Creative burnout, invisible labor, and why we still can’t stop
How my balcony flowers reminded me to draw for myself again
A while ago, I wrote about the art of doing nothing, how uncomfortable it is to stop, especially when life doesn’t exactly pause with you. I was in a fog of mental exhaustion, and doing nothing felt like a protest…
Since then, I’ve noticed something: even when I give myself permission to rest, something inside me still tries to earn it. I catch myself thinking, “Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow and be productive again.” As if healing is only valuable if it ends in output.
The labor no one sees
If you're anything like me: an artist, a mother, a sensitive human, you know how much invisible labor runs underneath your day. It's not just cooking, laundry, and emails. It's the constant holding:
The mental tabs always open.
The emotional management of small meltdowns and big feelings.
The silent calculation of everyone’s needs before your own.
This kind of labor isn’t recognized, but it has weight. And it takes energy from the same well we draw our creativity from. No wonder the well runs dry.
I found myself staring at my sketchbook recently and feeling… nothing. No spark. Just pressure. I wasn’t making art, I was managing it. Marketing it. Monetizing it. Measuring it.
That’s when I stopped.
A balcony, some blooms, and the pattern I didn’t plan
One evening, I was watering the flowers on my balcony. No agenda, no to-do list.
The next day, I opened Affinity Designer, not for a client, not for a course, but just to play. I started drawing a leaf. Then a petal. Then another. No plan, just pleasure.
That tiny moment gave me a way back in:
Redefining success
I’ve spent the last few years building things: courses, projects, a presence. I’m proud of all of it :) But right now, success looks different. It looks like:
Making something with no outcome.
Sitting on the floor with my daughter and doodling, without teaching her anything.
Very important for me personally, creating something for HER, by publishing it quickly on Amazon!
Letting the flowers tell me when it’s time to draw again, as poetic as it sounds :)
If you’re tired, I want to say this clearly: it’s not because you’re lazy or unmotivated. It’s because holding everything is heavy. And if you’ve lost your joy in creating then don’t worry. It’s not gone. It’s just buried under everything else you carry.
And here’s the real conclusion: diversify
Not your income streams (although yes, that too). I mean diversify how you create. Why you create. Who you create for.
Let some projects be for the market. Let others be just for your balcony. Some should nourish your bank account. Others, your nervous system.
When everything we make is tied to visibility, output, or income, our creative selves shrink under the weight of expectation. But when we allow ourselves to move between modes, professional, playful, private, then we stay whole.
So here’s to making space for the soft things. For drawing without publishing. For remembering that you’re more than your output.
Take care of your mental health,
Wera
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Why I stopped waiting for publishers and started creating for myself
The publishing industry is tough... For all its magic and promise of bringing stories to life, it’s a field where artists and illustrators often find themselves struggling. I know this firsthand. I have illustrated books that never paid me a cent. Yes, two books - weeks of work, only to walk away empty-handed. I am still waiting for the payment…
Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Over 40,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)
👉 Website
👉 Courses
👉 YouTube
👉 FB group for illustrators and FB group for pattern designers
👉 Etsy
👉 Books on Amazon.com and Amazon.de
Relatable...even when my kids are much much older! I try very hard to make sure I "work" during my working hours, whatever those need to be on that particular day. And I switch modes to my own art goals or learning goals in my off-hours. If I don't make myself do that, I would work towards "work goals" every time I opened my iPad. Today, my downtime is actually learning Designer!
Hi. There’s a company in the U.S.:
Littlecocalico.com
They print art like yours on many types of fabric and now they produce custom wallpaper too. They produce it for the designers, advertise for the designers (introducing them online) and also sell the products.
I think your floral art would be beautiful on fabric or other design elements.