Career & Business Coaching Blog.
Inspiration and tips for multi-passionate creatives & entrepreneurs.
Is Your Creative Fire Dying? How to Reclaim Your Lost Self in a Soul-Sucking 9-to-5
If you're a multi-passionate creative, you know the feeling: You clock in every morning to a job that pays the bills but drains your energy and spirit. You make an okay living, but everything you do feels empty and meaningless. Boreout - a condition where someone's creative skills are severely underutilised at work, can lead to the painful conclusion that their creativity has died, or a vital part of themselves is gone.
You're exhausted, stressed out, and constantly feel trapped. Perhaps you feel like your abilities are consistently underutilized and undervalued. You might wake up feeling bored and dread your commute, finding yourself caught up in routines you hate, simply going through the motions, or living another Groundhog Day. Your passion for life seems to be gone, and your creative energy is stuck in a Groundhog Day loop.
Breaking Free from the Boreout Cycle
Many clients describe their current creative life as nonexistent, stunted, or numb. Can you relate?
The irony is that as a creative generalist, you possess many talents, are hard-working, clever, and have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Still, you end up feeling misunderstood, out of place, and burdened by the belief that you cannot make money with creativity. You have incredible problem-solving skills, but you're mostly using them to help others rather than yourself.
The good news is that this is a natural feeling, and you're not alone. Many of my clients - creatives, entrepreneurs, artists, and C-suite professionals - come to me wrestling with this exact feeling. They want to regain clarity, confidence, and the ability to choose what they truly want in their life and career.
You can find your way back to that place of creative freedom, but it starts with realizing that you cannot simply think yourself out of feeling stuck; you must take intentional action.
10 Short "Do" Tips to Reconnect with Your Creative Self
Here are ten actionable steps you can start taking today to reclaim your creative drive and feel alive again (more in my book Get Unstuck!):
1. Do the "Ideal Day" Exercise: One of my favorites, from the grandmother of creative generalists, Barbara Sher. Visualize a good, typical, happy day out of your ideal life. This helps paint an inspiring vision and discover desires you might otherwise be unaware of.
2. Define What's Missing: Get clear on what you're truly stuck on, remembering that being stuck is a feeling, not a fact.
3. Become a Child Again: Write down ten things you loved to do as a child, and note whether you still love or would love to do them now. This helps uncover authentic dreams.
4. Embrace the Beginner's Mind: Approach your current life situation and challenges with an open, fresh perspective, like a child discovering the world for the first time.
5. Take Tiny Steps: Implement the "Seinfeld Strategy": commit to a small action daily, mark it on a calendar, and simply do not break the chain. Consistency of small steps leads to incredible results.
6. Find Your "Glue": Identify the common thread or way of being (your purpose, sense of flow, or primary interest) that makes everything else you do come together and make sense.
7. Run Real-Life Experiments: Take action and try things out, however small. Mind-body experiences are essential for lasting change and help reprogram your central nervous system. Your nervous system needs to feel into your ideas.
8. Reframe Your Fear: Remember that fear is often False Evidence Appearing Real. Question the negative predictions your mind makes and consciously choose to stop bullying yourself.
9. Build in Rest: Make sure you get enough sleep, as the brain recharges and organizes information during this time, aiding creativity and insights. Creative breakthroughs often occur when you're relaxed, doing things that require little brainwork, or taking a break.
10. Just Choose Something: If you have an overload of ideas, choose one thing to start with right now - not for forever, just for now. Clarity often only appears once you commit to a path.
Transformation is a Process. All You Need to Do is Start
If you're a creative generalist, you know that the overflow of ideas and the multitude of interests can feel overwhelming. This often results in procrastination, overthinking, and abandoning projects right before the finish line. Believe me, I know, I've been there!
You have the ability to change your life. Your breaking point doesn't need to be at the end of your rope. It can be right now, the moment you decide to take control. You got this!
Ready to Reclaim Your Creativity and Find Work You Love?
