Burnout or Boredom? The Truth About Creativity

We’ve all heard it:
🔹 “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
🔹 “Passion is the key to success.”
🔹 “If you’re not excited about your work every day, it’s time for a change.”

Sounds inspiring, right? Except… it’s not true.

This is the topic of today’s newsletter - one that, if taken too literally, can lead to a lot of wrong moves.

So… what is true? The idea that your job should always feel exciting and inspiring is misleading, and frankly, a little dangerous.

And this is where I have a confession: there are days when I don’t love my work.
Some days, I feel stuck in the same repetitive tasks. Other days, I feel completely uninspired and see zero improvement or progress.

But does that mean I should quit? Absolutely not!! It means it’s time to pivot, adapt, try new things - but NOT jump to another shiny object thinking, “This is going to be IT!”

Because if I had listened to people who swear by those misconceptions, we wouldn’t be connecting today through this newsletter.

Discipline vs. Shiny Objects

Speaking of this newsletter - yesterday, while scrolling on Instagram, I stumbled across a creator talking about how discipline is boring… but incredibly productive in the long run.

And honestly? I couldn’t agree more.

Here’s a perfect parallel between “boring” discipline, its importance, and our creative work.

Think about professional athletes. They don’t just show up on game day and expect to perform at their best. They follow strict training routines, repeat the same drills, and stick to a schedule - even when they don’t feel like it.

Creativity works the same way. If we rely solely on “feeling inspired,” we’ll never build something sustainable. Instead, having predictable routines and discipline actually gives us more freedom to create, explore, and grow.

Why Your Brain Loves Stability

Knowing that every single day, you have stability? Your brain LOVES that.

Our brains aren’t wired to operate in constant uncertainty. Too much unpredictability puts us in a state of stress, making it harder to think clearly, take risks, and come up with new ideas.

But when we have structured routines, our brain feels safe. It doesn’t waste energy trying to figure out what’s next. Instead, it frees up space for curiosity, problem-solving, and creative breakthroughs - which is exactly what we need as creatives, right?

This is why some of the most creative people in the world - artists, writers, designers - stick to a disciplined daily rhythm.

They don’t wait for inspiration to suddenly knock on their door with a groundbreaking idea. They create an environment where inspiration naturally happens.

So NO, you don’t need to wake up feeling excited about work every single day.

You just need a system that allows creativity to show up - even on the days you don’t feel like it. Because that shiny new passion you think will always excite you? Eventually, it’ll feel the same. And that’s when the never-ending cycle of running after the next shiny object never stops.

Now, on to creativity itself...

The ASDB Wall of Wins & Drawings and our ASDB community prove that showing up consistently is what fuels progress.

It’s not about feeling inspired every day - it’s about knowing how to show up anyway.

👉 Stop waiting for inspiration → let’s build consistent drawing habits together in my free workshop HERE ✍️

Happy creating,
Anna at @andshedrawsbig