I'm really glad
There comes a time in everyone’s career where you start to fizzle out on feeling motivated. Lately, this burnout has been showing up all over the place when we’re talking about social media. You feel a little lost seeing all the new things dropping on every ap. As a creative small business owner, that pressure can feel all consuming thanks to countless streams of content (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, yup…looking at you) at our fingertips.
Feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated by trends, updates, algorithm changes, learning new features, all of this can flush your passion and production right down the toilet. We’re talking everything from posting on your social channels to creating new products or services right down to your daily tasks of work. This downward spiral is a real thing, my friend. And it can also be real energy sucking. It’ll zap your confidence and creativity in one fell swoop. And forget about generating inspiration? WHAT inspiration?
This is where you just may think to yourself, “I wonder what Susie the Entrepreneur is up to over on her Instagram…lemme just pop over there real quick to take a peek.”
Before you do…slow your roll.
When we are intentionally looking at what other people are doing to generate ideas for our own content, we are purposely ignoring what our OWN audience is telling us. It’s like sticking your fingers in your ears when your audience speaks to you, while using a magnifying glass to check out what other people in your field are doing instead.
How crappy is that? You’ve got a bunch of folks who are showing up for you who are interested in what you’ve got to say. They are probably giving you valuable input into what they would like to see more of, too! But instead interacting with those people, the people who do really care about what it is you’re doing….you walk right on by them to pursue something that you think is more important.
How rude.
Other side effects can include: silencing your own creativity, producing the same content over and over again which makes for a boring social scroll for your audience, increased comparison trap feels which can be totally paralyzing, and plain old copying which can lead to bigger problems like potential copyright infringement.
Yikes.
We can fix this situation so you can better serve the audience who is already showing up for you. We’re going to create fresh content that speaks to the heart and soul of what you and your business represent instead of bogging down the internet with a slightly different take of the same old same old.
Cringe with me here. Come on, embrace it!
We’re gonna fill up that creativity tank of yours and have you back on course with 3 steps and real examples to get you going. You can do this.
So…is it too cheesy to say start your engine?
Too late!
Start your engine, entrepreneur. Let’s do the damn thing.
Step 1: Head to your main social media platforms that you use. Take a look at who is following you.
Clean out any bot profiles. Reducing the amount of fake accounts that follow you will actually help other people who are real humans see your content.
The good stuff you’re working really hard to produce gets buried when you push it out to fake accounts. Set a timer for 20 minutes to clear ‘em all out over a few days, or take a full chunk of time to get them done (this might take hours so choose wisely). This is so. incredibly. important. If you are worried about losing a number count behind your name, pause.
That number does not matter.
What matters, is that if you are working your ass off to make things for other people to see, and your audience is NOT SEEING IT. Who cares if you have thousands of followers if they aren’t real people or fake accounts? If none of them can see what you’re doing, that number is completely pointless. If you want people to see what sets your soul on fire, you need to do this.
The first time I did this was in 2020. And it led to me creating 30 posts on Instagram of black and white boudoir content that I really wanted to share with my audience. The message behind this series is a huge cornerstone of who I am, the women I work with, and the change I am actively fueling in the boudoir industry.
Long story short, this matters a lot to me…and I really want other women to see it.
By doing this, I was able to create more room for visibility for a project that I deeply cared about. And if this wasn’t for some members of my audience, they left. Which is good because if my content isn’t serving someone, I want them to honor that feeling, set that boundary, and carry on enjoying other content that DOES.
I am not for everyone, and neither are you. Don’t worry about that number. Worry about reaching people who you ARE for instead.
Next up, head to the list of folks YOU are following. You’ve got some work to do.
If you are anything like me, you have had your social media accounts for a decade. Over that time, there have been things that change. My career, goals, life circumstances, and where I live have all changed substantially. The Instagram account I have started off as a personal account (complete with filtered photos of homemade pizza and my wedding rings) and switched to my business account when I opened KSP.
There were plenty of hidden accounts that I was still following that had retired from their craft, stopped posting, closed their business, or weren’t creating content that was for me anymore. I had no idea because none of them were coming up on my feed.
Yikes.
Recently I cleared out about 1,000 accounts on Instagram and my personal Facebook that fit into one or more of those categories in a few days time. Now my feeds are alive again with friends, family, different creators, active small businesses, and clients who have turned into life long friends. Those are the voices I want to hear!
I want to see photos of my friends kids, your anniversary posts, your big course launches, work you are proud of, and causes that matter! What I don’t want to see are ads, generic hashtags, and big box store posts. All of those people I did want to hear from were being silenced by my lack of curation.
Don’t ignore this step! If you do, you are essentially feeding an algorithm data that says, “yup, I want to keep seeing the stuff that is already on my feed”. This means even MORE of that kind of content will show up for you. If you don’t remove what you don’t, it won’t magically disappear. It’ll essentially multiply and become more of a problem.
