Practical Advice for Creatives Feeling Overwhelmed

Today's creative job market

Today’s job market is a difficult beast, especially for those who work in creative fields. Acting, writing, filmmaking, crafts, gaming, and design have all succumbed to contractual insecurity. Many creatives work freelance on short-term contracts, run their own businesses, or have to juggle other roles to pursue their creative ambitions.

Working with creatives has taught me one thing: as creatives, we need to be resilient and open to options that allow us to pursue our dreams. Enter the concept of the portfolio career, where people don’t have one job but a selection, requiring a lot of plate-spinning and constant evaluation. I often ask myself the same questions I ask during sessions: What’s working for me now? What needs to be done to pursue my creative dreams? How can I feel more secure in all aspects of my life?

I have worked with clients who come to me feeling totally overwhelmed by the constant need to spin plates—balancing financial commitments, one-off projects, work–life balance, and feelings that they are not good enough at what they do, etc. The list goes on. Think of an actor who has a mortgage, is waiting tables between jobs, and is constantly having to record audition reels at short notice, all while trying to manage other aspects of life outside work. It sounds exhausting just writing this, but this is a reality for many creatives.

Practical ways to to reduce feeling overwhelmed

There are various strategies to cope with feeling overwhelmed. Pausing is a very good strategy, not reacting and going into panic mode can be prevented by a simple pause, sit down and take a breath. Remind yourself that you have been in this situation before and the overehiwlem will pass.

Another strategy is to write down the various causes of the overwhelming feeling, it helps to get them out of your head an down onto paper Don’t forget your friends or a spouse. Talking things through is also a good way to get clarity when you feel overwhelmed. This list is not exhaustive, you can also go for a walk, meditate, potter inn the garden all of which gives you a bit of time out to think things through and not react.

Prioritising spinning plates

When you are ready to return to thinking about all your spinning plates ask yourself questions like

What is the most important thing to address right now and whats the next? What is the most important thing right now may not be the most important next time around. Priorities shift and change. Use post it notes or large sheets of paper for example to help you think things through, prioritise and write notes. Score things in order of importance from 1-10 10 being the most important.

If there is a plate which one can you let drop and what would be the consequences? When we are overwhelmed we lose perceptive on the importance of certain tasks that may be left for a while or even let go. How many plates can one realistically spin.

Is there anyone that can support spin one plate when you are focused on another? Friends, family, or a professional can help during really busy times.

My journey

It’s not easy. When I started my business, I had a day job and the business was my side hustle. I took leave from my day job to travel for my side hustle. It almost killed me, and something had to give, so I sought a business coach to help me manage my spinning plates and work–life balance. Having time to talk things through with someone who listened and asked questions helped me slow down and gain clarity. What would make me feel confident enough to give up the day job? What options are there to minimise financial insecurity? What can I do if things don’t go to plan? What are my biggest fears?

I did eventually ditch the day job and started working full-time on my business. Of course, it wasn’t always straightforward. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs along the way, but now I have a better balance across all pillars of my life: financial stability, job satisfaction, personal life, health and wellbeing, and work–life balance. Of course, this is never set in stone, but after many years of ups and downs it has enabled me to become more resilient when things shift and change as they always do. Think of the enormous impact AI is having on the job market. It is a major disruptor affecting all aspects of our lives.

Resilience is something that is learned and practised. It isn’t like reading a book and answering questions; it is gained through experience and practice in the school of hard knocks. Be gentle with yourself when things don’t go to plan. Think about what went wrong and what you learned along the way. How able are you to spin plates compared to last year, or two years ago? What will you do differently next time?

I’ve lost count of how many times I have said to myself that I am going to give up when things have been tough. But it is exactly at that point where the real work happens, this is where coaching can really kick in by providing a space to think things through with someone outside of your work or family environment, to be vulnerable and discuss one’s fears, even cry if you feel upset. Coaching is a very powerful tool enabling the client to lead so it is very much your journey.

Above all be kind to yourself

Remember to be gentle with yourself, as creatives things can be hard and we are often our own worst critics, but take stock to reflect on your achievements to date and how far you have come. Think about how you have become more resilient. You might even be coasting so well with your creative endeavours that you are not sure which side hustle to ditch to spend more time creatively. The important thing to remember is that it’s easy to forget how far things have progressed, check back in with yourself to where you were a year ago and evaluate how much things have progressed and pat yourself on the back, self praise is no bad thing. In the UK it is often seen as bragging in other cultures not so. Be kind to yourself!