Creative burnout can turn the most content, confident people into the worst internal versions of themselves. Suddenly you might find yourself loathing every single piece of content you create -- so much so that you may not even bother posting it. The ambitious projects you used to dream about pursuing suddenly no longer seem worth the effort. Yet you still have to continue on -- either because you're actively earning money or you're trying to get to that point.
This is not because the content you are creating is bad, or even that you necessarily hate what you are making. What's most likely happening is you're growing tired of playing this never-ending game with rapidly shifting rules, a growing pool of competitors, and seemingly no shots at winning anything (if there are prizes to be won at all).
Because that's often what content creation feels like -- a game we're all forced to play in order to earn money, or opportunities, or connections. This game often means we have to make content we don't want to make -- sponsored videos or product reviews, or content that's part of the latest viral trend. Sometimes we don't do it because we want to. We do it because we have to.
As a longtime content creator, I think it's fair to grow weary of the need to check certain boxes in order to reach whatever success means for you. Content creation is a job whether everyone wants to acknowledge that or not. It's exhausting. It's extremely demanding and sometimes doesn't make sense. It's hard. Sometimes it's not even fun.
But don't fall into the trap of thinking you've fallen out of love with what you're doing. More than likely, that's not the case at all. Sometimes, it's the constant output and high demand that wears us down, not the content itself. Always remember why you started doing this in the first place. It's because you wanted to. It's because it matters.