Creative Business Burnout: Saying No to a Dream Opportunity

Being an artist sounds like a dream—making your own work, setting your schedule, following your passion. But sometimes? It’s messy, overwhelming, and full of hard choices. Even worse sometimes if you don’t pace yourself you can move into the creative business burnout zone. In this video, I share one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make lately—and what it taught me about protecting your peace in a creative business

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The Parts of Creative Business We Don’t Talk About

Running an art business can look magical from the outside—but there’s a whole behind-the-scenes world that doesn’t make it to Instagram. The overthinking. The exhaustion. The to-do lists. The mental load of trying to be your own marketing team, designer, product manager, and customer support line—all before lunch.

And beyond the logistics, there’s the emotional side. The tiny voice that says you’re not doing enough. That you should be moving faster. That you should’ve launched that product yesterday.

It can feel heavy—and lonely.

The Dream That Turned into a Dilemma

One of my goals this year was to show up in real life: markets, meetups, and artist events. So when a friend encouraged me to apply to Renegade Craft Fair, it felt like the perfect opportunity. Renegade is beautifully curated, filled with sunshine and creativity, and something I’ve admired for a long time.

At first, I doubted myself—do I even have enough product? Am I ready?

Then the universe nudged me. An email popped into my inbox from Renegade announcing they were still accepting applications. So I applied—and got in. I was thrilled.

But here’s where it got messy.

I had already committed to teaching two block printing workshops at Craftcation just two days before the Renegade market. I was prepping for Craftcation’s pop-up shop. I was managing my full-time job, my business, and everything in between.

And slowly, that excitement turned to panic.

Choosing Peace Over Pressure

After a few sleepless nights and some honest conversations with Catherine and fellow artists, I made a hard call: I said no to Renegade.

Was I disappointed? Yes. Embarrassed? A little.
But mostly? I felt relief.

That decision reminded me of something I keep having to relearn:
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

Even when it’s a great opportunity. Even when it looks amazing on paper.

Sometimes, saying no is how you say yes to your energy, your peace, your creativity.

If You’re in a Messy Season, You’re Not Alone

If you’re in a season where things feel tangled—where you’re stretched too thin or questioning everything—please know: you’re not the only one.

We don’t talk enough about the things we don’t do for the sake of our own sanity. But those decisions count. They’re just as much a part of building a business as the launches, the milestones, and the wins.

You are still doing beautiful work—even if it’s happening slower than you’d hoped.
You’re allowed to shift your plans.
You’re allowed to rest.

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