u/hummingbirdmarketing

Looking for some inspiration! A name and what they do would be helpful. Could be big or small businesses.

I want to hear some personal stories about people you admire :)

I literally just wrote a blog about this but wanted to share it here in case it helps anyone! I used to think about burnout as something that only happens when you don’t like your job, or you’re incredibly overworked. And when I felt stuck or unmotivated, I chalked it up to “I’m just lazy.” 

But I’ve had to realize even though I like my job and creative things come easier to me, burnout can still hit! I think recognizing the creative slumps or lack of motivation as burnout, and calling it what it is, is actually the first step to coming out of it. Otherwise you’re just stuck in the shame of writer’s block or the guilt of not enjoying your work when you have a job that, on paper, is your ideal gig!

When you work in a creative field, the burnout can sneak up on you. So first, here are some signs you might already be in it:

• You feel like you never have free time
• You're normally full of ideas, but now the well is empty
• Zero excitement for work or personal projects
• Tired all the time, even after sleeping
• No motivation for even simple tasks
• Personal projects piling up, collecting dust

If this is relatable (or you want tips to avoid hitting the slumps), here are the tips I put together with my coworkers that I genuinely think help so much to pull you out of creative slumps, or keep you from falling victim to burnout to begin with! 

It’s honestly hard to do all of them at once (if you can– good for you! But I’m not there yet!) But I’ve noticed such a change for me in trying to implement more of these things while also giving myself the grace that even though I enjoy creative work, I can still experience burnout or need more breaks.

So, in no particular order, here are the tips that help us:

Fix your space. A cluttered desk = a cluttered brain. If I’m feeling a mess, I try to force myself to do a little desk tidy before starting my workday. Of course, it helps to make the setup cute too if that’s your style!

Move your body. Even a 10-minute walk or a few minutes of desk yoga can help. Especially when you work from home, the step count can be shockingly low.

Find a routine that fits YOU. Some people thrive on strict schedules, others need total freedom. I fall more in the second category, and find I perform and feel so much better when I’m not forcing a routine and instead following my whimsy. If you are more routine-oriented, I’d suggest continuing to build a routine that fits your job requirements and some (or all) of the things on this list!

Take real breaks. When you're stuck or have been working on the same thing for a while, take a step away. It’s hard to do this sometimes, but even a 5-10 minute break can go a long way! Especially if you’re feeling writer’s block (or whatever the design equivalent is), taking a break is usually more productive than sitting at your desk trying to make ideas come to you. 

Check in with yourself. This one is probably the most important. Half the problem with burnout is we usually aren’t recognizing we’re experiencing it. Checking in with yourself can help you identify what you’re feeling so you can find solutions. Meditation and journaling are usually the best ways to do this.

Talk to other creatives. Literally everyone experiences the slumps, even the over-performers on your team. It always helps to talk it out with someone who can relate and remember you’re not alone! If you don’t have other creatives at work or in your personal life, well, isn’t that what Reddit is for? 

Look for inspiration everywhere. Nature, music, random stuff at the grocery store. Ideas hide in plain sight. Keep your eyes open to them. Go for a walk to find inspo, or get on Pinterest to scroll for it. Most good ideas start with stealing someone else’s first.

Kill the perfectionism. This is probably the most important one, especially for people in creative roles. The whole thing about creative work is that it is subjective, yet so many creatives get trapped in perfectionism, which usually plays out as never starting the thing to begin with or spending way too long on it and not finishing it. Perfect won’t exist with art, and that’s kind of the whole point. Try to shift into the mindset of “good is good enough” and don’t be afraid of first drafts. You’ll have every opportunity to edit your work into something that meets your standards and wows your clients or boss. 

What am I missing? I know these are pretty generic, but they are meant to serve as general ways to keep yourself out of the burnout blues. Anyone have any super niche or weird ways they overcome creative blocks?

I literally just wrote a blog about this but wanted to share it here in case it helps anyone! I used to think about burnout as something that only happens when you don’t like your job, or you’re incredibly overworked. And when I felt stuck or unmotivated, I chalked it up to “I’m just lazy.” 