Are you tired of feeling unfulfilled, burnt out, and stuck in a job that makes you feel like your creative fire is dying? Do you secretly believe you're meant for bigger things but are paralyzed by idea overload or the fear of making the wrong choice?
As a specialised coach for creative generalists, I specialize in helping people with multiple passions break free from the tyranny of the 9-to-5 and overcome the mental blocks that prevent them from taking action. Hundreds of my clients have started exactly where you are now - feeling lost and unsure of how to move forward. I provide the clarity, strategy, and personalized guidance you need to transform your complex creative puzzle into a successful and sustainable career.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Creativity can feel like it's slipping away when you're juggling multiple interests without a clear direction. Exhaustion, overwhelm, or the pressure to be the best at everything can contribute to feeling stuck or uninspired. Taking time to prioritize passions and setting manageable goals can help reignite your creative spark.
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Yes, it’s absolutely normal. Creative generalists often face periods of burnout due to constantly switching between projects and ideas. Build intentional downtime into your schedule to recharge, and don't hesitate to explore sources of inspiration outside your usual interests.
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This fear stems from societal pressure to specialize. Instead, focus on how your multi-passionate nature makes you uniquely versatile and skilled at many things. Highlight the value you bring through diverse perspectives and problem-solving skills. Many successful careers are built on the ability to adapt and innovate.
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Prioritize your passions based on your goals, breaking large projects into smaller, actionable steps. Create a system for balancing exploration with execution, such as dedicating specific days or times to different pursuits, and stick to it.
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Start small. Engage in low-stakes creative activities, like journaling or sketching, to reduce performance pressure. Collaborate with others or revisit past projects to find your enthusiasm again. Remember, progress begins with action, not perfection.
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Establish boundaries and carve out time for personal creative pursuits, no matter how small. Surround yourself with inspiring people, stay curious by learning new skills, and use setbacks as opportunities for creative problem-solving. A consistent practice of creativity allows it to remain a vibrant part of your life, even during busy times.
Why Creative Generalists Get Bored (And How to Fix It)
Do you pick up new skills with surprising speed, only to lose interest once you feel you've mastered them? Do you have a graveyard of projects, some almost finished, that you just can’t bring yourself to complete? If this sounds familiar, you might be a creative generalist - also known as a multipotentialite, polymath, or scanner. And that feeling of recurring boredom isn't a character flaw; it's a sign that something needs to change.
For years, I’ve worked with brilliant creatives and entrepreneurs who felt stuck, anxious, and deeply frustrated. In my coaching practice, they told me over and over again how they believed something was wrong with them because they couldn't just "pick one thing" and stick with it. The truth is, their unique brain wiring simply didn't match a world that glorifies specialization.
If you feel seen right now, welcome! This post is for you. We’ll explore why your mind works this way, why boredom is an inevitable part of your process, and how you can shift your mindset to not just cope, but to truly thrive.
The Generalist's Dilemma: Rapid Learning, Rapid Boredom
The core of the generalist experience is the speed of learning and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. You're wired to absorb information, connect random ideas, and reach a level of competency faster than most. This is your superpower. But it comes with a catch. For you, the thrill is in the challenge, not in the outcome. The steep learning curve, the problem-solving, the act of figuring it out. The chase is so much better than the catch.
Once you’ve cracked the code and the initial challenge fades, boredom sets in. It’s not because you're flaky or lack discipline. It’s because the intellectual stimulation that got you all excited and ready to go in the morning is gone. You’ve conquered the mountain and your eyes are already scanning the horizon for the next, more interesting peak.
This cycle often clashes with societal expectations. We're told that success means deep specialization and a linear career path. When your path looks more like a web of interconnected interests, it can lead to anxiety and a feeling of being perpetually stuck. You might wonder if you'll ever finish anything or build something of lasting value.
