Dealing with feeling overwhelmed.

First things first, it’s been a while! No matter when you’re reading this you’ll see that there’s a big gap in my blog posts and that’s mainly because I’ve had a lot of things going on in my life. In the past year I got a job as a Lecturer teaching Concept Art, I moved literally 100 miles away from home into my own place, and then moved again into a new house! So it’s been a little bit crazy, and definitely had some weird effects on my mindset, something which I thought would be good to kick start my blog posts again. So here’s some lessons I’ve learned whilst dealing with some big changes in my life….

Don’t Hold on Too Tight

I think a lot of us have a vision of our future, most of us have our own dreams or goals and usually seem to have some idea or some kind of plan for how we are going to get there. Often though, things change, our lives take a bit of a different direction and it’s easy to feel like we are getting off track. I recently watched PIXAR’s Soul, and it’s unreal how much that film resonates with not just myself but a lot of creatives that I know. It essentially shows that tirelessly working towards and eventually achieving your dream doesn’t actually change anything, it’s the experiences themselves that make your life so fulfilling. So remind yourself that it might not be that your life is going in the wrong direction, it might just be going in a different one, possibly even a better one.

Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Switching from being a full time freelancer to being in full time employment has been a huge shift for a start, it’s been quite tough knowing that I can’t just go for a walk if I’m not feeling it or switch up my working days if I need a bit of a breather between projects. I’m completely self taught as a Concept Artist, so as you can imagine the thought of teaching people Concept Art filled me with the fear that I’m not good enough, something that I still struggle with now, even though I’ve worked on a freelance basis in the entertainment industry for over 7 years and have been featured in magazines etc. I never seem to really take all of that in. 

It’s useful to remember though that Imposter Syndrome is normal, it happens, but the most important thing is to pull yourself back out of those thoughts and use your achievements and progress to remind yourself that you are good enough. It’s also really helpful to think about all of the hurdles you’ve had to get through to get in the position you’re in now. Ask yourself, could all of those people who’ve trusted you or given you a chance be wrong? If you’re really struggling, take some time to look back through all of your old work, it can be one of the best reminders that what you do is not just awesome, but it’s also inspiring, and you’ll likely end up inspiring yourself.

Fear in itself can also actually be a really good sign, I’m sure I’ve written about this in the past, but if you’re taking steps in a new direction and trying new things that scare you, the fear itself is a good indicator that that’s the path you want to travel down. Fear of failure can often have a big impact too, however, without failing you won’t learn and it’s extremely unlikely people will laugh at you for failing, they’re more likely to be inspired by your efforts.

Feeling Lost

Another issue that I’ve struggled with quite a lot is my identity, which I never thought I’d say, but I’ve definitely had a problem with attaching myself to my work too much, so I’ve spent the last year wondering ‘Am I no longer a Concept Artist? Am I just a Lecturer now?’. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s just that personally, my main passion is in Concept Art, that’s what I really want to master, and that’s a big part of what enables me to become a better educator in my particular field, plus, I can be both! One of my followers sent me a message on Instagram about 18 months ago and mentioned how he enjoyed how prolific I was with my work, something I was really proud of because I was quite organised with my content creation, an element that I’ve not been so great at since I started lecturing, as I’ve found it difficult to balance my new schedule.

It is easy to beat yourself up when you feel like you’re having a bit of a dip in your productivity, especially if you’re like most creatives who work on personal projects in their own time, but sometimes it’s good to take a step back and look at the big picture. Are you really being unproductive or are there just other things going on in life? Are there new things in occupying your time that are actually adding to your life? Your self worth is not tied to your productivity or the success of your work, there’s more to you. 

These down times can also be a really good time to actually find yourself again, it’s normal to feel a bit lost sometimes, especially when you are levelling up in your life. Your life is changing, your goals are changing, you as a person are changing, and sometimes you just need to take a moment to really catch your head and self awareness up to all of that. Don’t underestimate the significance of regularly re-evaluating where you are in life, who you are and where you want to be, that includes all aspects of you and your life, not just your work.

Just Keep Swimming

The most powerful concept to recognize when you’re going through a bit of a sluggish patch though is that it’s okay, it’s okay to not feel motivated sometimes, it’s okay to feel a bit stuck or be out of ideas and it’s okay to just not know,  just keep showing up. As long as you’re still putting in effort, even if you’re taking the smallest steps, you’re still making progress and moving forward. In my opinion, breaks and switching off are part of moving forward too, we all need time to rest and recharge, not to mention to have a bit of fun and inspire ourselves again. Speaking from experience, if all you do and think about is work, you will run out of things to bring to your work and lose the passion for it, so make sure you relax and soak up the enjoyment you get from other areas of your life too!

Appreciate The Adventure

I know that this is one of those sorts of sayings that gets mentioned a lot ‘Appreciate the journey, not the destination’ but I think it’s true now more than ever. After over a year of us all mainly being stuck inside, I think it’s taught us that the most important things are the little things. It’s okay for life to be slow sometimes, it won’t always be, but when it is, we can just sit with it and enjoy the ride. If you’ve ever seen interviews with older people, one of their biggest regrets is nearly always that they wish they’d worked less and enjoyed life more. So it’s time to stop taking yourself so seriously, practice that positive mental attitude and enjoy how awesome your life really is.

Sorry that this has been of a long one, but it’s been a while and I thought these were some useful thoughts worth sharing, even if it helps just one person! I’m planning on posting on here more regularly again, so if you have anything you’d like me to expand on or share then please let me know!