When Creativity Stops Feeling Fun
There’s something really heavy about realizing that the thing that used to make you feel free now feels like another task on your to-do list. I’ve been in that space lately, sitting at my desk, trying to force inspiration that just doesn’t want to show up. I’ll scroll through my feed, look at what’s trending, and think, maybe if I try that, it’ll click again. But it never does.
Somewhere between trying to grow my audience and trying to keep up, I started building from obligation instead of joy. I stopped creating because I loved it and started creating because I thought I had to. It became about timing, posting schedules, and figuring out what would perform best. The work looked good, but it didn’t feel like me anymore.
When creativity stops feeling fun, it’s easy to turn on yourself. You start to wonder if you’ve lost your touch, if maybe you’ve run out of ideas, or if you’re just tired. And sometimes, it’s all three. I’ve caught myself in a loop of self-criticism, scrolling back through old work like, where did that version of me go?
But lately, I’ve been remembering what actually fills me up. I feel most creative when I’m helping people. When I’m making something that solves a problem or makes someone’s day lighter. That’s when my creativity feels purposeful again. It’s not about perfection or performance. It’s about connection.
The truth is, creativity loses its spark when we start chasing everything except what feeds us. The algorithms, the aesthetics, the pressure to “stay relevant.” It all gets loud. But the moment you turn down the noise and come back to what you enjoy, things shift.
If you’re in that space right now, I want you to know it’s okay. You’re not broken. You’re just burnt out from trying to make art fit inside a formula. Step back. Do something that reminds you what it feels like to create freely. Paint badly. Write messily. Record something with no plan. You don’t need it to go viral. You just need it to feel good again.
Because when the work feels good, the results always follow. And even if they don’t right away, at least you’ll know you built something real. Something that sounds, looks, and feels like you.
That’s the kind of creativity worth chasing.
