The Most Useful Thing I Made This Week Was Completely Useless
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Thoughts on creative burnout, artistic play, creativity, and making a personal project just because you want to
As an illustrator, a lot of my creative practice revolves around learning, improving, experimenting and trying to make better work.
But lately I've been thinking about how exhausting that can be.
We've all been fatigued for a while now.
Every social media post, book pitch, blog series and even social engagement is trying to rally our attention with the promise of teaching us something or selling us something that will help us become the very best version of ourselves.
Everything feels over-scripted, AI-written and totally unrelatable.
It feels like everybody wants to be their own version of their favourite Instagram influencer and honestly? I don't care what kind of face cream you use if you're a graphic designer.
We've Forgotten How to Enjoy Things
We have over-romanticised the lifestyle of the influencer and underestimated the human brain's need for simple joy and enjoyment for the sake of it.
Not every creative process needs to become content.
Not every hobby needs to become a side hustle.
Not every personal project needs to become a product.
Sometimes creativity can just be creativity.
This Blog Post Will Not Improve Your Life
Reading this piece will not make you better at something.
But you just might have a nice time and feel a little more connected with reality.
This isn't a tutorial about illustration practice.
It isn't a guide to book cover illustration.
It's definitely not a productivity hack.
It's just a weird little thing I made.
Making Something Without an Agenda
One afternoon, when my brain was feeling burnt out from the constant treadmill of learning and growing and improving, I opened the dusty drawer in my mind that contains all my curiosity, playfulness and joyful appreciation of nature.
And I made something.
A small mushroom animation inspired by the strange little transformations that happen in nature.
This nature illustration will never grace a book cover, become a product for you to buy, or teach you yet another way to improve yourself.
It probably won't become part of my illustration portfolio either.
But I enjoyed making it, a whole lot.
As somebody who spends much of their time thinking about book cover illustration and professional creative work, there is something refreshing about making an animation with absolutely no commercial purpose attached to it.
No client.
No brief.
No strategy.
Just artistic play.
What Better Value Is There Than That?
The funny thing is that this little mushroom animation might actually be one of the most valuable things I've made recently.
Not because it's particularly useful.
Not because it will earn me money.
Not because it will help me grow an audience.
Because for a few hours it reminded me why I became an illustrator in the first place. I love to draw, and I love to observe, study and wonder about nature. It's part of who I am.
Sometimes the most important thing for a creative practice isn't learning a new skill.
Sometimes it's remembering that making things can be enjoyable.
It might just make you smile.
And honestly, what better value add is there than that?
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