Why You Should Protect Your Creative Energy

The universe responds to what we put out into the world. The actions we take, the words we speak, and the choices we make. All of it creates a ripple effect that can be positive or negative.

When you create, everything you make comes from an internal supply of energy reserved for the process of creation. That pool affects your focus, mood, and attention.

Because it can easily be depleted, it’s important to keep an eye on your energy levels, and notice when you’re running low.

Monitor Your Creative Meter

It’s easy to burn through a lot of energy when you’re in the creative “flow” or “zone,” without realizing it. That reserve tank can run down fast. Pausing helps replenish it.

Sometimes that means a short 30-minute break or longer one-hour break. Other times you’ll need a couple of days (with sleep) to bounce back and be ready to create again.

For some artists, replenishing means taking extended time off to reset your creative system. That can be several weeks or up to a month, depending on how much has been used.

Rebel and Recharge

Our society is hellbent on productivity, and working constantly to meet deadlines. In some workplaces, breaks and rest are discouraged, or even frowned upon.

In a lot of large corporations, creative people suffer the most. Between meetings, email fires to put out, and distractions from coworkers, it’s challenging to stay in the flow.

Constantly creating pulls from your energy reserves. So you have to build recovery methods into the day, with mental breaks and physical resets.

For example, instead of sitting at your desk for lunch, go for a long walk, or eat out. It gives your body time to move, breathe fresh air, and see something different. Without realizing it, your creative energy can reset fast.

When I worked at a web development agency, my coworkers and I would take two-hour lunches and go on epic mountain bike rides. It was such a blast, and we’d come back to the office recharged.

Protect Your Creative Peace

There’s a YouTube video that I love by Denzel Washington, where he discusses the importance of protecting your peace.

When you’re creating something, it matters even more, because the work is fueled by energy and mood, and that’s what helps you stay focused.

There are always people who want to take that positive energy from you, sometimes on purpose and without realizing it: haters, judgers, and the jealous types.

I like to call them “energy vampires” who make you feel smaller, heavier, and more tired than you were before. They enjoy sucking the life out of you.

For example, when I was living on the Oregon coast, someone tried to discourage me from pursuing my creative dreams by saying:

So you want to be a starving artist, huh? Why don’t you do something more practical, like get a job?

I told her that I plan to be a successful artist, not a starving one. But she insisted and kept being judgmental while working a nine to five job she probably hates.

There will always be people who don’t see the same vision as you, and that’s fine. Let them stay confused and don’t waste your time with them.

Your job is to protect your peace, set boundaries, and cut them out of your life. People like that always try to tap into your positive fuel tank, so don’t give them the keys.

The world needs you to keep creating and sharing, and needs your art more than ever right now.

Prioritize Your Health

Creative people are especially vulnerable to burnout, so it’s important to prioritize your health over your art.

When you feel tired, exhausted, or worn out, that’s a sign your energy reserves have been consumed. It’s time to stop and put the focus on your physical and mental needs.

Burnout does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like low motivation, irritability, or feeling detached from your work. It’s important to pay attention and not ignore those feelings, because they can affect both your short and long term health.

For example, I went through some mild burnout because I felt pressure to post on Instagram daily for my business. A lot of creators deal with that constant output pressure, it can feel like you cannot pause the internet.

So I took a full week off from Pooch & Zen to focus on me. Here’s what that break looked like:

• I stopped taking pictures.
• I stopped consuming social media.
• I stopped creating.
• I stopped worrying about things out of my control.
• I started being curious and exploring again.

Instead, I left my laptop at home and learned how to ride the bus in the area. I ended up getting lost and hopping onto a train, which led to spending the day at the ocean.

That’s how I came out of burnout before it really settled in, and affected my creative pool of energy.

Build Your Own Work Rhythm

The way you spend time working can affect your creativity. I find that splitting my day into two work sessions helps the creative pool of energy last longer.

I kick it off with a morning session for three to five hours. That might be intensive writing, photo editing, or graphic design. This allows my brain to wake up slowly and start dipping into the stored energy from the previous day.

Once I get to a stopping point, I save my work, and put my laptop away. Next, I head out for a short walk. This could be going somewhere for a quick meal, snack, or tea.

The goal is to clear my head of the brain fog that comes from staring at a screen and focusing. That break takes anywhere from 30-minutes to an hour, depending on the level of spaciness. Micro breaks and short recovery breaks are shown to reduce fatigue and increase vigor.

The second work session is usually at night after dinner, after a long walk. It could last for a few hours, or even longer if I’m in the creative zone. For me, this technique works great because I’m spending energy, then restoring it, instead of draining the tank all in one long sitting.

You just need to create a schedule that works best for your needs and lifestyle.

For me, the best work I produce is when I’m feeling like it. What I create comes directly from the creative pool of energy. I only tap into it when I need it, so there’s usually a little stored up. That’s how I’ve been avoiding burnout with this method.

Your Energy Is the Asset

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this journal entry, it’s that your energy pool is the main asset you need to protect.

Creativity does not sustain itself by pushing harder to meet corporate or personal deadlines. It comes from having something left in the tank at the end of the day, so you can keep flowing.

Burnout is what happens when you ignore those feelings, and let toxic people deplete the tank, or keep pushing yourself too long and hard. So pay attention to where you’re spending the energy.

The world needs what you make, but it needs you to be healthy enough to keep making it.