When There Is No Creative Variety
Think of boredom as a signal. It’s your mind telling you that the container you’re in has become too small - there is no creative variety to your life or work. You’ve outgrown the role, the project, or the hobby. It’s time for a new challenge, a new problem to solve, a new world to explore.
Honoring this need for variety is not a weakness; it is essential to your well-being and success. Trying to force yourself into a specialist's box is like trying to convince a bird to live underwater. It goes against your very nature. When you feel that familiar restlessness, don't suppress it. Instead, ask yourself: What new knowledge am I yearning for? What problem would I like to solve?
Embracing this cycle allows you to build a unique and powerful toolkit. Each skill you acquire, each subject you master, to the level you believe is enough, becomes another tool you can use to solve problems in creative and unexpected ways.
The Overwhelm of Infinite Ideas
A direct consequence of your wide-ranging curiosity is a constant, overwhelming flood of ideas. Your brain is a powerful ideation machine, always making new connections. You might see a documentary on urban farming and immediately sketch out a business plan for a vertical garden startup. The next day, you’re drafting a screenplay inspired by a biography you read. And the day after, you're connecting that play with your garden.
This can feel less like a gift and more like a burden. How do you choose? How do you focus when every idea feels exciting and full of potential? This is where many generalists get stuck - and precisely where I come in to help them. The sheer volume of possibilities leads to inaction.
Worse, it contributes to a graveyard of unfinished projects. Your hard drive is likely filled with half-written novels, business plans that are 95% complete, and countless other brilliant concepts that were abandoned just before the finish line. This happens because the most stimulating part - the creation and problem-solving - is over. All that’s left is the less exciting work of finalizing, polishing, and shipping (not our forte as generalists, believe me, I know).
Strategies to Overcome Boredom and Get Unstuck
You don't need to change who you are; you need to build systems and mindsets that work with your nature, not against it.
1. Reframe What "Finished" Means
You don't have to complete every project in the traditional sense. Redefine "done" for yourself. Maybe "done" for a new hobby is learning until you feel proficient. Maybe "done" for a business idea is creating a detailed plan that you can file away for later. Give yourself permission to move on once you've extracted the value you needed: the learning, the experience, the excitement. Not every seed you plant needs to become a towering tree.
2. Design a Portfolio Career
Instead of trying to find the "one perfect job," build a career with variety built in. This could look like:
A "Good Enough" Job and Passion Projects: Have a stable job that funds your life and leaves you with the mental and emotional energy to pursue your myriad interests on the side.
The Slash/Slash Model: Embrace being a consultant/writer/developer. Juggle a few part-time roles or freelance gigs that tap into different parts of your brain.
An Umbrella Business: Create a business with a broad mission that allows you to explore different projects under one roof. My work as a coach and startup mentor, for instance, lets me dive into everything from tech and AI to philosophy and entrepreneurship.
3. Use a Project Incubator System
Don't let good ideas overwhelm you or disappear. Create a system to capture and incubate them. This could be a notebook, a Trello board, or a folder on your computer. When a new idea strikes, write it down with enough detail to remember it. Then, let it sit. Revisit your incubator periodically. Some ideas will have lost their shine, while others will ignite a new spark of excitement. This allows you to pursue ideas with intention rather than impulse.
4. Find Your Glue - Your Meta-Skill
Look across all your seemingly random interests. What is the common thread? Perhaps you are drawn to storytelling, which manifests as writing, marketing, and filmmaking. Maybe you love building systems, which you've applied to coding, project management, and even gardening. Identifying this underlying "glue" or "meta-skill" can provide a powerful sense of purpose and direction, helping you frame your many different experiences into a cohesive whole.
Your Variety Is Your Magic
It’s time to stop seeing your innate curiosity as a problem. It's your greatest asset. In a world that is constantly changing, it is the generalists - the creative, adaptable problem-solvers - who are best equipped to navigate the future. Your ability to learn quickly, connect seemingly unconnected ideas, and pivot is not just valuable; it's a form of magic.
