How I Transformed My Creative Business After Burnout
I'm starting Cozy Art Life after taking years away from my previous business, and I want to be really transparent about why I approach business so differently now.
So today, I want to share something personal with you - my burnout story and how I completely transformed the way I approach business because of it. And here's the thing - I wish someone had told me how bad burnout could actually be and how long recovery can take. Because for me, it took about six months to really recover, and that was with intentional rest.
If you're currently working weekends, saying yes to everything, feeling like you can never quite get ahead... this blog post is especially for you. Because I want you to know that there's another way - a way to build a business that sustains you instead of draining you.
The Trap I Fell Into
So let me take you back to where this all started. More than a decade ago, I had built what looked like a successful web design business helping creative entrepreneurs. And you know, entrepreneurship did bring me the freedom I was looking for, but I soon found myself caught in this really common trap that I see so many creative entrepreneurs fall into - I was saying yes to everything.
What began as a simple web design business morphed into... well, everything. Here’s all I was trying to keep up with:
Maintaining websites for clients, updating them on a monthly basis,
Helping clients with program and course launches,
Hosting sites on my own hosting account,
Serving as a virtual assistant for several businesses - doing podcast editing, social media marketing, creating lead magnets, updating blogs,
Doing one-on-one coaching sessions,
Creating courses to answer all my clients' questions, and
Making digital products to attract new customers.
You get the picture - I was doing so much more than web design.
And listen, having multiple passions and offerings isn't necessarily a bad thing. But here's what I learned the hard way - you need to charge rates that actually allow you to deliver those services while also being able to take care of yourself.
The Downside of Undercharging
I wasn’t a good boss to myself.
I kept adding more and more to my plate while charging too little for everything. With my web maintenance offering - instead of setting up proper retainer fees that would give me consistent monthly income, I settled for minimal fees that didn't reflect the true value of my work.
And I repeated this same pattern with all my services. My income plateaued while my workload increased. I started working more and more weekends, missing out on personal time, and I still couldn't break past a certain income level. The math just wasn't mathing, you know?
Low prices + high workload + personal commitments = an absolutely unsustainable business
I longed to develop my own courses and creative projects, but client work always took all my energy. Every time I tried to make space for my own projects, a new client would emerge or an existing client would have urgent demands I needed to address. And I struggled to say no - partly because I cared about my clients, but also because I hadn't built enough financial cushion to be selective with my time. It was a cycle that I couldn’t get out of without something breaking.
The Breaking Point
My health started declining.
I was struggling to handle even simple virtual assistant duties. I got sick and had to travel at one point, and one of my clients actually got onto me because I didn't have their stuff to them in what they considered a reasonable time period while all of that was going on.
In that moment, I felt so undervalued. I felt like they didn't care about my humanness - they cared more about my productivity. And that was such a painful wake-up call.
A minor health setback snowballed into an unwinnable race to catch up.
Quality suffered. Deadlines slipped. The more I pushed myself to get back to work, the worse things became.
Eventually, I hit a wall. I reached a point where I couldn't get out of bed, let alone serve my clients effectively. I had to make the really tough decision to let go of most of my clients because my body was literally forcing me to rest.
The Reset and Recovery
So I pressed the reset button. I downsized my client roster to just one client and maintained that lighter load for about a year while I focused on my creative writing MFA.
And this break wasn't just rest - it was essential for understanding sustainable work practices that would actually benefit both my mind and my body.
During that recovery time, I learned some really important things about myself. I learned that I'm neurodivergent, and that my brain works differently. I learned to use tools to help me with basic functioning tasks - though I want to note that I don't use those tools now unless I need them. But it helped me see that I needed systems to support me.
Through this, I learned that I need tools until I don't, and then when I need tools again, I use them. Like my planner - sometimes it's actually a planner, sometimes it's a messy notebook, sometimes it just sits there ignored because I'm using some digital planning system. I just do what works for me in the moment, even if that's no tool at all.
Most importantly, I learned to evaluate my energy and really listen to my body.
Building Back Different
When I decided to start again (with this new brand), I knew I had to build back differently. I'm not trying to rebuild what I previously built - I'm methodically constructing a new foundation, step by step.
