A Creative Burst – Finally.
It’s a quarter to one in the morning, and I find myself brimming with delightful agony. A creative burst. Finally – hence the delight. But Now? – the agony.
After what felt like an eternity, my creative dry spell seems to have mustered up the courage to conjure up a spark. Rudely, I might add, on the heels of my newly proclaimed sleep hygiene regime, which includes: going to bed early and no screen time after dinner. But alas, here I am struggling to close my laptop and declare the long awaited creative burst a wrap for today.
I’m reminded of a younger version of myself, my design school era Annie. She stayed up late a little too often finishing her assignments and fiddling with her projects until they were perfect. If I could go back and tell her to go to bed, I would. But nearly ten years later, and having undergone a few bouts of burnout along the way, I still find myself at the mercy of the midnight flow.
I'm Not the Only One
I know I’m not the only one. During my last agency job, I’d often meet my fellow designers in Figma, buzzing around until the wee hours. There was a quiet camaraderie that burgeoned in those files, as we each iterated, grooved, and polished our respective projects. In the morning, we’d emerge from our virtual sanctuaries, coffee-in-hand, glassy-eyed, and a rosy pride that softened the dark bags we brought with us to the office. The others would crowd around one of our desks, humming our praises and applauding us for a job well done. We’d pulled it off. Again. Just in time for that 10am presentation! On with the show!
Outside of the digital realm, I’ve often felt a noticeable call to paint late at night as well. My mind always tricks me into thinking it'll just be a few minutes, a well-deserved wind-down. But even without the blue light of a screen, my creative fire seems to ignite with curiosity after the sun goes down.
But What About Rest?
Tonight, as I draw closer and closer to bedtime, the gentle nudges from my wiser self remind me that rest is important – and that rest is required for creativity just as much as it is for productivity. I’m faced with the unavoidable reality: tomorrow might very well suck.
Was it worth it?
Tonight – I think yes. I needed this burst. I missed my creativity; the inspired (and soon-to-be-tired) artist within me had been waiting patiently to make. And so, it feels good to catch a glimpse of what she’d been secretly inside.
I will be tired tomorrow, there’s no doubt about it. But even balance requires imbalance. At least that’s what I tell myself.
When Do Your Sparks Fly?
So, to my fellow designers, artists, and creatives out there – when do your creative sparks tend to fly? Do you resist them or flow with them? And how do you avoid or dampen the effects of post-creative-burst self-combustion?