But I’ve had to realize even though I like my job and creative things come easier to me, burnout can still hit! I think recognizing the creative slumps or lack of motivation as burnout, and calling it what it is, is actually the first step to coming out of it. Otherwise you’re just stuck in the shame of writer’s block or the guilt of not enjoying your work when you have a job that, on paper, is your ideal gig!

When you work in a creative field, the burnout can sneak up on you. So first, here are some signs you might already be in it:

• You feel like you never have free time
• You're normally full of ideas, but now the well is empty
• Zero excitement for work or personal projects
• Tired all the time, even after sleeping
• No motivation for even simple tasks
• Personal projects piling up, collecting dust

If this is relatable (or you want tips to avoid hitting the slumps), here are the tips I put together with my coworkers that I genuinely think help so much to pull you out of creative slumps, or keep you from falling victim to burnout to begin with! 

It’s honestly hard to do all of them at once (if you can– good for you! But I’m not there yet!) But I’ve noticed such a change for me in trying to implement more of these things while also giving myself the grace that even though I enjoy creative work, I can still experience burnout or need more breaks.

So, in no particular order, here are the tips that help us:

Fix your space. A cluttered desk = a cluttered brain. If I’m feeling a mess, I try to force myself to do a little desk tidy before starting my workday. Of course, it helps to make the setup cute too if that’s your style!

Move your body. Even a 10-minute walk or a few minutes of desk yoga can help. Especially when you work from home, the step count can be shockingly low.

Find a routine that fits YOU. Some people thrive on strict schedules, others need total freedom. I fall more in the second category, and find I perform and feel so much better when I’m not forcing a routine and instead following my whimsy. If you are more routine-oriented, I’d suggest continuing to build a routine that fits your job requirements and some (or all) of the things on this list!

Take real breaks. When you're stuck or have been working on the same thing for a while, take a step away. It’s hard to do this sometimes, but even a 5-10 minute break can go a long way! Especially if you’re feeling writer’s block (or whatever the design equivalent is), taking a break is usually more productive than sitting at your desk trying to make ideas come to you. 

Check in with yourself. This one is probably the most important. Half the problem with burnout is we usually aren’t recognizing we’re experiencing it. Checking in with yourself can help you identify what you’re feeling so you can find solutions. Meditation and journaling are usually the best ways to do this.

Talk to other creatives. Literally everyone experiences the slumps, even the over-performers on your team. It always helps to talk it out with someone who can relate and remember you’re not alone! If you don’t have other creatives at work or in your personal life, well, isn’t that what Reddit is for? 

Look for inspiration everywhere. Nature, music, random stuff at the grocery store. Ideas hide in plain sight. Keep your eyes open to them. Go for a walk to find inspo, or get on Pinterest to scroll for it. Most good ideas start with stealing someone else’s first.

Kill the perfectionism. This is probably the most important one, especially for people in creative roles. The whole thing about creative work is that it is subjective, yet so many creatives get trapped in perfectionism, which usually plays out as never starting the thing to begin with or spending way too long on it and not finishing it. Perfect won’t exist with art, and that’s kind of the whole point. Try to shift into the mindset of “good is good enough” and don’t be afraid of first drafts. You’ll have every opportunity to edit your work into something that meets your standards and wows your clients or boss. 

What am I missing? I know these are pretty generic, but they are meant to serve as general ways to keep yourself out of the burnout blues. Anyone have any super niche or weird ways they overcome creative blocks?

I literally just wrote a blog about this but wanted to share it here in case it helps anyone! I used to think about burnout as something that only happens when you don’t like your job, or you’re incredibly overworked. And when I felt stuck or unmotivated, I chalked it up to “I’m just lazy” when I had something to write and couldn't churn it out! 

But I’ve had to realize even though I like my job and writing and creative things come easier to me, burnout can still hit! I think recognizing the creative slumps or lack of motivation as burnout, and calling it what it is, is actually the first step to coming out of it. Otherwise you’re just stuck in the shame of writer’s block or the guilt of not enjoying your work when you have a job that, on paper, is your ideal gig!

