Boundaries For Protecting Your Creative Energy | Ep 77 Your Creative Chord Podcast

Episode 77: Boundaries For Protecting Your Creative Energy

In this solo episode, I share practical insights on why setting boundaries is essential for preserving your energy, staying creatively aligned, and avoiding burnout.

You’ll hear real-life examples of red flags—both personal and professional—that signal the need for boundaries. I offer clear, doable ways to set, communicate, and maintain boundaries with confidence and clarity.

These strategies reflect a key pillar of my Creative Empowerment Coaching Program and are included in the free Inspirational Bookmark Trio—a tool designed to help you protect your creative energy and stay focused on what matters most.

💡 Join our Creative Flow & Inspired Living Facebook group for more insights, updates, and support at facebook.com/groups/creativeflowinspiredliving.

✨ Ready to Explore or Reconnect with Your Creativity?✨
 Whether you’re creatively curious, facing blocks, or ready to build lasting momentum, my 3-month Creative Empowerment Coaching Program offers focused, personalized support to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

Apply now at YourCreativeChord.com/workwithme to take the next committed step toward empowered, inspired living.✨🌻

Transcript

Boundaries For Protecting Your Creative Energy | Ep 77

[00:00:00] VO Artist: Welcome to Your Creative Chord Podcast, where host Jenny Leigh Hodgins, author and educator shares unique insights dedicated to empowering your creative flow and inspired living. Through solo reflections and dialogues with creators and wellness experts, Jenny Leigh shares holistic wisdom influenced by her Buddhist practice alongside poetic insights and practical strategies for living authentically.

[00:00:28] This podcast helps you overcome challenges and unlock your full creative potential.

[00:00:43] Jenny Leigh Hodgins: Welcome to Your Creative Chord Podcast. I'm Jenny Leigh, and today we're gonna talk about something that many of us may not recognize as a block for your creativity, lack of boundaries. If you've ever felt drained, stuck, or creatively blocked, boundaries might be the key you're missing. To illustrate that point, let's start with a story

[00:01:05] my 85-year-old mother shared with me back when I was entering my teenage years, and for 20 or 30 years after that. Mom stopped making art. She's mostly a self-taught artist, and when I was a kid, she was regularly painting, participating in art shows and selling quite a few pieces, including one to the governor.

[00:01:25] Mom has said since then, it wasn't about being busy, although she absolutely was like many women, she wore that, especially southern women. She wore that superwoman cape cleaning, cooking, caregiving for all her kids. Later, helping raise her grandkids, showing up for friends and running a side business as an interior decorator.

[00:01:45] Gardening and canning foods for our families, making our clothes for us. I mean, she was constantly giving to others, but beneath that nonstop schedule, she later realized something deeper was happening. Our family dynamics were full of dysfunction and emotional chaos. What she's come to understand is that she lost the desire to paint, not because she didn't love painting, but because she was protecting her vulnerability.

[00:02:15] Creating art requires a kind of openness with yourself, a freedom to be yourself, and when you're surrounded by toxic patterns or overstimulation and you're emotionally overwhelmed, it can feel unsafe to open that door. Mom's creativity shut down as a way to protect her inner world. Thankfully, she's reconnected with it over the years and she painted, for example, during a beach trip with my older sister and her daughter, who are also talented visual artists and passers by would stop to admire the three generations creating together.

[00:02:51] And once when she visited me in my Florida house, she and my dad spent quiet time in my home while I was at work. One of the days I was working, I came home and she had painted two beautiful ocean scenes as gifts to me, and those paintings now hang above my bed. We've even done watercolor pieces together.

[00:03:10] When we stayed in a cottage at Lake Erie for a little mother daughter getaway, we painted the view of the lake together. She showed me a few watercolor tips. She also. Painted an acrylic piece for that trip, which we dropped off during a visit to her last remaining paternal cousin. And though her cousin lives in an assisted living with and has dementia, she remembered my mother joyfully.

[00:03:37] Mom's return to painting really reflects our shared journey of healing and the power of setting healthier boundaries as we continue transforming the toxic patterns in our family history. By setting and maintaining healthier boundaries, it's already made a positive impact on each of our creative lives.

[00:03:56] So boundaries aren't just about saying no or blocking people out of your life. They're about making room for what truly matters in your creative and personal life. I've learned personally the hard way that not setting clear boundaries, whether in professional collaborations or with my loved ones. Can really lead to burnout, frustration, negative feelings like resentment, guilt, disappointment, and even losing touch with my own creative, authentic authenticity.

[00:04:32] Before I learned to set and maintain healthy boundaries, it was easy for me to hide my light. This was to accommodate others instead of just being true to myself. That's why I wanted to share today what I've learned about setting, communicating, and maintaining and navigating boundaries to protect your energy and your creative flow.

