel stressed and in a bad mood.

A good mentality and mindset with your art or design work is an important way to keep you motivated and productive. To check this I made a little guide for you. Check out the left column of the picture below. Is this something you say to yourself or that you do? If so, try to change your mindset to the right column. Then you turn the relationship between your art and your creative work into a healthy one.

Don’t try to force it. This thing doesn’t change in a night. But try to remember the healthy way to see things, when your thoughts turn bad again. Print this picture out and put it somewhere where you work. Then you can always look at it and check if your relationship with your art is on the right track. Or rather, on the right column.

Cool Guide Healthy relationship

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Don’t Make Hasty Decisions

Creative Work Problems Title Emotional Decisions


My personal story about not making hasty decisions: I worked on a GIF animation this week and got angry because it just didn’t work. I was about to stop the whole project when I reminded myself to just take a break and work on it later. A few hours later I looked at it again and felt better about the whole thing. I changed stuff and worked on it and now I’m on a good way to finishing it. If I decided to stop it in my bad mood I would have never worked on it ever again.

So if you are emotional, try to take a break. Calm down and look at your creative problem with a fresh set of eyes. Only after the break do you decide what to do with the projects. If we always made these hasty decisions, we wouldn’t finish anything.

Remember What Helps You

Remember What Helps You

Remember What Helps You – My Experience

Once, when things got super busy, I forgot about making my usual To-Do lists. I knew what to do and didn’t need any help with lists. After this hectic period, I tried to get back to my normal work, but it just wasn’t happening. I couldn’t figure out why until I remembered my use of to-do lists. Once I started making them again, everything changed! I could work without a problem. It’s essential to remember what works for you in case you need it again!

The lesson here is pretty clear: when life gets overwhelming, don’t forget the things that usually help you. For me, it was as simple as making To-Do lists. Going back to what works can make a big difference in getting things done and feeling more organized. So, if you ever find yourself in a tough spot, remember what helps you! Whether it’s a routine, a simple trick, or a good old To-Do list. It might be just what you need to make things better.