When you work in a creative field, the burnout can sneak up on you. So first, here are some signs you might already be in it:

• You feel like you never have free time
• You're normally full of ideas, but now the well is empty
• Zero excitement for work or personal projects
• Tired all the time, even after sleeping
• No motivation for even simple tasks
• Personal projects piling up, collecting dust

If this is relatable (or you want tips to avoid hitting the slumps), here are the tips I put together with my coworkers that I genuinely think help so much to pull you out of creative slumps, or keep you from falling victim to burnout to begin with! 

It’s honestly hard to do all of them at once (if you can– good for you! But I’m not there yet!) But I’ve noticed such a change for me in trying to implement more of these things while also giving myself the grace that even though I enjoy creative work, I can still experience burnout or need more breaks.

So, in no particular order, here are the tips that help us:

Fix your space. A cluttered desk = a cluttered brain. If I’m feeling a mess, I try to force myself to do a little desk tidy before starting my workday. Of course, it helps to make the setup cute too if that’s your style!

Move your body. Even a 10-minute walk or a few minutes of desk yoga can help. Especially when you work from home, the step count can be shockingly low.

Find a routine that fits YOU. Some people thrive on strict schedules, others need total freedom. I fall more in the second category, and find I perform and feel so much better when I’m not forcing a routine and instead following my whimsy. If you are more routine-oriented, I’d suggest continuing to build a routine that fits your job requirements and some (or all) of the things on this list!

Take real breaks. When you're stuck or have been working on the same thing for a while, take a step away. It’s hard to do this sometimes, but even a 5-10 minute break can go a long way! Especially if you’re feeling writer’s block, taking a break is usually more productive than sitting at your desk trying to make ideas come to you. 

Check in with yourself. This one is probably the most important. Half the problem with burnout is we usually aren’t recognizing we’re experiencing it. Checking in with yourself can help you identify what you’re feeling so you can find solutions. Meditation and journaling are usually the best ways to do this.

Talk to other creatives. Literally everyone experiences the slumps, even the over-performers on your team. It always helps to talk it out with someone who can relate and remember you’re not alone! If you don’t have other creatives at work or in your personal life, well, isn’t that what Reddit is for? 

Look for inspiration everywhere. Nature, music, random stuff at the grocery store. Ideas hide in plain sight. Keep your eyes open to them. Go for a walk to find inspo, or get on Pinterest to scroll for it. Most good ideas start with stealing someone else’s first.

Kill the perfectionism. This is probably the most important one, especially for people in creative roles. The whole thing about creative work is that it is subjective, yet so many creatives get trapped in perfectionism, which usually plays out as never starting the thing to begin with or spending way too long on it and not finishing it. Perfect won’t exist with art, and that’s kind of the whole point. Try to shift into the mindset of “good is good enough” and don’t be afraid of first drafts. You’ll have every opportunity to edit your work into something that meets your standards and wows your clients or boss. 

What am I missing? I know these are pretty generic, but they are meant to serve as general ways to keep yourself out of the burnout blues. Anyone have any super niche or weird ways they overcome creative blocks?

I literally just wrote a blog about this but wanted to share it here in case it helps anyone! I used to think about burnout as something that only happens when you don’t like your job, or you’re incredibly overworked. And when I felt stuck or unmotivated, I chalked it up to “I’m just lazy.” 

But I’ve had to realize even though I like my job and creative things come easier to me, burnout can still hit! I think recognizing the creative slumps or lack of motivation as burnout, and calling it what it is, is actually the first step to coming out of it. Otherwise you’re just stuck in the shame of writer’s block or the guilt of not enjoying your work when you have a job that, on paper, is your ideal gig!

When you work in a creative field, the burnout can sneak up on you. So first, here are some signs you might already be in it:

• You feel like you never have free time
• You're normally full of ideas, but now the well is empty
• Zero excitement for work or personal projects
• Tired all the time, even after sleeping
• No motivation for even simple tasks
• Personal projects piling up, collecting dust

If this is relatable (or you want tips to avoid hitting the slumps), here are the tips I put together with my coworkers that I genuinely think help so much to pull you out of creative slumps, or keep you from falling victim to burnout to begin with! 

