Before they are artists… they are humans. Humans need to work for their living but they also need rest and enjoyment. The creative industry be it fine art painting, illustrations, music production is a 24/7 industry now more than ever. You have to create art, create content, post content, respond to content viewers, cultivate relationships with your audience and keep up with the market. The instagram feeds are now online art galleries that don’t close up shop, ever.
As humans, the artists, need to be their own human resource representative and check-in on their well-being in all areas including physical, mental and spiritual. There is no outside HR rep who will call the artist to check in on them to prioritize their health – the artist has to play this role for themselves.
There is the potential for burnout and an artist has to strive to be both great at creativity and as an HR for themselves. How to be a good HR for yourself as an artist?
Have a goal to aim towards and set check-in points including off days if necessary. Establish relationships with other artists as a support group when needed. There’s no need to create a collaborative project with other artists all the time. If only, the artist can count on others and they can count on them. Set policies for yourself… “I don’t work on these type of projects [fill in the blank], I will not sacrifice my health for an artwork, I don’t force my creativity, I get rest and get back to it when refreshed.”
I’m sure there are many more ways to be a great HR for yourself. The resource is rest and the human to source that for you is, you.