Look, I'm going to tell you something that might hit close to home: Last week, a client (let's call her Maya) confessed that she spent her entire lunch break scrolling through job listings, not because she needs a new job, but because she was just... bored. Creatively bored. Soul-crushingly bored.
Sound familiar?
Here's the thing about being a creative professional: nobody talks about the moments when your creativity feels like it's packed its bags and gone on vacation without leaving a forwarding address. But after many years of coaching creative professionals, I can tell you this: that bored-to-tears feeling isn't a dead end. It's actually your starting line.
Changing Your Mindset: The Story You're Telling Yourself Matters
Let me share something that might surprise you: some of the most successful creative professionals I know started their transformation during their most mind-numbing moments. Take Marcus, a graphic designer who felt like he was churning out the same designs over and over. Instead of telling himself "I'm stuck," he switched to "I'm ready for what's next."
Doesn’t sound like a big thing, right? But here's what happened:
His "boring" projects became experiments in pushing tiny boundaries
His "routine" client meetings turned into innovation workshops
His "same old portfolio" transformed into a playground for new ideas
The secret? It wasn't some magical transformation. It was a mindset shift that said "What if this could be different?" Words matter. Especially the ones you tell yourself
Taking Intentional Action: Because Netflix Won't Watch Itself (Unfortunately)
Here's where you have to get real with yourself though. Thinking positive thoughts is great, but it won't transform your career while you're binge-watching ‘Wednesday’ for the third time. (Although Wednesday Addams does have excellent boundary-setting skills, just saying.)
What does work is this:
1. Setting ridiculously specific goals (not "get better at design" but "master that one weird Procreate brush by next Tuesday")
2. Taking calculated risks (like showing your client three options instead of two and making one completely unexpected)
3. Making tiny bold moves every single day
One of my clients, a copywriter named Jenna, started writing one completely bizarre headline every morning before her "real" work. No one sees these headlines. They’re just for her. Six months after she started this practice, she landed her ideal client because, in her words, "I finally remembered how to be interesting."
Continuous Learning: The Art of Getting Uncomfortable On Purpose
Okay, when I say "continuous learning," I don't mean you need to sign up for every Masterclass out there (though let's be honest, I did watch the Samuel L Jackson one just for fun).
What I'm talking about is strategic discomfort. Here's what it looks like in real life:
Following creators who make you feel slightly inadequate (but inspired)
Trying tools that make you feel like a beginner again
Sharing your work-in-progress (even when it's not perfect)
One of my favorite success stories is Alex, a UX designer who committed to learning one "unnecessary" skill every month. He learned origami, then pickling, then juggling. None of these directly related to UX design. But guess who came up with the most innovative app interface his company had ever seen? The guy who understood how to think in folds, reactions, and patterns.
The Truth About Transformation (The Part Most People Won't Tell You)
Here's what they don't put on the motivational posters: transformation is messy. It's not a straight line from bored to bold. It's more like a scribble that eventually makes sense. Kind of like those abstract doodles you make during boring Zoom calls.
But here's what they should put on the posters:
Every successful creative professional was once a bored professional
Every innovative portfolio started with a "meh" project
Every creative breakthrough came after a period of feeling stuck
Your Turn: From Reading to Doing
Let's make this real. Right now, I want you to:
1. Write down the story you've been telling yourself about your creative career
2. Change one word in that story to make it feel more powerful
3. Do one tiny thing that scares you (professionally) before the end of today
Ask yourself: what's the small risk you're going to take today? What's the weird skill you're going to learn this month? What's the story you're changing?
Being bored isn't a creative death sentence. It's just your creativity asking for a bigger playground.
Yours in go make something interesting (and messy) goodness!
EBS
P.S. If this resonated with you, share it with that friend who's been sending you job listings during their lunch break. Sometimes we all need permission to be bold.
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EB Sanders | Career Coach for Creative Types