It’s honestly hard to do all of them at once (if you can– good for you! But I’m not there yet!) But I’ve noticed such a change for me in trying to implement more of these things while also giving myself the grace that even though I enjoy creative work, I can still experience burnout or need more breaks.

So, in no particular order, here are the tips that help us:

Fix your space. A cluttered desk = a cluttered brain. If I’m feeling a mess, I try to force myself to do a little desk tidy before starting my workday. Of course, it helps to make the setup cute too if that’s your style!

Move your body. Even a 10-minute walk or a few minutes of desk yoga can help. Especially when you work from home, the step count can be shockingly low.

Find a routine that fits YOU. Some people thrive on strict schedules, others need total freedom. I fall more in the second category, and find I perform and feel so much better when I’m not forcing a routine and instead following my whimsy. If you are more routine-oriented, I’d suggest continuing to build a routine that fits your job requirements and some (or all) of the things on this list!

Take real breaks. When you're stuck or have been working on the same thing for a while, take a step away. It’s hard to do this sometimes, but even a 5-10 minute break can go a long way! Especially if you’re feeling writer’s block (or whatever the design equivalent is), taking a break is usually more productive than sitting at your desk trying to make ideas come to you. 

Check in with yourself. This one is probably the most important. Half the problem with burnout is we usually aren’t recognizing we’re experiencing it. Checking in with yourself can help you identify what you’re feeling so you can find solutions. Meditation and journaling are usually the best ways to do this.

Talk to other creatives. Literally everyone experiences the slumps, even the over-performers on your team. It always helps to talk it out with someone who can relate and remember you’re not alone! If you don’t have other creatives at work or in your personal life, well, isn’t that what Reddit is for? 

Look for inspiration everywhere. Nature, music, random stuff at the grocery store. Ideas hide in plain sight. Keep your eyes open to them. Go for a walk to find inspo, or get on Pinterest to scroll for it. Most good ideas start with stealing someone else’s first.

Kill the perfectionism. This is probably the most important one, especially for people in creative roles. The whole thing about creative work is that it is subjective, yet so many creatives get trapped in perfectionism, which usually plays out as never starting the thing to begin with or spending way too long on it and not finishing it. Perfect won’t exist with art, and that’s kind of the whole point. Try to shift into the mindset of “good is good enough” and don’t be afraid of first drafts. You’ll have every opportunity to edit your work into something that meets your standards and wows your clients or boss. 

What am I missing? I know these are pretty generic, but they are meant to serve as general ways to keep yourself out of the burnout blues. Anyone have any super niche or weird ways they overcome creative blocks?

We’re a marketing agency that specializes in building custom WordPress websites for small businesses. 

Occasionally, though, we’ll have a client come to us who already has a pre-existing website on something like Wix or Squarespace and for whatever reason, we can’t move it over to WordPress. 

Every time I go into edit their website on one of these sites I can never get these “so easy anyone can do it” tools to cooperate. I know I’m used to building sites using WordPress and a grid system but I’m always surprised by just how complicated and uncustomizable some of these sites are. 

And my frustrations usually arise with something simple like trying to rearrange a layout. And don’t get me started on having to redo layouts three times on Wix to make sure they look good on tablet and mobile. 

For something that’s supposed to be beginner-friendly, I always end up thinking there must be something wrong with me when I can’t figure out why nothing is working the way I think it should. 

Is it just me or does it seem like these website builders are mainly set up so that you pick a basic, overused, trendy theme, keep the exact same layout and building blocks they’ve pre-set for you and then maybe you can change some of the text and the colors but that’s it? 

I understand wanting to box in non-designers from screwing up their website and making something look truly ugly, but even with these strict parameters, if you do end up changing the text or something and don’t manually go in and resize everything it STILL ends up looking ugly?!