9 Things To Do When You Lose Motivation As A Designer
Working as a designer needs passion and motivation. Why so? One of the reasons is the constant need for work that involves creativity. It will make one need to do a lot of brainstorming. And the constant stress in your mind can lead to designer block, lack of motivation, passion, and inspiration.
The condition is not new in the realm of creative business. However, it is also something that designers need to face and counter. The feeling of don't want to do the work, being too lazy to start the computer, or simply don't wanting to get up from bed and start the day are the challenges every designer cannot ignore. But a job is still a job that you cannot desert.
So, what should you do? A freelance designer must pay a lot of attention to this condition since it might disturb their career. Lose motivation and passion can demoralize designers. But when you have to do anything regardless of your feelings, then you need something special. Here are some things to do when you start to lose motivation as a designer and make up your mind:
1. Procrastinate And Take Your Time
Many of you might think how procrastinating helps you gain enthusiasm? The idea sounds ridiculous in a way that many people will not believe. The term is pretty much known as the biggest nemesis of productivity. In other words, procrastinating will only delay your job and disrupt your designer rhythm. It is also a bad thing for your passion.
Procrastinating itself is one of the problems that many working people need to face. The emotional inability to process and overtake the rational side of the brain makes people waste their time for nothing. Thus, they end up without doing the job and eventually lose their career opportunity or passion. However, the act itself is a perfectly normal thing to do.
Underline that procrastinating can occur when designers lose motivation and passion in their job. When the annoying effect hits, you will try to find anything to distract yourself from the burdening task. Is it something good? As long as you can optimize and control the action, it will help you back on your feet and get motivation or passion back.
The key point of what to do when you lose motivation as a designer is a distraction. You will need a distraction to stay away from the job, think about it, make up your mind about it. In other words, designers that lose motivation did not have to cure procrastination. They can optimize and utilize the dull moment to do something that fires up their passion.
Distraction will allow you to step out on the routine task and give you some space. It is particularly vital for designers that hit the wall and get stuck. Designers can take time and chill out a little, stabilize your emotion and mood, think of new ways to approach the subject, keep up your passion, and get back to work. But, what kind of actions does the designer need to do?
2. Do Something Productive
If you want to distract yourself from the designer job, try to do some other productive task. One of the best procrastination methods is doing your house core. It will eventually show how the crazy idea can provide good things. You can clean out your room, go grocery shopping, take care of your plants or pets, or wash your car.
The idea of getting your hand in something else completely will distract you as a designer. Most of the time, designers that lose motivation or passion are those who are working alone, like freelancers or remote workers. Since there is no co-worker to talk or converse with, you need to find things to do when you lose motivation as a designer.
Again, it does not have to be something grand. When you lose motivation or passion, a simple act such as hanging your laundry will help you gain more fighting power. But why should you do something productive? Don't you need something fun when you lose motivation or browse the internet to regain your passion?
Surprisingly, doing a productive job will lessen the chance of regret. Since you need enthusiasm and passion booster, the productive activities will make you realize the function. Meanwhile, you might feel extremely guilty and not get anywhere for doing unproductive stuff. So, it is not a thing you should worry about.
3. Go Somewhere Else
Another good way to procrastinate and gain back your motivation or passion is going somewhere else. Other than passion, you can lose motivation to do the project because of lacking inspiration. In many cases, people feel unsure and demoralized due to the difficulty of the job. But is it difficult or lacking ideas that lead you to lose motivation as a designer?
If you do find yourself in a position where you lose motivation due to designer block, then try to go somewhere else. You can go for a walk, go to the backyard, move into a new working space, go to a café, or anything. Most of the time, designers get motivation, passion, and idea blocks due to boredom.
Changing your atmosphere at least helps you feel a little less trapped. As you are moving or going to different places, you can also enjoy the time. Losing motivation is not always a bad thing. You can ignite passion and motivation with a quick break. You can also do some other things you prefer, such as wearing headphones, back to pencil and paper basics, or get fresh air.
4. Accept The Mood Rollercoaster
Did you know that one reason for procrastinating was the emotional rollercoaster? The idea of procrastinating is only okay as long as you are not overdoing it. If you found yourself procrastinating just to avoid the job and not because you lose motivation or passion in it, then it is blatantly a mere excuse. It will eventually drop your passion as a creative worker.
Most of the time, designers lose motivation and their passion for the job because they are in a bad mood. Considering how demanding, static, and boring the process is, it is not unusual to happen. At some point in your career, even if you have a high passion for it, you will be bound to lose motivation as a designer.
Again, you should pinpoint the cause is perfectly normal. Every designer tends to fight with their emotion and mood during the process. However, it is great to know that emotions and moods are not permanent. You can get very happy and depressed enough to suddenly cry. This rollercoaster is what you need to ride and follow during the time.
Your passion and enthusiasm are temporarily lost. And your emotional or mood waves won't last forever. Understand that no matter who you are working with, you will eventually find a way to finish it. You will find your method to get back the strong motivation or passion, including the paycheck in mind.
At the same time, you can say that there is no way to keep your level of enthusiasm, passion, and motivation for the entire project or, even worse, your entire career. So, don't get discouraged just because you lose motivation as a designer. Accept the fact that you are currently on the challenging rollercoaster that drains your passion and motivation.