[00:04:55] So first, let's talk about why boundaries matter For creatives, professional impact, allowing others to overstep or overcommit, you can lead to stress, burnout, and decreased productivity. Decreased quality. I've experienced this with unprofessional collaborations where my time, expertise and my energy were taken for granted.

[00:05:21] Personal impact with family and friends. Too many commitments can really interfere with your creative time. As my mom's story shows, I've had to learn that protecting my energy is an act of self respect. The third point I wanna make on that is to recognize your own power. Opening a path for positive growth and freedom with your authentic self-expression is your responsibility.

[00:05:49] It is not about the other person. When I take full responsibility for transforming my situation or the dynamic of that relationship, something shifts inside and that creates external ripple effects. In my own journey with personal and professional experiences with dysfunctional or toxic or non respectfully reciprocal behaviors, I've really learned that it's up to me to model the behavior or the relationship with the dynamic that I want.

[00:06:23] And that really starts with putting a stop to the dysfunction or the toxic behavior by setting a clear boundary. And that takes courage, but it's also super empowering. Because you're not living in that dysfunction anymore. And the last point on that I wanna make is creative flow. Connection boundaries are a way to honor and rightfully protect your creative space.

[00:06:49] Without them, it's really easy to get lost in external obligations that do not align with your purpose. The next point I wanna make is. We need to recognize the signs that you need boundaries. So some professional red flags, overextended commitments, unprofessional behaviors or communications, people demanding more than what was agreed upon, or people providing less than what they were supposed to offer.

[00:07:24] I've had experiences with supposed professionals who did not honor their commitments. Booking a meeting, then backing out last minute, multiple times and making some excuse or not showing up unless I literally tracked them down to remind them we had an appointment. One person invited me to be on her podcast, encouraged me to speak freely, and then insulted me while we were recording and demanded we redo the whole thing and later she used my marketing content in her email campaign without crediting me or my brand.

[00:08:00] Then never fixed it when I called that out. These are clear examples of unprofessional behavior. My boundary is simple. I remove myself. I distanced from them. I unsubscribe them from my list in my online community. I blocked them on all my social media and I make it clear I do not align with people who don't offer mutual respect.

[00:08:27] So that's professional red flags. Let's talk about personal red flags. Too many social obligations, feeling obligated to others at the expense of your wellbeing. That's been my lifelong pattern that I'm now breaking workflow. Red flags can be constantly moving from one task to another with no time to breathe and reflect or trying to multitask.

[00:08:49] That never works. The quality suffers. Taking on more than is necessary or required, and all of that contributes to negative feelings. If you have negative feelings, that's a big red flag that you might need some boundaries. So for example, feeling resentful, overwhelmed, guilty, angry, or disappointed are big red flags that you have overextended yourself or have set up expectations for something or someone.

[00:09:21] That is not on anyone but you, we can only be responsible for ourselves, right? I have learned this very much the hard way as someone who's has a lifelong habit of overextending myself as the middle child in a pretty dysfunctional background, and I'm still in the process of my burnout recovery to consistently reel myself in and keep that line clear.

[00:09:48] And if I feel negativity. It's a big indication that I'm inching toward a dysfunctional pattern again. So just be aware that your feelings can point to an imbalance, but you can address it and you have the power to change it for the betterment of all involved. So the third point I'd like to go over is how to set and communicate boundaries with confidence, especially for women.

[00:10:16] I think it doesn't come naturally. We're trained culturally. To bend over backwards and care for ourselves. Last, so how do we set and communicate boundaries with confidence in professional settings? Be clear, direct and firm, you can say no without guilt. It's about protecting your energy in personal settings.

[00:10:39] Remember, you're allowed to say no to social commitments that don't serve your needs or where there is no mutual reciprocity. You don't need an explanation at all for any of that. It simply doesn't align with your current priorities or commitments, and you don't have to make excuses for that. You have every right to that.

[00:11:00] We're not taught that, so I'm stating it for us. I'm discovering that I'm a in a much better energy and mood and life state when I'm acting within my capacity, not overextending myself and staying in my lane. When we draw boundaries, we're able to commit and fully engage in a much more positive way for ourselves, but it also impacts the positivity of our relationships and our work by drawing the line of boundaries, we give ourselves permission to bring our best energy really to every situation in person and anything we commit ourselves to.

[00:11:40] And this does nothing but enhance the positivity of our interactions.

[00:11:48] I want to also mention that my inspirational bookmark trio, one of them is called Reset Your Energy and Creative Flow, and there's a section of it where we talk and go into great depth about staying in your lane. This everything I've just been talking about this, the inspirational bookmark trio is the basis of the roadmap for my creative coaching program where we

[00:12:10] work on how do we nurture our creativity? How do we reset? How do we set boundaries? How do we recover from burnout, and how do we explore creativity or reconnect with it through my creative exploration formula? These are all kind of outlined in my bookmark Trio, and I just mentioned that part about staying in your lane.