Here are three intentional choices I'm making this time:
1. Service Evolution
I've learned that some services are only useful during particular seasons of my life, and it's important to plan them properly from the beginning. My initial offerings are limited to just two core services - business coaching and website audits that come along with a marketing strategy based on my findings. These align with both my expertise and my energy levels.
And here's the key - I'm focused on deep work with a few clients at a higher touch level, but when I'm helping them, I'm developing tools, products, and resources that will help many people.
This way I can limit my one-on-one services. Eventually, I'll hide any one-on-one work and make it much more expensive to work with me, if I even do it at all.
Creating Clear Containers
One of my biggest lessons was about the importance of smaller, well-defined containers for my work.
In the past, projects dragged on, causing them to grow beyond the original plan and exhausting everyone involved. Now, I’m building in clear timelines and checkpoints.
My website audit and marketing strategy package takes two weeks; one day for the audit, roughly a week for the strategy, plus buffer time for low-energy days. This structured timeline helps make sure I deliver high-quality work while respecting my own needs for rest and recovery.
The Power of Seasons
I’m also currently offering a ‘try before you commit’ model for my one-on-one coaching. To ensure that I am compatible with my clients, we begin with one session before committing to a longer-term project.
Then, I offer longer coaching packages structured in 2-3 month seasons. This allows regular check-ins, progress evaluations, and decisions about continuation—creating natural breaks that prevent burnout and keep the relationship energizing for everyone.
Know that just because you create something doesn’t mean you have to offer it forever.
When something no longer suits your energy levels or way of thinking, finish what you started and then move on to new projects. However, it’s even more beneficial to do things that align with your natural rhythms and energy levels from the start, if you can.
2. Energy-Aligned Delivery
I've intentionally created a balance between high-energy, client-facing work and lower-energy, asynchronous delivery.
For example, my website audit package doesn't require real-time interaction. Clients get a video and a detailed strategy document after completing a questionnaire.
I can schedule this work for when I'm feeling my best and take breaks as needed.
This work still takes effort. Yet, I can schedule it for when I’m feeling my best and take breaks when I can. Instead of dealing with back-to-back client calls, I’ll record the video when I’m feeling energetic and focus on the strategy document in manageable chunks.
This approach - combining the one-on-one coaching with asynchronous delivery - creates natural ebbs and flows in my schedule.
I avoid constant high energy output, ensuring I can meet my clients’ needs while also attending to my own physical needs.
3. Gentle & Intentional Marketing
Instead of trying to be everywhere online, I'm focusing on long-form blog content that's planned and written in advance, as well as a private podcast for email subscribers.
I'm using voice dictation to write my blog posts instead of typing everything, which prevents the physical strain and speeds up the process. I’m still creating some social media content but by repurposing existing content rather than starting from scratch.
Here’s my current plan:
1 - To start, I defined my main content areas (also called content pillars), focusing on topics related to my services and interests. Next, I developed a content library by brainstorming blog post topics based on each pillar.
My preparation ensures I always know what to say before creating content.
2 - To make content creation easier on my body and brain, I’m using voice dictation instead of typing everything. It’s just me, my phone, and my thoughts - a much more sustainable approach to content creation. Once I get my thoughts down, it then becomes about revising. I find this step much simpler and less draining, both mentally and physically.
3 - I’m also being intentional about content length and structure. For example, this post was originally part of a longer article, but I decided to divide it into two for better readability.
4 - Lastly, I’m dedicated to a seasonal workflow: one month for blog creation, the next for repurposing that content (details in a future post!). This batch content creation method ensures consistency while removing the constant pressure from content creation.
It’s about building a sustainable marketing system that works with my energy levels.
The Way Ahead
Creating a sustainable business isn’t about copying what others are doing in their businesses; it’s about building a system that suits your unique needs and lifestyle.
My path from burnout to recovery might not mirror yours, yet the following remains true: sustainable success hinges on respecting your physical and mental needs, as well as the needs in all the areas of your life.
Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear from you! Have you experienced burnout in your creative business? What changes have you made to work more sustainably?
Tell us your story in the comments section. Your comment might be exactly what another creative entrepreneur needs to hear today.
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