How 20 Minutes Can Help You Overcome Burnout
I injured myself early in the pandemic. I went from thrice weekly 8 mile treadmill runs at the gym and tried to transfer to aerobic workouts in our house basement. A basement with a cement floor.
Turns out my middle age body can’t do that sort of thing. And after what felt like the 12th stress injury, I decided it was time to stop doing anything so that my body could heal completely.
And so I gave up exercise for a while.
When I told my GP about this later, (injured, yet again) I could see your pupils go large.
“You HAVE to keep MOVING” she told me. “Lift lighter. Move slower. But You. Have. To. Keep. Moving.”
Physical injury is a bit like artistic burnout. And can happen for similar reasons. You’ve overworked yourself or you’ve pounded yourself against an unmoving artistic problem. Or maybe you’re transitioning out of some big success like a show and now can’t seem to find your footing again.
You hit a wall in your art practice. You’re exhausted and frustrated and the idea of going back into your studio to start a new series or begin studying a new subject seems absolutely overwhelming.
And if you’re not careful, that week-long break can turn into a three month break.
So how do you keep moving, especially when you are drained of all inspiration and work ethic?
A SMALL SOLUTION
When everything seems too big, go small.
Burnout makes all tasks seem insurmountable. So the first goal is to try and say yes to showing up to some small amount of time. I always suggest 20 minutes. But if 20 minutes seems like too big of an ask, go smaller.
Go small enough that you can’t say no.
The reason for starting with something small is because the goal is to get yourself moving again…at ALL. And you need to do that without adding to the overwhelm.
Starting small makes it feel more manageable. So instead of you asking yourself to say yes to a new series or getting ready for the next show, you are asking yourself to say yes to going back into the studio with zero expectations.
Make it small enough so that you can convince yourself to show up for it.
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS
So now that you’ve said yes to something, it’s time to figure out what you’ll do as you go through the motions.
Going through the motions can sound like a bad thing. But when used correctly (like when burned out), it can be your segue back into deeper work.
Right now, your brain is tired.
Give it a rest.
But rest like they tell you to do when you’re training for a race. Your rest days aren’t no movement (back to my GP’s horror of you must keep moving.) But you do something that isn’t strenuous.
When you paint, you are asking yourself to make hundreds of decisions - big and small - at every step of the process. From choosing what to paint, what to paint on, what colors to use, all the steps and when it’s finished. It’s mentally taxing.
So give your brain a break. Let your body take over the work for a while.
That’s why you’re deciding some of these big picture things but then creating no expectations beyond it. You say, “Yes, I’ll show up for 20 minutes” And then decide what you’ll do for those 20 minutes.
The trick is to keep the bar low. This is not the 20 minutes to ask yourself to plan your next series.
Choose something small and specific like prepping canvases, doodling, contour drawing or color mixing.
There’s also no shame in looking for some third party help.
Or maybe that third party is a hashtag challenge. Or a class. Maybe that’s the #20for20ArtChallenge2022 (Reference Starter Pack coming to Art Club Members April 25th!)
Once you know what you’ll be doing, show up to that time and turn on music. Listen to a podcast or an audio book. Let yourself physically go through the motions without any demands on your brain.
Set yourself up so that you have to do as little thinking as possible. You’re letting your body show up for the habit while not taxing your mind while it recoups.
LOWER THE BAR
You’re showing up and that’s the most important part. Now comes maybe the hardest part of all of this: give yourself permission to play.
Part of play means giving yourself permission to make unfinished pieces or work you don’t like. You are creating a space where you have zero expectations around output.
You work hard on your art, and sometimes you need to let yourself work less hard. But that doesn’t mean it’s intuitive to give yourself that space. These 20 minutes is for just that. You are giving yourself permission to play with things that are neither complex nor profound.
Your goal first and foremost is to show up and get your hands and body moving so that the brain can find a spark again. The point is that these 20 minutes are about lowering the bar to something that DOESN’T actually push you for once.
You're creating the space for your exhausted muse to WANT to come back.
FINDING FUTURE TOOLS
Burnout is part of being an artist. It can happen to you at any stage, any skill level, any medium. So finding tools when it happens are important. It’s important to not pack up your bags and walk away. Before you give up, try some things. Try committing to 20 days of 20 minute artistic play. See how you feel at the end of them.
Burnout can happen for a lot of reasons. And the solution to burnout is different for every artist. But one tool for your tool kit is the 20 minute daily art habit. Shift your focus from output (finished paintings that you love) and focus on showing up and doing something simple and mindless. Or even better, find something that feels like true play.
So if you’re experiencing burnout today, take a breath. You can get through this. Learning how to handle burnout is part of your artistic journey. And the tools you’ll learn navigating this bout of burnout, will be there if and when it happens again.
Learn more about the #20for20ArtChallenge2022 here. All media, all skill levels welcome.
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