[00:12:29] So important for burnout, recovery, and for really creating balance in your life and in your relationships.

[00:12:43] Hey, Jenny Leigh Hodgins here. I'm coming to you today to speak really openly about my own burnout, recovery and where I am in this season of my life and the challenge of setting boundaries. I'm really leaning into self-compassion and embracing stillness. Rest, distraction, fun play. To really honor that ebb part of the ebb and flow of creativity, this part of creativity, this part of.

[00:13:14] Treating myself with compassion, allowing myself things that nurture me, looking out the window and watching the bunnies chase each other, winding down with my mom and doing quality things like playing cards or puzzling with her or taking her out in nature. I'm literally walking through my own version of Burnout Recovery, which is a big component of my program more broadly.

[00:13:37] It's about nurturing creativity and enhancing it and navigating and transforming blocks of any sort. The reason this is a big part of my program is because I'm living it. I know what it feels like as a creator. If you're feeling creatively stuck or burned out, and already for support to reignite your creativity, I invite you to explore my Creative Empowerment Coaching Program.

[00:14:02] Visit YourCreativeChord.com/workwithme to schedule a call and see if this program is the right fit for you. I look forward to helping you clear blockages and build a sustainable, empowered, creative, and inspired life. 

[00:14:21] So let's talk about some practical techniques. So using scheduling tools. So let's talk about practical techniques using scheduling tools, you know, apps, software, limiting your work hours, especially if you work from home.

[00:14:39] You need to create a, a clear cutoff time and designate specific times for creative work without interruptions, for example. This is what I do. I protect my focus for work with boundaries. I leave my phone in a different room. I don't check messages until after 2:00 PM. I work in 90 minute time blocks usually, and then take breaks, and all my computer notifications do not come on until after three o'clock.

[00:15:09] These practices help me stay present with my creative work that matters. Let's talk about a few simple practices to start strengthening boundaries in our lives. Here are a few starter tips. Notice when you feel drained, what triggered it. Notice when you're feeling resentment. Just acknowledge that and try to figure out where did that come from?

[00:15:38] Practice saying, let me get back to you. I need to think about that. I'll get back to you. That will help you create some space before you commit to something. Let me get back to you on that. Another starter tip would be to write a list of what protects your creative space or time and post it visibly where you work so you see what you can do to protect it.

[00:16:05] Like some of the things I just mentioned that I do, for example. The next topic I'd like to mention on boundaries is maintaining boundaries and protecting your creative energy. There are some things that we can do about that. You can use regular check-ins, like I just mentioned before. Revisit your boundaries regularly.

[00:16:28] Life changes and your boundaries should also be in flux with that, for example. I'm a solo entrepreneur, a creative empowerment coach, an author pianist. I'm a facilitator of two different online communities around creativity and piano, and I'm a podcast host for Your Creative Chord and a live-in caregiver for my 85-year-old mother.

[00:16:50] So I have a lot of balls in the air, and when I have certain things on my plate that have to get done and I get sick. Which happened in March, or my mom has an increased need for my care with her specific physical issues, then I have to shift my priorities. I literally drop things like crossing my T's and dotting my i's, what do they say?

[00:17:13] Done is better than perfect. I drop the perfection and I do that so that it can get things that are of high priority done first. I flat out have to drop anything that's not a high priority in order to either get well or be a good caregiver for my mom in those moments of, of shifting priorities, and like I mentioned, I was gonna do a creativity event in my new creative flow and inspired living group on Facebook in March, but I got sick, so I had to completely postpone it until a month later because I became ill.

[00:17:48] Instead of pushing myself while sick and not giving good energy to the people in that event, I postponed it so I could do a really good job. You have to look at your situation and learn to drop other tasks if life's circumstances change so that your priorities are clear and you're maintaining your wellness for yourself.

[00:18:11] Because let's face it, if you're not well. Then you're not bringing your best to the relationship or to the task. Right? Another thing I prioritize in times of intense work and this season particularly, is my sleep routine and my rest. If I do nothing else for my wellness, I prioritize getting good sleep.

[00:18:34] It's a non-negotiable. So the next thing I was gonna talk about is to stay firm. Which can be challenging for people who've never set a boundary before. So once you set a boundary, you've gotta learn to be consistent. Letting it slip can really easily lead right back into dysfunctional habits. And I understand, believe me, when we're dealing with toxic behaviors in particular, this is the biggest challenge to be consistent and firm because you're changing an entire dynamic by setting a boundary.

