🎧 Listen to the podcast episode above, read the companion article below. ⬇️
The answer to this question seems simple: Creatives need to protect their creative energy.
But is it that simple? Really??
It sounds obvious, but it’s also the thing that gets compromised the most. When we don’t actively safeguard our time, focus, and mental clarity, our best ideas get smothered before they even have a chance to emerge.
In a busy life cluttered with work, domestic chores, family commitments and obligatons, financial burden and limited headspace, finding the time and energy to explore our deep creative potential might feel impossible.
So what does protecting creative energy actually look like?
1. Create Space for Deep Work
Great ideas don’t happen when we’re jumping between emails, social media, and endless bitty tasks. They need uninterrupted time to germinate—hours where we can fully immerse ourselves in thinking, experimenting, and making. Without enough clear space I can’t concentrate and my work suffers. Then I feel the guilt for not doing enough, and the shame for not trying hard enough. My God.
2. Guard Against Burnout
Creative energy isn’t infinite. It needs replenishing. That means knowing when to rest, when to switch gears, and when to step away. Pushing through exhaustion rarely leads to breakthrough work—it just leads to diminishing returns…and even getting ill. (This is my pattern tbh…) I have to watch carefully for the signs that I’m not taking enough breaks.
3. Curate Your Inputs
What we consume shapes what we create. Chat GPT said, “If we’re filling our minds with shallow, reactive content, that’s what will influence our work.”
Personally, I quite like shallow content from time to time. I mean, we need SOME fun, don’t we? I don’t see anything wrong with a bit of shallowness if it gets you through the day. (And a new series of MAFS Australia starts again soon and I’m gonna be GLUED). But I get the point.
Protecting creative energy means being selective—immersing ourselves in the kind of art, ideas, and conversations that truly fuel us.
4. Be Selective with Commitments
Not every opportunity is a good one. Some projects drain energy without offering much in return. Some collaborations pull us away from what we do best. Saying no isn’t about being aloof or arrogant; it’s about protecting the work that matters most.
5. Trust Your Own Voice
Comparison is the fastest way to kill creative energy. “The more we look sideways, the more we second-guess what we’re making,” said ChatGPT. And I get that, I suppose. I think protecting creativity means trusting our instincts, following our curiosity, finding what resonates and making the work that only we can make.
For me, this isn’t just theory—it’s something I have to actively try to work on. There’s always the pull of external noise, the temptation to fill every gap with productivity, the risk of overcommitting. But the best work doesn’t come from being busy; it comes from being fully present in the creative process, moment by moment.
So the next time you feel your energy slipping, ask yourself: What do I need to protect right now? The answer might just be the difference between making something great and never making it at all.
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