So often in my coaching practice, I see creative minds who are tired of feeling “too much, ”too scattered, too restless, too unconventional. Here’s the truth: you’re not too much. You've just been misdiagnosed. And you're not alone on this journey.
Accept and enjoy your need for intellectual stimulation. Celebrate the flow and happiness of the learning curve. Build a life that has enough room for all of your passions to breathe. When you stop fighting your nature and start working with it, you will unlock a level of creativity and fulfillment you never thought possible.
I believe in you!
Ready to break free from the multi-passionate boredom loop?
Are you tired of feeling uninspired, stuck, or misunderstood as a creative generalist? I get it. You crave variety, new challenges, and meaningful growth. My coaching is dedicated to helping creative professionals like you find the clarity, confidence, and momentum you need.
Imagine a career and life built around your strengths – a portfolio of passions that truly inspire you. You’ll gain personalized support, insights, and strategies to conquer boredom and transform your generalist wiring into your ultimate superpower. Curious about what's possible?Frequently Asked Questions
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A creative generalist is someone who thrives on learning new things, has a wide range of interests, and excels at connecting ideas across different fields. If you lose interest after mastering something or constantly crave new challenges, you might be a generalist.
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You may be a multipotentialite if you resist choosing a single specialty, are energized by variety, and accumulate many projects or skills over time. It’s about embracing the value of having multiple interests.
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Generalists tend to learn rapidly. Once the initial challenge wears off and they feel competent, the excitement fades. Boredom is a sign that you need a new intellectual adventure - not a flaw.
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Not at all. In fact, generalists are highly adaptable and creative problem-solvers. The key is designing a career path that honors your need for variety, such as a portfolio career or a combination of roles that stimulate you.
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Redefine what “finished” means to you, incubate your ideas, and seek out your meta-skills that tie your projects together. And don’t hesitate to reach out for support, my coaching practice specializes in helping generalists set meaningful goals and find focus.
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Use an idea incubator system (notebook, Trello, digital folder) to capture ideas, review them periodically, and pursue only those that reignite your passion and align with your core interests.
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A portfolio career blends several roles, projects, or interests rather than focusing on just one path, making it perfect for those who crave variety and lifelong learning, like generalists or multi-passionate creators.
Redefining Success: Breaking Free from Expectations to Find Your True Career Path
Picture this: you’re climbing your first career ladder, but as you're getting higher, you realise it’s propped against the wrong wall. For many young professionals, this eerie metaphor becomes reality. I know, because many of them end up sitting across from me in my career coaching practice. Trapped by societal norms and familial expectations, they often find themselves chasing inherited dreams instead of their own. The weight of these expectations, often combined with the financial safety net that their well-meaning parents provide, can feel suffocating, leading to self-doubt, boreout, confusion, and ultimately, burnout.
But what if there’s a way to step off the path carved for you and start carving your own? What if the freedom you’re yearning for isn’t as far away as it feels? In this post, I will share what I've learned supporting young professionals to find the career they love: their internal struggles, but also the actionable steps that helped them shift from feeling stuck to rediscovering their purpose.
It all starts with one question: What do you truly want?
The Struggles of Living Someone Else’s Dream
The Invisible Chains of Expectations
For many of us, family plays such an important role in shaping our dreams and ambitions. Parents dream of stability for us - the prestigious job, the paycheck with benefits, the degree you’ll hang on your office wall. While these aspirations come from a good place, they can overshadow your authentic desires. Over time, the life you’re building can feel more like a tribute to someone else’s dreams rather than a reflection of your own.
Have you ever asked yourself, "Whose success am I really striving for?" It’s a hard question, especially when external pressures reinforce the idea that there’s a "correct" path to success. Knowing whether you’re living authentically or on autopilot can be a challenge.
Losing Sight of Your Personal Vision
Here’s the paradox young professionals face today. On one hand, there’s the endless array of career options made possible by technology and a globalized economy. On the other hand, that incomprehensible amount of choices can lead to analysis paralysis. Because of this, I see many young professionals struggle with questions like: “Am I making the right choice?" or worse, "What if I’ve already made the wrong one?”
