Welcome to Good Enough Creative, a podcast for creative people.
Hi again, welcome back! I’m your host, Marie Greene, and in today’s bonus episode we’re talking about when to say when - managing the challenges of creative overload.
I don’t know about you, but I never seem to be lacking for ideas. I have a stack of 101 projects I’d like to start, and another few dozen I need to finish, and that doesn’t even include the list of things I’d love to learn but haven’t even tried yet.
Too much of a good thing seems like a great problem to have, but have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of unfinished projects staring you in the face?
Creativity has a tendency to take us in many different directions. If you’re a creative person, you’re likely to be interested in many different things, probably have a lot of ideas, and don’t love missing out on something new and fun.
And over the years I’ve really bounced between trying to do it all, trying to cut back and trying to find that happy balance in the middle where I’m enjoying what I’m doing, and I feel like I’m stretching myself and my goals, but I don’t feel bogged down with what I’m not finishing.
This is not an easy problem to solve – if it were, I doubt it would keep showing up in our lives. But I think tackling creative overwhelm is two-fold, and I want to talk about how we can approach this from two different angles.
The first thing is to shift our expectations.
I think one of the reasons we feel stressed about the projects we haven’t finished is because it feels like maybe it means something about us. Does it mean we’re not finishers? Does it mean we have ADD? Or is it possible that part of the joy of being creative is having options, so that at different times we can lean into what feels most exciting at the moment. Sometimes I need the steadiness and rhythm of something mindless, and if there’s not already a project in the works that allows me to just quietly keep my hands busy without a lot of focus, then – in my opinion – this is the perfect time to start something new, even if I have a dozen other projects waiting to be finished.
Why we come to our art is just as important as the art, itself.
Sometimes there are projects in our basket of unfinished work that have gone on pause for a reason. Maybe we started it when we were waiting in the hospital with a loved one who was going through something difficult, and now when we look at that project, it just reminds us of the hard time that we were going through. There might be a time when you come back to it and feel ready to finish. But you might not. And you don’t have to decide today. There are worse things than having unfinished projects.
Part of this thinking also requires us to acknowledge that not every project is meant to be finished. Sometimes the project is just there to get you through a hard time, and it does the job.
Sometimes creative overwhelm happens when we measure ourselves by how much we finish. It feels great to get to the finish line, but it feels even better when the journey becomes the goal not the prize at the end.
The other way we can tackle creative overwhelm is to notice where we might need to cut back. Maybe you really are taking on more projects than you feel comfortable with – how do you know when to say when, if you don’t want to miss out on the next thing?
Overwhelm is one thing, but if you’re feeling burned out even thinking about your projects, or if have more unfinished projects than places for them to hide, if you feel anxious or stressed, then maybe you really do have too much on your plate. Sometimes we just start more projects because we’re too overwhelmed to deal with the ones we already started.
Here are some ideas for tackling creative overwhelm.
1. Start with a creative audit. Jot down every project that is weighing on you. Where do they stand? How much time would it realistically take to finish them? Do you still feel excited about them? Are there any projects on your list that feel lackluster or boring? Do you really have to finish them? Some projects could be finished in an hour if we just sat down to do it, and sometimes we just have to take a close look and realize – oh, I’m avoiding this pile, and really, several of these could be finished if I just set aside one afternoon. If that’s all it will take, then why not? But if you have something on that list that no longer excites you, and that you don’t have to finish, then maybe the answer really is to just let it go.
2. When a new project comes your way, take a minute to think about why you’re saying yes. Is it FOMO or is it really that you want to do this thing? There is an opportunity cost for everything we say yes to – that yes means that something else will have to be a no. That’s not always a bad thing, but it’s good to notice if we’re saying yes by default or if it’s really in line with our creative goals.
3. When you look at the list in your creative audit, add a note next to each one that indicates whether it’s a: must do, should do, or nice to do. My list includes a lot of varied things. And I have to accept that I can’t realistically do them all. Since my job involves creative work, a lot of the things on my list are “must dos”. And because of that, I have to keep my “should do” or “nice to do” list pretty short. If I didn’t already work in a creative field, then I would probably approach that a little differently. You’ll want to do this in a way that feels right for our life and for the amount of time and energy you have for creativity.