Bonus tip: If you head to Instagram, you can see the accounts you interact with the least. If they are still accounts you want to follow, engage with them! If not, it is okay to unfollow or mute those accounts if you need a break from their content for your own reasons.
A few days ago, I pitched the question on my own Instagram account: “What brings you to Instagram?” and the responses were pretty dang diverse. Photos, connection with friends and family, activism, memes, stories of business owners, food, travel, decor, and so much more. To that I say, “heck yes! Curate MORE of THAT in your own feed!” Things like this, the things you care about, can be curated. You just have to work to make sure those things show up by clearing out space for them to show up.
Another way you can do this is by interacting and engaging with those things you like. Like, share, save, and comment on posts of those people. Bring back that sense of community to your space by having meaningful interactions with those you care about.
Every single exchange we have on social media is a form of expending energy. If you are putting energy into things that are constantly taking energy from you (like comparing yourself to someone else’s highlight reel and CONSTANTLY feeling paralyzed by comparison), a break is totally okay.
My fellow empaths, worriers, people pleasers and recovering people pleasers, I see you. If you are worried about hurting someone’s feelings by unfollowing them, exercise using the mute button. Setting a boundary with media consumption is healthy for a myriad of reasons. It may just give you the space you need to work through those heavy feelings of constant comparison.
Why this is going to help your creativity: As a brand new photographer, one of the things I started doing early on in my career was try to find other photographers to follow on Instagram. It felt inspiring at first. But remember, this was a DECADE ago. Since then, Instagram in particular has absolutely exploded with not only photographers, but educational materials for photographers, presets, marketing, etc.
After a while, it became clear that the majority of things on my feed were about photography. Other photographers work. Education for photographers. Posing for photographers. And on and on and on.
All of that content may be wonderful for their clients or the people they are serving, but for me as a photographer, I had to analyze the situation carefully. I have my own style, my own voice, my own way of doing things. The inspiration I needed, didn’t need to come from others work. Here’s why:
My goal as a photographer (even wayyyy back when I first started) and educator is to do what I do in a unique way that is true to my business. When my feed was bogged down with how others in my field do it, subconsciously, their content will be running as background noise while I’m creating my work. Allowing too many of the same industry creative voices will provide influence.
No one is immune from that. If you tailor your space to see and hear less of what other people in your field are doing and how they are doing it, you will be creating more space for your unique voice and ideas to shine through even if someone else has done it before. More than likely, an idea that you or I have had, is already floating around out there. But…they are a different voice born from a different experience. That experience is key. Hang tight for more on that later!
Does this mean you should stop cheering people on in your industry or lifting them up? Absolutely not! I will sing the praises of my fellow photogs every day. What this DOES mean, is that I am purposely more intentional in my support. A passive, “like” or follow on social may or may not serve them to the best of my ability.
So, instead, I focus on creating intentional time to actually talk with my pals and peers, share their content or offerings, and refer them regularly. I am genuine in my support, and I encourage you to do the same by cultivating those genuine friendships instead of fly by double tap. Set aside a portion of social media time to love on your friends in the industry to show ’em some love. That kind of intentional interaction is so dang good, and will lead to true good vibes all around.
Step 2: Get off the ap
Get back into the real world and start seeking out stuff to fill up your creativity tank.
Before you open up Pinterest for inspiration, pump the breaks. I said the real world! And ya’ll know that a lot of what is on Pinterest that is supposed to be inspiration, can feel a whole lot like yet another comparison trap.
Instead, try this. Make a list of other industries (not your own) and interests that fascinate you.
Landscaping? Dog grooming? Glass blowing? Pro organizers like Marie Kondo? Fashion? Murder podcasts (shout out to my favorite Bailey Sarian for covering murder AND makeup)? What books do you want to read that you feel like you haven’t had time for? Hobbies you wish you could pick up?
The goal is to start opening up your mind to things that you think are interesting, and start actually doing them without judgement. Write it alllll down on a piece of paper or stick it in a Google Doc to refer back to. Hit up the library, audible, good reads, or book store and get your hands on materials about those things that interest you.
This summer, I took about a month off for a sabbatical like I do almost every year. My goal this round was to dig into some of my other interests that had absolutely nothing to do with my career. Can you guess what happened?
All of those things I dug into (herbalism, continuing education for my substance abuse counselor licence, finding the solution to the perfect blow-out, and learning more about Shintoism) inspired fresh ideas for my job as a photographer.
That happened because I gave myself space to be Kate, not Kate the image producing photographer for other people. Simply space for the person I am under that title to come through again. And let me tell you, I had really missed her. That version of myself is the version who I love the most. That is the version of myself who is creative AF. The version of myself that creates from a place of abundance, joy, adventure, hope, and wonder.
During that time off, the idea for this blog post was spun from walking through the streets of Ropongi. I was photographing things that I simply love about living in the country of Japan. Those photos inspired an idea to create customized stock imagery for business owners. The next week, I put pen to paper in a coffee shop listening to the rain fall sipping a latte with the cutest latte art I have ever seen. Seeing someone else’s craft inspired to share this point with you:
Something that has nothing to do with YOUR job, can uncover ideas just waiting to be discovered of your own.
