Mindset Shifts for Creatives Who Feel Like Shit 💩

How to keep making art when you kind of hate everything.

Some days, being a creative makes you feel like you have a superpower. Other days, it truly feels like a cosmic joke to care about it so much.

You sit down to make something and your body says, “lol, no.” The thing that used to make you feel most connected and alive now just makes you feel tired. You scroll and see other people’s work and feel the sting: They’re doing it. I’m not. What’s wrong with me?

If that’s where you are — hi. You’re not broken. You’re just disconnected from the energetic needs of your body and trying to be a factory in a system that rewards output over aliveness.

Here are a few mindset shifts that might help you crawl out of the creative swamp.

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🧠 1. You’re Not Broken — You’re Disconnected From Your Needs

Burnout isn’t proof you’ve failed. It’s your nervous system saying, “I’ve been giving too much without receiving enough.”

Most of us try to fix creative burnout with more discipline — double down on schedules, systems, and productivity hacks — when what our bodies actually need is safety and rest.

The truth is, the more unsafe your body feels, the harder it is to create. You can’t access imagination from survival mode.

Start small:

• Take one guilt-free day off.

• Move your body in a way that feels kind.

• Do something that has zero “content value.”

Rest isn’t the opposite of creativity — it’s the soil it grows in.

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❤️ 2. Stop Worshipping Consistency — Start Worshipping Aliveness

Consistency culture has done more harm to creativity than most of us realize.

We’re told to “just show up every day,” but showing up when you’re numb doesn’t build mastery — it builds resentment.

What if you measured your creative health not by how often you make something, but by how alive you feel when you do?

Ask yourself:

• What would feel good to make today?

• What wants to move through me?

• Where do I feel energy in my body right now?

Let your creative practice become a conversation with your vitality, not a punishment for being human.

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🌪️ 3. Your Value Isn’t in Your Output

If you’ve built your identity around being a “productive” creative, slowing down can feel like death. But your worth has never been in your word count, follower count, or frequency of posting.

Those things can’t measure what matters: how you see the world, how you translate feeling into form, how your work changes you.

The algorithm doesn’t know your magic. Your audience can’t see your nervous system. But you can choose to stop measuring your life in likes, publications, or celebrations.

You’re not behind — you’re becoming.

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🌿 4. Let It Be Messy — That’s Where the Magic Is

Your creative process isn’t supposed to look polished. It’s supposed to look alive.
Mess is how your nervous system experiments with safety. Every awkward draft or half-finished piece is training your body to trust visibility again.

Perfection is the enemy of evolution. Every “failure” is just a sign that you’re trying something new enough to scare you.

The work will always feel a little uncomfortable — not because you’re bad at it, but because you’re still brave enough to care.

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🪞 Final Thought

You don’t need to fix yourself to make great work. You just need to remember what it feels like to be deeply interested in it and alive.

Go do one small, nourishing thing today — stretch, nap, scribble, cry, dance, make something ugly — anything that reminds your body it’s safe to play again.

Your creativity isn’t gone. It’s just waiting for you to stop trying so hard to deserve it.

I have one more spot open for 1:1 somatic creative coaching to move through your biggest blocks between now and the end of the year. If you’re interested, DM me ‘READY’ on Instagram to learn more!