By Emily Bradley
With high levels of burnout and fear of burnout across the industry, one creative head of operations takes a closer look at the growing threat it poses in the industry.
Google Trends data shows burnout is on the ride with searches for words like "Burnout Symptoms" up 19% from the same time 3 years ago and 9% from the same time this year
Creative burnout is only going to get worse as work-life separation gets harder due to the nature of creative jobs
Head of Business Operations at a creative agency shares how to identify and treat creative burnout.
The creative sector has seen massive growth in the past few years, but unfortunately, we see increasing burnout rates. A recent study from The Chartered Institute of Marketing has found that 56% of people in the marketing industry have feared the risk of burnout in their careers. Amongst content creators, the percentage is even higher, with a new survey published by Martech Edge, originally carried out by Awin and ShareASale, showing that 73% of respondents in the survey experience burnout at least occasionally.
“Creative burnout is becoming more prevalent as more people are working in the creative sector more than ever before,” says Emily Bradley, head of operations for Fatjoe. “One of the main reasons for this burnout is that, as creative individuals, there’s a difficulty in ‘switching off.’ There’s a strong overlap between personal and professional creativity that can make it harder to maintain a good work-life balance.”
"Unlike other professions, the creative field is highly volatile, requiring individuals to consistently produce new, original content, often in response to rapidly changing trends. The need to stay on top of shifting consumer preferences, algorithms, and digital platforms can create a never-ending cycle of pressure. If you couple this with increased screen time, working from home and the fact that some people have creative side hustles, you conclude that burnout is inevitable unless something changes"
In order to help creatives and leaders identify and tackle burnout, Emily Bradley has outlined the main signs of creative burnout and how to tackle them:
Signs Of Burnout Creatives:
Commonly feeling fatigued: If you feel like you’re frequently exhausted, even after resting, this could be a key sign.
Worsening performance at work: Having trouble completing tasks you have done before and decreasing productivity.
Emotional detachment: A feeling of disconnection from the work you do and the team you’re in, and increased cynicism.
Increased irritability: Experiencing more emotional reactions to minor issues or constant frustration.
Health issues: Many common issues, like headaches, muscle pain, trouble sleeping, and changes in appetite could be a sign of the stress leading up to burnout.
“There are a lot of lingering resentments that can build up over time when you’re working as a creative. Paired with the pressure of having to continuously innovate and perform, it’s a lot,” says Bradley. “The most important thing is to catch it early, which is why we’ve also looked at ways of identifying burnout.”
Ways To Avoid Burnout:
Set clear boundaries: Establish a better work-life balance by ensuring you have a set start and end time for work, including regular breaks.
Prioritising self-care: Taking time for yourself, your hobbies, exercise, and other ways to relax.
Take time offline: A lot of creatives and marketers could refresh by ensuring they don’t spend all day at their screens.
Connect with others: Fostering connections with people both inside and outside your workplace can help greatly.
Address your stressors: Advocate for yourself at work and speak up if you feel unfair demands or pressures are being put on you.
“Noticing and mitigating burnout shouldn’t just be the responsibility of the workers. Leaders need to recognize and act on this growing threat,” concludes Bradley. “Take a proactive approach to workload issues. Touch base with your team to hear their difficulties directly. Be empathetic to their challenges, rather than simply seeing them as an obstacle.”
Data Sources: Google Trends
Emily Bradley has been the head of business operations at Fatjoe for over 11 years now, helping grow the agency to one of the biggest in the UK and US. She works with, hires and supports creative people all day and as a creative herself she knows the struggles of creative burnout and how to tackle them.
FatJoe is one of the world’s largest white-label SEO platforms, offering link-building, digital PR, SEO services, content creation services, and more. With an extensive team of experts, they have worked with brands across all manner of industries and niches, as well as marketing agencies, to help them reach their digital goals.