[00:19:08] I've had to set the same boundary with one person in my life, gosh, more than 20 times for the same boundary, the exact same thing, and that person just kept coming back and trying to get me to do that same thing. First, I want to insert here that if somebody's rejecting your boundary outright, that is a huge red flag, a strong indication that that's not really a healthy relationship in the first place.

[00:19:35] This is what that taught me about this particular relationship. So if it's an imbalanced relationship in the first place, it's a strong marker that setting a boundary is the right thing to do for your sanity, for your self care. So I stuck to it and yes, there are repercussions for doing that. That person got upset and basically is gaslighting me right now.

[00:20:00] Has been gaslighting me for a long time. I wouldn't change a thing about that because I'm changing patterns of dysfunction, and that is the better alternative to living in the dysfunction, which brings too much anxiety and stress, and it's not good for your health. Then that leads me to the next point.

[00:20:21] Self-care boundaries are an act of self-compassion. When you honor them, you're honoring yourself. You deserve that. We all deserve that. You deserve the peace of mind that healthy boundaries brings. You deserve opening the space to new mutually reciprocal relationships by setting boundaries. You deserve the creative space that setting boundaries in your workflow or your work relationships bring you by stopping the pattern of overextending or working beyond your capacity.

[00:20:58] When you stay in your lane, like I talked about on my bookmark, the reset, your energy bookmark. When you stay in your lane, you align with your authentic self and purpose, and you allow space for others to be wherever they are in their response to that. Staying in your lane means we are not responsible for how others think or behave.

[00:21:21] We are not responsible for how others think or behave. We are responsible for our response, and when we take care of that, we can do our best and that impacts others positively. Self-care through boundary setting is an act of deep self-compassion, but frankly it's also for the betterment of others. 'cause we're no longer enabling them to make negative causes.

[00:21:50] If we are staying in our lane, we're not privy to that. We're not contributing to those dysfunctional patterns if we're staying in our lane. So it's not just self-compassion, it's mutually beneficial, even if the other party doesn't get it yet and they may never get it. But again, that's not your lane, and that's a hard part of setting boundaries.

[00:22:16] I get that. Believe me, I'm in the midst of that, but, and we'll talk about that in a future episode. Where I'm gonna go a little more in depth of the process of navigating those boundaries and the backlash of it, because I think that's why a lot of people don't set boundaries. You know, you're afraid of how to deal with the backlash, the resistance, which is a reality living myself.

[00:22:41] But I just do wanna say before we go into that in the future, it is absolutely worth it. It is absolutely worth it because you're changing negative patterns. You're establishing a new pattern for your own wellness and self care, but also it's really better for everyone. Even if they never get it, it's better for everyone.

[00:23:03] This is my personal experience. The inspirational bookmark trio is my roadmap where we cover a lot of these concepts, and I use that as a roadmap for my creative empowerment coaching program. These are the kinds of things that I help people with because I'm walking that walk. I'm living it myself.

[00:23:19] Remember, boundaries aren't about keeping people out. They're about making space for what matters most to you, and they're about protecting your creative energy, your mental wellbeing, and your time. If you're ready to protect your energy, to stop hiding your light and move forward with your creative vision, I invite you to work with me in my creative empowerment coaching program.

[00:23:46] I'll guide you through setting clear boundaries, reconnecting with your creative authenticity, and building a path that feels aligned and sustainable for you. And you can learn more and apply to work with me at YourCreativeChord.com/workwithme. And that's in the show notes. And if you're not quite ready for coaching, you can start with something simple and free, like my Inspirational Bookmark Trio.

[00:24:14] These aren't just lovely visuals. They're your first step into the same roadmap that I use with coaching my clients. You'll get daily reminders that help you protect your energy, stay focused and aligned with your creative flow. You can get your Inspirational Bookmark Trio at YourCreativeChord.com/getinspiredhere. And you'll find those links in the show notes.

[00:24:40] Let me know in the comments where do you struggle most with setting boundaries? I'd love to hear you know where you are with that. What's one small boundary you can set this week to protect your creative energy?

[00:25:02] I'd love to hear from you about that. Your journey on setting boundaries and where you are with that. And if this has been helpful today in any way, I would really love to know that as well. Please feel free to send me an email or leave a comment in the review for the podcast and get in touch with me at Jenny@YourCreativeChord.com.

[00:25:25] Thank you so much for being here with me today. I value and respect your time, and that's it for today. See you next time at Your Creative Chord.

[00:25:33] VO Artist: Thank you for listening to Your Creative Chord Podcast. If you found inspiration in today's episode, please leave a review and subscribe to the show. Your support helps spread the message of creativity and inspired living. Stay connected with Jenny Leigh and a vibrant community of creatives and curious minds.

[00:25:52] Visit YourCreativeChord.com for more resources. Remember, daily life is where your creative flow begins. Embrace the journey.