4. Delegate or collaborate. This one you’d normally see on a to-do list for a time management lesson, but the thing is – there really are some projects that we can either delegate to someone else, or invite someone to collaborate with us. Here’s an example: a friend of mine had a crocheted afghan in her craft room that was started by her grandmother – and wasn’t finished. My friend says she has a basic knowledge of crochet, but is by no means an expert. That project sitting in her craft closet was constantly nagging at her, but she knew that in order to tackle it, she would have to beef up her crochet skills just to work on it. Any time you feel like you have to learn something and practice it before you can even take the next step on a project, you are destined to have it weighing on you for years. After years of holding onto the afghan, my friend enlisted the help of the Loose Ends Project, which is an organization that partners people with certain creative skills to help them finish the projects left by loved ones. Isn’t that awesome? What an absolutely cool idea. We don’t always think about delegating a creative project, but it’s not impossible. And if you don’t want to pass the whole project on, but would like to spice it up a bit, you could invite a friend to join you. Maybe you’re refinishing a piece of furniture, and you make a team effort. I see this a lot in quilting – many quilters piece the top, but pay someone else to do the machine quilting, and then even have someone else put on the binding. You don’t have to do every single part of the process for it to count. If bringing in reinforcements would help, go for it.
5. The next thing to keep in mind is to set boundaries. Sometimes – and this may or may not relate to you – but sometimes we say yes to things because we feel pressure from other people. I can’t tell you how many times I agreed to knit socks or a sweater for someone else – knowing full well I didn’t really want to, and didn’t have time, and dreaded having one more thing on my plate. I’m not saying I never love to knit things for other people; I do. I’m talking about the moments where your best friend’s cousin – someone you don’t even know – pressures you into agreeing to knit them something while you’re at your friend’s baby shower and you feel awkward saying no. So you say yes, but then you regret it. I have had my share of regrettable yesses, and what I’m learning is that it’s better to have a moment of discomfort when you say no, than to spend hours, weeks, months or even years kicking yourself for saying yes. We jokingly set a boundary as a family, because this comes up so much – my family now knows that if anyone asks if I will knit for them, my family says, “Sure, for $10,000!” and everyone laughs and we move on with our day. So far, no one has taken me up on the offer for a $10k pair of socks, so my plan is working beautifully. My secret rule is that I either love you enough to knit it for you for free, or I’m not knitting it. Find a boundary that feels good – and make it funny, if you need to. Like you could say, “Sure! I’ll knit you a sweater. I won’t be able to get started on it for 37 years – will that work for you?” It’s okay to make it silly, but it’s better to find a way to say no than to say yes and regret it. You probably already have a ton of projects on your to-do list, there’s no need to add another one that you don’t really want to do.
6. Limit the amount of FOMO that you’re going to give into. FOMO – or fear of missing out – is very real. No one wants to miss out on the next fun thing. Saying no to FOMO is not super realistic, because it would mean that we always miss out. So instead, limit yourself to how often FOMO gets to be your deciding factor. If everything you’re adding to your list is because you are worried that you’ll be the one to miss out, then maybe it’s time to revisit your own creative goals so you can make sure that what you are adding to your list in alignment for you. It’s okay to jump on the bandwagon periodically, as long as it’s not the only thing you’re doing. Come up with a limit so that you can feel good about when you’re saying yes - maybe only one new FOMO project a month.
7. Practice the one-in/one-out rule. Now, this is one of those ideas that you’ll either love or hate. But if you do have a ton of projects sitting unfinished, one thing that can work well is to reward yourself with a new project, but only when you finish one that’s in your basket. So for example, you’ve been cross-stitching a sampler for your sister-in-law and it’s about 75% finished, but you really want to order this new cross stitch kit because it’s so stinkin’ adorable. Set a goal to sit down and spend the weekend finishing that sampler for your sister-in-law and then reward yourself with the new kit. I know we’re adults and it’s silly that we have to play little games with ourselves, but hey – they work. And life is short, so we can make it fun. If I know that finishing a project will give me permission (from myself to myself) to start something fun and new, then I will enjoy finishing that other project a little more.
8. Last but not least, surround yourself with the support of a community.
Surround yourself with a community of fellow creatives who understand the joys and challenges of creative work. Share your goals, successes, and struggles. A supportive community can offer accountability, motivation, and insights. Whether it's a formal accountability group or casual check-ins with creative friends, having a support system can significantly reduce feelings of overwhelm and isolation. Creativity can sometimes be a lonely space, but when you have the support of a community (like Knit Camp – which is the virtual knitting community that I’ve created), you can discover new ways to get unstuck and you’ll be able to share your own progress. Sometimes just having someone to share it with can be all the motivation we need to finish. We do something in Knit Camp called “FO Friday” or Finished Object Friday, where we get to share the things we’ve finished. We motivate and celebrate each other. It’s awesome.
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By incorporating these strategies, we can embrace a range of creative interests and projects with enthusiasm and confidence. It's about finding joy in the process, celebrating progress, and recognizing that managing our creative energy is a vital part of the creative journey. Remember, the goal is not to diminish your creative spark but to channel it in ways that enrich your life and allow you to share your unique gifts with the world.
Until next time, my friend – you’ve got this.