The Myth of Endless Inspiration
There’s a dangerous myth running rampant in the creative world and it sounds a lot like this:
“Inspiration strikes when you’re working hard enough.”
“You just need to push through the block.”
“Real creatives always have ideas on tap.”
Let me lovingly and firmly call that out for what it is: complete and utter nonsense.
Because in all honesty, inspiration is not endless. It isn’t a faucet you can crank open with more pressure. And it certainly isn’t a sign of failure if you’re feeling flat, fatigued, or uninspired.
It’s merely a sign that you’re human.
When you live with chronic illness and mental health conditions, like I do, you often learn this lesson the hard way. I’ve tried to work through manic highs and depressive crashes. I’ve pushed through lupus flares, brain fog, and creative exhaustion. All while thinking that if I just tried harder, I could keep up.
Spoiler: I couldn’t.
And it’s not even just about physical energy. It’s also about creative capacity. When I burned out, I lost the joy in what I was creating. The spark simply vanished. Everything felt like a task instead of a vision. I wasn’t proud of my work; I was just surviving through it.
Burnout doesn’t just drain your body.
It hijacks your curiosity.
It silences your imagination.
It makes your inner critic louder than your inner artist.
And in a world that tells us to hustle harder, this is where we tend to break.
I’ve learnt (and re-learnt, again and again):
Rest is not a break from the process. Rest is the process.
In my studio, creative rest looks like:
Setting spacious timelines for branding projects
Walking away from a design and coming back later with fresh eyes
Taking client-free weeks to reset my nervous system
Doodling, journalling, or sewing just for fun
Letting music, movement, or nature spark ideas organically
These aren’t indulgences. They’re rituals, for me. They keep me connected to my creativity without demanding it constantly performs.
Practical Ways to Recharge Creatively
You don’t need a 6-week sabbatical in the forest (though I mean… would that be all that bad?).
Here are some gentle, accessible ways to honour creative rest in everyday life:
Build white space into your calendar
Schedule intentional non-working time
Add “creative rest” as a recurring calendar event
Honour your energy, not just your tasks
Reconnect with playful creativity
Play with LEGO (yes, I do it, yes it helps!)
Craft, colour, bake, dance… anything without a productivity outcome
Let yourself create “bad” art on purpose
Rest your senses
Ditch the screen and sit in quiet
Go for a walk without a podcast or music
Journal your thoughts, not your plans
Slow your scroll
Take a break from consuming content
Notice how often you’re being influenced versus inspired
Give your brain a breather from input
Honour your body
Sleep, stretch, hydrate
Move intuitively, not intensely
Check in: What do you need today?
Why This Matters in my Studio
I don’t just preach creative rest. I design for it.
For myself. For my clients.
That’s why I build flexible project timelines. Why I create space for feedback loops. Why I centre emotional safety, realistic expectations, and pacing in every branding process. Because the best work doesn’t come from squeezing every drop of energy out of someone. It comes from flow, trust, and care.
My studio isn’t powered by pressure.
It’s powered by presence.
And when my clients adopt that too, the branding we create together becomes more grounded, more authentic, and so much more powerful.
If you’re feeling like the well is dry, you’re not broken. You’re probably just tired.
And tiredness deserves rest.
So here’s your permission slip to step back. Breathe. Do something just for fun. Let the spark find you when it’s ready.
Inspiration doesn’t live in the hustle.
It lives in the quiet moments, the playful ones, the ones where you’re not trying to produce anything at all. And when you’re ready to bring that rested creativity back into your brand?
I’ll be here.
Book a discovery call to design something that honours your rhythm.
You don’t have to do it alone.
