Re-Fuelling Your Creativity When the Odds Are Against You

This June, I decided to do something I wished I had thought of before. I decided to curate a one-week Self Residency Programme just for myself. The objective: to have fun, to be silly, and to start creating my collection. I ended up starting my collection, but I also ended up with a much more profound realisation. What I didn't know I'd gain was a shift in perspective and a refocus that I had unknowingly needed for a long time.

What got me to this point? I have battled with burnout for a long time now. The average time to recover from burnout is one to two years. I wish somebody had told me!

Anyway, even though my work life had gotten a bit better (I currently work long-term bank shifts at a hospital near me), I realised my burnout also came from the lack of time to genuinely express my creativity in a specific direction.

I have always been creative, all my life, usually finding myself drawing, illustrating, or crafting. I am a multi-faceted artist. I have a natural talent that resides within many of us, but we choose to put it to one side. I would create separate pieces, but they never tied together to tell a story or make a statement.

I had always dreamed of being an artist full-time but never took the necessary risks and leaps to make it happen.

So what did I do after I realised I needed to channel my creativity without permission? I started The Artist's Way! I only had seven days, so I made sure I squeezed in a few Artist Dates, which included visiting galleries I had saved on Pinterest and in my Instagram Saves folder. I even went out and did some recording in public spaces, doing my best to put my thoughts on camera. I went to Sarah Muwunga – Tethered at CasildArt Gallery, the Hurvin Anderson Exhibition at Tate Britain, and the Christo Air Exhibition at Gagosian Gallery, and I left each one feeling truly fulfilled. I have video reviews on my Instagram of all the places I went to, but more importantly, what exactly was the fuel that I left with? I honestly came back with evidence of what I can become if I keep going in this direction.

I can't wait to say that I've been a doctor for ten years and then an artist and designer for thirty years. Their lives might not have looked like the textbook, cookie-cutter life we thought we wanted, but they are evidence of a life well lived despite circumstances and setbacks.

I may battle with burnout all my life, but what I don't want is to never have tried.

So, in conclusion, take that week, that day, that year, whatever time you can muster, to be silly and enjoy the short life we have. You might just find a new direction and a new compass for a life you didn't think you could have.

Till next time!