This fear of committing to the wrong career path often keeps people stuck. They stop moving forward, confused and uncertain about what their true vision for themselves actually looks like. If this is you, you're not to blame. The pressure of expectations and societal norms can feel overwhelming. But here’s the truth: there’s no single “right” path, and there’s immense power in simply taking the next step - no matter how small it may be - that feels right for you.
The Looming Threat of Burnout
When you continuously chase external validation - whether through promotions, LinkedIn likes, or climbing the corporate title ranks - burnout becomes almost inevitable. Burnout is a dreamkiller because it doesn’t just leave you exhausted; it leaves you questioning your worth, your purpose, and the very goals you once thought were right for you.
The good news? You’re not as stuck as you think. Below are practical ways to break the cycle.
3 Powerful Steps to Reclaim Your True Career Path
1. Reflect on Your Values and Passions
The first step to building a life you love is understanding what truly matters to you. It’s about going beyond what society or family expects and asking yourself:
What lights me up?
What do I value most - creativity, independence, or impact?
If I weren't afraid of what my parents or friends would think, what would I do differently today?
Find some quiet time to journal or think about these questions. Reflection is like decluttering - once you sort through the mess of other people's expectations about your life, you’ll begin to see your own dreams emerge.
What you can do right now
Block off an hour each week to write down the moments that brought you happiness and fulfillment. Look for patterns over time - they might reveal hidden passions or values you’ve overlooked.
2. Experiment With New Experiences
Finding your path isn’t about having all the answers upfront. It’s about trying new things and staying open to those "Aha!" moments. Maybe it’s volunteering for causes you care about, freelancing in a different field, or even pursuing a side project. Exploration is how you discover what energizes you.
Think of it like prototyping your career or microdosing your dreams. Not every attempt will succeed, but each one will bring new insights.
What you can do right now
Pick one thing you’ve always been curious about - learning graphic design, public speaking, investing - and dedicate 30 minutes a day to it for a month. You may uncover a passion or skill you never knew you were capable of.
3. Seek Guidance From a Mentor or Professional
Sometimes, the best way to make sense of our choices is by having someone help us see things through a fresh lens. A mentor or career coach can not only guide you through uncertainties but also provide the tools and strategies to identify your strengths and goals.
The key here is finding someone who listens without judgment and encourages you to think big. A career coach’s role isn’t to prescribe a solution but to help you chart the path that feels true to yourself.
What you can do right now
Reach out to someone you admire - a teacher, former manager, or industry leader. Ask for a coffee chat and approach it as a learning opportunity. Their perspective might spark clarity on your next steps.
Breaking Free Starts With One Choice
The pain of being stuck isn’t permanent. It’s a signal that something needs to change - and that change can start today. By reflecting on your values, exploring different paths, and seeking meaningful guidance, you’re not just rejecting the mold; you’re reclaiming your agency.
Remember: You don’t have to do it alone. Imagine having someone who truly listens, who gives you the tools to rewrite your story and step into a life that feels undeniably yours.
That life, the one filled with purpose, joy, and authenticity, is within your reach. It’s not a distant dream or something reserved for others; it’s waiting for you to claim it. Every step you take, no matter how small, brings you closer to the life you’re meant to live. And through it all, I want you to know this: I believe in you.
You are capable, resilient, and worthy of every beautiful moment ahead. The power to create your path is already in your hands. Keep going – you’ve got this!
Feeling stuck or weighed down by expectations?
You’re not alone - so many talented, creative souls end up living someone else’s story, unsure how to start writing their own. It’s easy to lose clarity amidst the noise and pressure.
Let’s discover what truly motivates and inspires you. I’m offering a free session to help you untangle expectations, reconnect with your authentic values, and set your sights on a future you choose - one that lights you up.