First aid for burnout

Burnout: No one's really safe from its mighty clutches. The trick is knowing how to pry yourself free. Recently, Insight Contributor, Tiffany Meyers caught up with a group of celebrated photographers to see how they keep their creative energy as sky-high as their ambitions. What does it look like when they're creatively sapped? Do they get frustrated? Or Zen? And what do they do to kick bouts of burnout to the curb?

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I don't view being low on creative energy as burnout. I see it as a time to honor. I think those interludes are necessary. For my part, I have a long list of personal projects that I pursue when I'm not shooting commercially.

*To me, creativity isn't a matter of being either "blocked" or "in the groove." It's a single flow of ideas that pulses with life. So I don't put labels on where I am in the process--like blocked or unblocked. Depending on how I feel, I'll work or I won't. Is that Zen? Not sure. But it's an honest approach that seems to work for me.

I'm seldom low on energy. When I am, I have ways around it. I go on motorcycle trips with my camera, one lens and some film. I take photo workshops. I share work and ideas with several of my fine artist friends. I avoid looking at other "commercial" photographers' work. It's inhibiting. Instead, I read, look at paintings and immerse myself in non-commercial forms of photography.

My advice to other photographers: Don't overanalyze. Don't overthink. You'll talk yourself out of the best ideas if you do. Instead, be open-minded. Go on a trip, far away, and immerse yourself in other peoples' lives. Do something you haven't done. Get lost. Take the wrong turn. And do it with your camera in hand.

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For me, "burnout" is actually a call to create. It means that I've hit a personal ceiling and it's time to shake up my approach. When I recognize that I'm burnt out, it's usually because I'm not doing enough.

* I do get frustrated when it comes on, but that's not a bad thing. If I didn't feel frustration now and then, I wouldn't be driven to keep creating. I communicate the experience of life through photography. So even if I'm frustrated, it becomes an honest exploration in my photography.

There are two strains in me. One part thrives when I'm very busy--pushing my career and personal projects to the max. The other part absolutely has to unplug in order to keep moving in the right direction. When I'm creatively sapped, I retreat a little.

I look at nature. I sit on the beach or drive one of my old cars. I have elderly parents who need care. I also have other creative outlets, like writing, and working in new mediums. So I distract myself, exploring things that don't revolve around my business and photography.

These outside interests keep me motivated and fulfilled. It gives me a feeling of freedom from the burdens of life. And it gives me the opportunity to let go and ultimately reenergize.

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When my creativity starts waning, it's only obvious to the people who are closest to me. It's more of an emotional exhaustion than a physical one, and I have been known to get frustrated. I'm also a fair-skinned ginger, so I may get a bit red as well. Thankfully, these bouts come few and far between.

* I like to keep busy. It keeps my toes tingling. And I've built a workspace at Westside Studio that's conducive to my creativity. I eat, work and sometimes sleep in my studio--shooting day and night. When I shoot personal work, it gets my blood pumping again. I give myself no boundaries artistically, which sometimes means that my ideas don't pan out. But when things do click, not only have I recovered from burnout, but I've got a cool new image.

I work long hours. But the odd day I take off, I can be found scrounging for inspiration in shops, from high-end boutiques to flea markets, or driving in my Oldsmobile with my old lady. Some time off is always necessary.

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One of the most important things I do to keep my creativity energy high is to shoot different things in different ways. Years ago, I was incredibly lucky to work with Nissan, an account that put me in unpredictable situations. Most of the time, I had no way to prepare for the shoot, because no one knew exactly what was going to happen.

* One day, I'd be on a dirt track with motorcycles jumping over my head. Next, I'd be on stage, shooting music icons like Iggy Pop, Santana, Buddy Guy and Velvet Revolver. I've taken photographs while hanging out of a 1950's Vietnam-era helicopter, and from the back of a snowmobile in Aspen, following a Titan up the slopes.

Images that found their way onto posters or national ads were captured in a frenzy of wonderful chaos. Today, I look for experiences outside of my comfort zone. Because that was one of my most creative periods.

The process of solving problems on the fly kept me creatively awake. And I was having fun. I suppose I suffer from creative burnout when I'm no longer having fun. That's what being creative is all about, right?

* Kirk Saylin headshot by: Tara Saylin

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When I'm blocked, I get cranky like I've lost something and can't find it. I become convinced I'll find it if I just keep looking. This usually frustrates me, and I exhause myself. But that's when I find the calm--no, make that surrender--that brings me back to the basics of ideation. Being of service to the process and not the product.

* I also turn to painting and literature. I look at older photography. And it's good to get rested, which frankly is counterintuitive because I think like a pile-driver when I'm nervous. But experience shows that when I make room for ideas to come on their own, they do.

The worst thing I can do is look at other photographers' work. I start comparing what I'm doing--which, at that creatively blocked moment, is nothing--with what they're doing, which appears to be everything. I start guessing what the gatekeepers of the photography world are thinking.

Thing is, that's really dangerous, because it becomes about trying to place myself where I think I'm supposed to be. I recognize that I need to be true to my own process and faithful to what's exciting to me.

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I don't really get burnout from shooting, not for long periods of time at least. I do two different types of work--lifestyle and still life. That variety keeps burnout or boredom at bay. The challenging moments I do experience come during shoots, when I can have creative blocks. If a shoot goes on for too many days, I can start to burn out on ideas.

* But I just work through it. I find some source to move forward, whether that's a camera angle I can always count on or a little humor with the crew. Whatever it takes to stop thinking about what I have to do--and just do it. I stay focused on the big picture and, most important, I don't bring the job home.

One more thing: In the last several years, I've surrounded myself with friends who aren't in the business. Before, everyone I knew was in the industry. I think I like it better this way. No one knows much about what I do, so I'm allowed to take that hat off for a while and rest.

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When I feel a sense of being burnt, things just don't flow the way they should. Something seems off. I'm never really out of ideas. But when I'm burnt out, I'm out of good ideas. When that sense of mental exhaustion kicks in, I revitalize myself physically.

* I'll play soccer or bike along the Hudson. But sometimes, it's a matter of stepping out my front door. I gather a lot of creative energy from everyday conversations, the energy of New York and the exchange of ideas with my peers.

I also need "creative vacation" days. Maybe I'll just lie in Prospect Park with my love for hours. Maybe I'll walk in the park or see a movie that makes me laugh. In our industry, we have to constantly reinvent ourselves. If we don't take time to clear our minds, we'll stay on a flat creative plane. I need curves and dips and dashes, not a straight line.