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How do you maintain personal creativity while being an artist in a professional setting?

Most artists experience burn and neglect their own personal creative ventures, but this is not always the case. How do you find balance?

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Adriana’s Answer

Balancing Personal Creativity in a Professional Setting

Set Boundaries: Reserve special times just for your personal projects. This will keep your creativity thriving!

Stay Inspired: Check out galleries, dive into books, and explore new places to spark your imagination.

Connect with Others: Team up with other artists to see things in a new light and stay motivated.

Self-Care: Take breaks, practice mindfulness, and stick to a healthy routine to keep stress away.

Be Genuine: Welcome challenges and see them as chances to grow.

Remember, it's all about finding the right balance and making time for what truly excites you. Keep creating and stay passionate!
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Kelly’s Answer

I've definitely experienced this before. There's been times where I feel creatively burned out after just doing client work and assignments all week, and I'm out of energy to draw for fun. However, I've found it's easier to regain that creativity and energy when I'm AWAY from my desk. A mentor of mine described the strategy as "going on a date with yourself," where you take a day away from work to try something new, spend time on hobbies, or revisit things that fired you up in the past. And for me, this is helped by having a very quick-moving train of thought.
Another way to combat this is to weave your personal inspirations into your assignments. This made doing college work a lot more fun, or at least more bearable. (Example: while in my senior year, I made this fancharacter based on a series of games I like. Seeing as I had so many responsibilities that year, it was hard to find time to dedicate to her development while trying to finish all my homework. BUT I ended up being able to do both by making her the subject of a few story art assignments! And I ended up with a few portfolio pieces that I'm quite proud of.)
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Christopher’s Answer

When your in a professional setting, you follow directions, a script, a storyboard, etc, and you try to utilize your own creativity based on the directions. Be prepared for many revisions given by bosses or clients. They are paying for a service after all and you want to get payed.

If you want full creative control, than do personal projects if your not already exhausted from work.
If you freelance on your own, some clients will give you full creative control if they like your style.
It may even happen in a professional setting if your studio really likes your style.

But the bottom line is...never stop creating, even if your outside of work. It'll lead you to many opportunities.
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Jessica’s Answer

Hi Geneva,

I completely agree with everything Adriana said—especially about the importance of setting boundaries. Strong boundaries are essential for protecting yourself from burnout. Early in my career, I struggled with this and often found myself staying late to finish projects. It left me drained and burnt out by the end of the day.

Things really shifted when I drew a firm line: I stopped working past 5 p.m. and started being honest with my leader about what I could realistically take on. That simple change made a big difference. I felt less overwhelmed and, as a result, I had more energy and creativity outside of work. I was able to enjoy personal design and craft projects with friends, and even take on some freelance work.
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