But how to bring back your enthusiasm and passion during this time? Accepting your condition can help you get more prepared for the inevitable. The idea is that once you lose motivation, you will find that it is just part of the journey. Try not to stress and demotivate yourself. Keep moving, procrastinate, but still prepare for the worst for the upcoming Rollercoaster.
5. Set Realistic Goal
One of the motivation or passion boosters for many workers is the goal. As a designer, you might have a goal for your creative career. It can become the best illustrator in the city, going on a world trip, or meeting with a popular designer. It is pretty much the fuel for many other workers at tow. But when you cannot grasp the sense of succeeding at it, you will lose passion.
It is pretty much one of the demotivating and passion destroyers. Unable to succeed or a feeling of failure are the reasons you lose motivation as a designer. If you find yourself holding the reason for the condition, then take your time to reassess your work purpose and goal. Rather than have an unbelievably hard-to-achieve one, try the much easier one.
Again, the key to getting back your passion is to accept the condition. Don't make yourself lose motivation because of your inability to get around the world trip. How about a trip around the country? Starting with something realistic will eventually fuel back your passion as a designer. It makes your emotions and mood get better.
If you don't want to change the goal, then make an acceptable excuse that you only need some more time to achieve it. It is easier for your brain to accept the fact that your goal can be realizable. It also lessens the chance of losing your passion or motivation. Rather than thinking you are doomed, try to accept that a designer career takes time to succeed.
6. Reevaluate Your Expectation
Not only about the goal, but you can also do the same with the expectation. When you lose motivation as a designer, hold dear the fact that it is something that you should accept and expect. The job, project, and responsibility are something you cannot underestimate. It is not always sunshine, rainbow, and peaceful scenery to enjoy.
At some point, you have to consider that designers are bound to face many ups and downs. You might lose your motivation and even your raging passion due to the prolonged project. You find that the flow is not there, and the allotted time is not helping you as a designer. In this case, people are bound to lose their passion, will to work and end up with the worst- giving up.
Rather than doing the worst, sometimes you can start by accepting the more realistic expectation. It includes the goal, the responsibility, the job, and the journey. Underline a quote that says the thing that matters is the journey, not the destination. Take the idea that even the pro and famous designer out there might have the same condition as you.
So shed any unrealistic expectation such as double income and constant or stable jobs, especially if you are freelancing. Your first six months will not be an easy part to do. It is bound to bring designers in downtime, where you might have to use your savings to pay the piling up bill. This fact will make you doubt your passion and motivation. But is it the end? No, it is not.
If you lose motivation as a designer, you need to reevaluate the amount of time you are in your career. Think about how much you have done to reach the goals. Do you niche down your target and have enough marketing? If you do, then take a look at your surroundings. Some successful designers out there also have the same waving passion and downtime as yours.
There are a lot of successful people out there that have to be persistent. They lose their motivation, passion, and money. But they push through the impossible. Try to keep on track even if it is a winding rollercoaster. Always look for a way to get it down if it means risking yourself. That should help you hold and fuel back your passion or motivation.
7. Force Yourself To Take Some Risk
Designers are bound to face an abundance of risks. It gets even worse if you are working as a freelance designer. Losing motivation and passion is an inevitable moment during your career, but you cannot get chickened out from that. The idea is that you have to accept the condition but also not let yourself down to the worst degree.
Most of the time, you will need to procrastinate to rethink the project. If you can do it well, then it is time to take risks. Don't make losing motivation as a designer an excuse to plummet your passion. Maybe you can break through your stuck or blocked state by being wild. Yes, work with wild imagination if you think it fits.
Try to explore as many ideas as possible and try to ease yourself from pushing too much pressure. Sometimes, it is worth a while for the designer to take it easy. It will help you ride the emotional and mood rollercoaster. Thus, you will get back to your previous state. It will bring back your motivation, passion, and also some great ideas to finish the job.
8. Don't Worry About Bad Work
If the reason to lose motivation as a designer is due to your bad work, then you should try to accept it as it is. The idea back again is to accept the condition, especially if you already put a lot but still find the undesirable end. In many cases, bad work can be good too. Try to get the idea that a designer does not always need perfection.
Flaws in design are things you will find along the way. While it can be a devastating condition for designers, trying to get the sense of bad work is just part of the journey. Many creators find their motivation, passion, and ideas back through the work. Bad work can also be a cure to fix your block.
The idea is to let loose. Unwind your turmoil, emotion, inspiration, and passion. Try to work with weird and creative detours. It might eventually end up as procrastination moves. But again, it is also part of the production process to get back to your feet. Surprisingly, the idea can help designers to clear their minds and get some unexpected answers to their situation.
9. Be Confidence And Shed Your Doubt
The sense of being doomed in both ways can make designers lose their passion, motivation, and inspiration to do the job. Most of the time, the biggest culprit is the feeling of doubt and the building-up anxiety during the project. Do you ever feel unable to finish the project? Rather than lose your motivation and passion, take your time to gain confidence and shed doubt.
So, what should you do? Keep moving forward and build back your passion or motivation. Anxiety and doubt are usually temporary. So, the doubt will go away as well as when you lose motivation as a designer. Get the fact that every piece of your life is full of doubt. To counter it, brace yourself with every risk. Life as a designer will never be fun without it anyways.
Final Words
When designers lose almost every fuel to their career journey, sometimes it is best to accept and reevaluate many aspects. It is not a good thing to keep feeling down and unmotivated. That is why one can procrastinate and accept all the bad possibilities. However, don't forget your responsibility. Shed any doubt, be confident, and move forward.