The creative burnout sneak-attack: How did it finally context-clue its way into your life?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking a lot about how creative burnout isn't always just staring at a blank screen. It’s a total shapeshifter.

For me, it didn't start with running out of ideas. It started with this weird, quiet questioning of my entire existence. You know that feeling where you’re actually good at your job and people say you have potential, but you’re just rowing a boat into the fog wondering if you want to do this forever?

Turns out, burnout loves to sneak up on us in different ways:

• The Existential Dread: A job you used to love suddenly feels like groundhog day. You start asking if this is really it for the rest of your life.
• The Detachment: You're hitting your goals, but you feel totally disconnected from the wins. You're just going through the motions.
• The Friction: Tiny edits or feedback that used to be np (no problem) now feel like climbing Mt. Everest.

I feel like almost every creative hits this wall at some point, but ngl, it feels super isolating when you're in it.

So, how did burnout first show up for you guys? Was it a sudden crash or a slow burn of existential questions? Wfh/office boundaries, breaks, career pivots—how are you coping with it?