BY LAURA BIEMMI, TRENDS EDITOR
The music industry, like many industries that deal with creativity and artistry, can be an environment of intense burnout.
Those who write, perform, research, and even write about music, work long and irregular hours; balancing gruelling creative and administrative duties.
Creative work is held to extremely high standards of quality, and is often subjected to intense scrutiny and review in competitive settings. Meanwhile, the industry is prone instability and financial stresses that affect the mental health of the individual and artistic institutions at large.
The stresses of life as a musician are often hidden away in the back of our minds, yet not always so overwhelming or consuming that they hinder the creative processes of our work. Still, for some, the mental and emotional energy needed to work and survive as a musician can be exhausting, depleting passion and artistic drive. This can have consequences for the musician’s livelihood as well as their entire outlook on life.
When a creative person derives much of their identity from the work they perform, only to find themselves physically and psychologically unable to perform that work to the best of their ability, disappointment and shame can seep in from the professional domain and into the personal, intensifying the original burnout.
The new year of 2019 brings with it new projects, new collaborations, and new artistic goals for the musicians of Australia. As the holidays wind down and we begin dusting off our instruments, scores, and laptops, here are a few ways I feel we can work to avoid burning out in the music industry in 2019.
1. Be kind to yourself
It’s been said thousands of times, but I’ll say it again:
You are your own harshest critic.
Learning to celebrate what you can achieve (and have achieved in the past) will keep your creative flame alive. But there is nothing that will extinguish that flame quicker than tearing yourself down for not producing music at an impossible standard.
It takes a lot of energy to chase the impossibility of perfection; energy that could be better used to track your progress and pat yourself on the back every now and then. You wouldn’t follow a friend into the practice room or studio to criticise their abilities, so why would you do it to yourself?
Rather than criticising: “This passage just is not coming together, but I’ve worked on it so much. Why isn’t it there yet?”
Instead, try reminding yourself: “Wow, I’ve come a long way since last week. I’m one step closer to nailing it.”
2. Get a hobby (that isn’t music)
It’s easy for musicians to seek downtime and leisure in music-related activities, particularly when our identities are so closely linked to music. As well as listening to music during our commutes, we tend to join choirs, create chamber ensembles, or even pick up second (or third, or fourth) instruments to unwind.
But sometimes, extracting ourselves from the clutches of music altogether and creating some space between work and leisure can replenish our creative energy. A hobby that can be undertaken purely for fun, and is free from the stresses of music-making, can be just the thing to achieve this. Join a netball team, learn how to knit, master the croquembouche; the list is endless!
Rather than saying: “Sorry, Laura the oboist/musicologist can’t come to the phone right now. Why? She’s dead-tired.”
Instead, try saying: “Can I interest you in Laura, amateur cyclist and baker of subpar apple crumbles?”
3. Take more breaks (and prioritise them!)
It’s easy for musicians to forgo the usual breaks that most working people seem to enjoy. While people with regular working hours enjoy their hour-long lunch breaks and nights of Scrabble and wine, musicians often work squeeze several tasks into the day, or work late into the night, or both.
The hours of a musician’s working day are unpredictable – but taking a break from your work shouldn’t be. When possible, schedule breaks long enough to clear your head and come back to your work fresh. It’s easy to brush aside the need for breaks, particularly when the admin is piling up or you feel that you’re this close to nailing a section of music. But treating your breaks as an integral part of the creative process will allow you to feel better, work more efficiently, and avoid serious burnout.
Rather than saying: “In my break today, and I made reeds, sharpened my knives, then replied to 15 emails.”
Instead, try saying: “In my break today, I made an
excellent cup of Earl Grey and read a chapter of my book.”
4. Don’t be afraid to say no
I get it, I really do. An opportunity for work comes along; a short gig, a piece of writing, some relief teaching work. You don’t really need the money, and you’re already overworked, but you feel as though you should say yes. You don’t know when work like this will come along again, and the extra cash might come in handy. Plus, you know the recruiter; and you want to honour your friendship while you network and forge connections.
All of this aside: your wellbeing comes first, and overloading yourself can lead to artistic burnout. Turning down work shouldn’t be a source of guilt. Instead, congratulate yourself on putting yourself first.
Rather than saying: “Oh look, I can make two of the three rehearsals, but I have to leave early on the second one, and I might be late to the last one if I can’t catch the right train…I’ll organise a dep for the first rehearsal! It’ll all work out!”
Instead, try saying: “Oh, no thank you. I have a lot on my plate. I appreciate the offer, though!”
5. Talk to others
One of the best things about being a musician is being a part of a tight-knit community of fellow musicians. Ask the musicians around you how they try to avoid, or deal with, artistic burnout. You might learn something about the self-care methods of those around you, or you might just find comfort in the fact that the musicians you respect and admire have similar experiences.
You are not alone.
Rather than saying: “There must be something wrong with me.”
Instead, try saying: “Hi, there! Are you up for a quick
chat about musicians’ workloads? I’d love to get your thoughts on the matter,
and how you manage things like burnout.”
6. Don’t glorify the ‘overworked musician’
It may sound impressive that you practised for six hours straight yesterday, or that you’ve taught 18 students in a row, or that you haven’t had a proper day off in four months. But ultimately, framing an unhealthy workload in a positive light can be harmful not only to yourself, but to those around you. You may feel the need to live up and sustain a ‘workaholic’ persona that you’ve created for yourself; while your musical friends and colleagues might begin to feel self-conscious about their own productivity, and attempt to mimic your ‘impressive and admirable’ [destructive] work practices.
The ‘overworked musician’ is an understandable social creation, given there are sectors of society that fail to recognise those in the creative fields as hugely productive workers. However, workaholism is a destructive condition that can hinder creativity and lead to burnout. Do not perpetuate the ‘overworked musician’ persona.
Rather than saying: “I didn’t sleep last night because I was composing this piece, and then I went straight to a rehearsal before teaching until dinnertime! And you say you slept in until 8.30am?”
Instead, try saying: “I’ve had a hugely demanding day,
so I’m really going to take it easy tomorrow. Gotta rest to be my best!”
7. Don’t ignore the first signs of burnout
Stress. Fatigue. Procrastination. Loss of creative passion. Irritation at motivated and enthusiastic peers.
Treat the first signs of artistic burnout as an occupational health and safety hazard; a hazard that must be dealt with and minimised before escalating and causing harm to the worker.
In a similar vein as number 6, fighting through the first bouts of burnout and stubbornly continuing your creative work is not a noble venture. You’re unlikely to produce quality work when you’re artistically depleted, and the lack of passion will only deepen as the work continues.
When you remove yourself from the source of your burnout, consider it an investment in your future creative endeavours, rather than a hinderance on your current work.
Rather than saying: “I guess I’ll just keep analysing this score, even if I want to throw it in the recycling bin.”
Instead, try saying: “I will gently place this score in the recycling to put some distance between us, and when I come back before the next bin day, I will hopefully see this music in a new light with refreshed eyes and a clear mind.”
Burnouts are terrible, but you are not. Look after yourself, and your work will one day look after you.
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Burnout is definitely the buzz word of the start of this year and I’m SO GLAD! Thanks so much for a brilliant article especially point number 6 which we’ve probably all been on both sides of at some point. Keep it up!