When nothing interesting happens

I complained once I had too much downtime. Funny.

There are times when you might be working on an exiting new project, you are leading it, trying new tools, full of ideas and life is good. But there are times when nothing interesting happens. Same Canva slides, same icon requests, a classic 'Can you export a different format?' and sometimes…a lot of downtime.

And life is…good?

I personally did not think it was. And I maybe felt a bit of disappointment when I had the greatest idea ever (at that time), perfect to fill up my downtime, but there was no budget, team availability or even scope, so it went nowhere.

I am grateful for all the line managers I have had along the way. But I had one in particular who cared deeply about our team's mental health. She always made sure our workload was not too crazy, pushed back deadlines, and even told us to take the rest of the day off when needed. We talked often about what we could do better, how we could improve our team's portfolio and projects to pick up internally.

Still, agency life is agency life. Sometimes, client work just doesn't align. And sometimes there was…nothing to do.

And I complained about it.

Her reply, as simple and honest as it was, sent me into a realisation coma. 'Read a book,' she said.

Wait, so I do not have to be this productivity machine all the time, working on bigger and better things? Can I just relax, enjoy creativity that might come from other places, and put my trust in those Canva slides?

Being a creative is not always fun, rewarding, and challenging, regardless of where you work. Maybe you work as a freelancer and just need the money. Maybe you are handling requests from non-creative teams all day. And it took me some time to come to terms with that.

So what changed for me?

I stopped measuring my creative worth based on what I was doing right now. If I really want to build up my confidence, I try to zoom out, think of all the projects I am proud of, the skills I gained, and be a bit more realistic about my expectations at work. Not even working at Disney can be that creatively groundbreaking all the time (Disney people, please do not correct me if I am wrong).

If you are a designer, then design that Canva slide as well as you can, even if you have done it a thousand times. Make that logo bigger, but store it where you know you should, and maybe clean up that drive folder while you're at it.

You have to be your own boss sometimes, even if you have one. You want to gain a new skill and actually apply it at work? Or design something you've had in mind for a while now? Do not wait for the right projects or opportunity to come, and definetly do not complain about having downtime (oops!). Ask for a course if needed, think of a side project you could do with the new skills that would benefit both you and the company you work for. I assure you, your manager will not complain about you being…more productive than expected?

And lastly, and most importantly, read a book :).

Go for a walk, learn how to draw, watch a movie, or just…sit there proudly, without expecting things to be interesting, groundbreaking, breathtaking.

The creative field can be misleading like that, I know. But sometimes you need to let it be.

Or give it a kick.

And when you have downtime, and you feel like you are wasting it, waste it happily.