But, the best part of this process, is that it will help uncover you again.
Remember when I said no one is immune from being influenced by the content they consume? This is where I’m circling back. The experience your ideas flow from is what can give the idea its own unique flavor. That is the key right there.
There are tons of stock imagery options. Tons of blogs on how to be more creative. Even more photographers just like me who are pumping out content to help other entrepreneurs. But where I draw that inspiration from will ultimately produce a different result. A different voice.
The same is true for you. Those experiences of life and other interests are where those ideas came from, not a google search or a scroll through Instagram. Why replicate something when you can tune into your life to find true inspiration? That is a MUCH more sustainable way to continue to create new things!
Why this will help your creativity: When you purposefully open up your mind to something other than work related content, you are given the greatest gift. Your brain can unwind and focus on something new without the pressure to produce. Eventually, you will find something that ties itself back to your field, but it’ll be a sneaky lesson that sparks a new idea. If you think you need to consume your craft all day every day, my friend, go back and read the paragraphs above for a second time. You need time away from it to generate new ideas.
Leverage your life by drawing from your own personal experiences instead of using “work material” to inspire you.
Step Three: Make Time To Learn…and Fail
You need time dedicated away from your craft. Yes. Like, actual time spent doing something else and not thinking about your work. Not just 10 minutes for a quick podcast. More like 60 minutes a day…and you gotta dedicate this time to growth that includes failure.
This is so important to avoid not only creative fatigue, but full blown burnout. Think of this as your personal self care that is mandatory to do your job (ahem, sticking to those business hours will also REALLY help you out here).
Building this kind of activity into your schedule is what will make this successful. Set time aside each day, each week, for an hour to intentionally do that thing that has zero to do with your craft. Put it in your calendar and commit to it for a month. Don’t quit on this one even if you feel like you’re failing at it.
Okay, cool. But what the heck do I mean about that failure piece? Let me give you an example.
Every Monday, I have a Japanese lesson. I head to my very kind and patient teacher’s house. The amount of mistakes I make are staggering, and it is really freaking hard. But, after my lesson, my head feels more clear…and I can run errands and communicate with people out and about much easier both in Japanese and English. I can even tackle things that being diagnosed with ADHD make more difficult to achieve.
I’ve been stumbling along for two years, but I refuse to quit. On a personal level, I hope that I can communicate better to be more respectful to the very kind people I interact with in Japan.
In pursuing that goal, I have also recognized how learning a new language has spilled over into my ability to problem solve, slow down, and recognize patterns. My overworked brain has no choice but to try to communicate in that moment, even if I’m not doing it exactly right. Because I’ve got my time every day built in to learn (and fail), I have the ability to continue learning without feeling defeated by mistakes.
Why this will help your creativity: It is really easy to throw in the towel when it comes to generating new ideas. What’s wrong with the same thing you’ve been doing? Why isn’t that enough? Why do we have to keep changing things? Why do we have to keep learning something new?
There’s a time and a place for coasting. For implementing your hard hitting ideas that have worked over and over again. And then there is a time to let that creativity unfurl and run wild. If you don’t give yourself the space and permission for an hour a day to be “new” at something (and ultimately make a bunch of mistakes), you will never feel comfortable expanding into new depths for your business.
I can promise you, if you don’t build that time into your schedule to feel free for yourself, you will feel trapped by the expectations of others. You have to give yourself the ability to figure out solutions to failures. It will make you pursue problems in a whole new light.
With each stumble, a success of some sort will emerge. That will flow directly into your work. You will become a more resilient person who can bounce back from things like algorithm changes, lack of creativity, and difficult client interactions just to name a few.
You will get tougher. Less will upset you. You will start to accept that failure is part of growth.
You’ll look for more solutions to problems, and because of that, you complain less. Because you will start to realize…if something doesn’t work out perfectly, you can still continue on without quitting.
You learn how to persevere when it feels like everything sucks.
You learn to look for the light, for pockets of inspiration, glimmers of creativity, even when it is really, really, really hard.
After ten years owning a business, I have woken up feeling completely defeated and drained more than a time or two. I have totally sat in my car after a session feeling like nothing I did was unique or good enough. That version of myself can throw a damn good pity party complete with a Paramore and Dashboard Confessional soundtrack singing with the windows rolled down all the way home.
After a few rounds of, “Ain’t it Fun” at the top of my lungs (you know exactly what I mean), I remember, I have gotten through so much in those ten years. Every single time I have felt supremely average and uninteresting as a photographer, I remember that I always have a way back to creativity. I always have a way back to the version of myself that can create again from those places of unbridled creativity.
And so can you.
If you’re in a creative rut right now, this is the roadmap back to your most creative version of yourself. When you find yourself again (which you absolutely will), do me a favor, and hand this off to someone else who is feeling lost, will ya? Those directions could be exactly what another entrepreneur needs to read today.
