The Cost Isn’t Just Burnout
It's the slow erosion of what made your work distinctive in the first place. A note for the creatives.
Somewhere along the way, we were convinced that visibility equals viability. That if you're not posting, you're not growing. That your worth as a creative professional could be measured in engagement rates.
Frankly - it's exhausting. And for most of us, it's also wrong. But here's what nobody talks about:
the cost isn't just burnout. It's the slow erosion of what made your work distinctive in the first place.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DEPLETION
I spent 5 years in training and development at a Fortune 500 company before starting my studio. People worked hard - sometimes too hard - but nothing a long weekend couldn't fix. The work was demanding, but it didn't drain the well you pulled from to do it.
Creative burnout is different.
When you're burnt out in a creative profession, you're not just tired. You're depleted in the exact place you need to be full. The inspiration well runs dry. The ideas stop coming. The work that used to energize you starts to feel like another obligation.
And the advice you've been following - post consistently, show up everywhere, create daily - is designed to keep you in exactly this state.
WHO THE ADVICE WAS BUILT FOR
The creator economy runs on volume. The top 1% of creators - the ones making real money from content itself - post multiple times daily across platforms. They have teams. Editors. Strategists. Their business is content (and costs $70k+ to produce!)
But that's not your business.
You're a photographer whose business is shooting weddings, not filming reels about shooting weddings. A designer whose business is creating brands, not content about creating brands. A therapist whose business is transformation, not tips about transformation.
The platforms don't distinguish between these models.
The advice doesn't either.
So you're trying to run a service business using a playbook written for professional creators - and wondering why you're drowning.
WHAT GETS TRADED
A photographer booking twenty weddings a year doesn't need more visibility. She needs her past clients to remember her name when their sister gets engaged.
But here's what happens instead:
Time that could deepen client relationships gets spent filming reels. Energy that could strengthen referral networks goes to studying algorithm changes. Creative energy that could go into the actual work gets fragmented across content about the work.
The best work - the kind that builds reputation - requires space. And sustained attention. And the mental room to let ideas develop past their first iteration.
You can't access that when you're in constant production mode.
THE CONVERSION GAP
The data tells a different story than the advice does.
Social media converts at an average of 1.5%. Referrals convert at 3.74%—more than double. Past clients who already trust your work convert at even higher rates.
Yet most creatives spend the majority of their energy on the channel with the lowest return, wondering why it feels so hard.
But here's what actually happens when someone needs your services:
When they're getting married, they're asking their recently-married friend who shot her wedding. When they're ready for therapy, they're asking their sister who her therapist is. When they're planning a rebrand, they're asking their business network who they've worked with.
They're not scrolling Instagram hoping to stumble across the right person. They're looking for referrals from people whose judgment they trust.
Your ideal client isn't waiting to discover you. They're living their life until the moment they need what you do. And when that moment comes, they'll find you through the channels they actually trust: recommendations, search, existing relationships.
The question isn't how to be more visible.
It's how to be findable and trustworthy when someone's actually looking.
WHAT ACTUALLY BUILDS
I'm watching a pattern emerge among service businesses who aren't burning out.
They're not posting daily. They're not chasing trends. They're not trying to be everywhere.
Instead, they've built systems around the moments that actually create growth: staying connected with past clients, making it easy for satisfied customers to refer them, being present in the places their ideal clients already gather.
A wedding photographer I know takes on thirty weddings a year. She hasn't posted on Instagram in six months. Her calendar stays full because she sends anniversary notes to couples, maintains relationships with three venues that trust her completely, and creates such a seamless experience that clients can't help but recommend her.
She's not an anomaly. She's just optimizing for depth instead of reach.
And critically: she has the creative energy to make each wedding exceptional and stretch herself creatively with her clients. Because she's not spending twenty hours a week creating content about weddings.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
Not every platform. Not daily posts. Not to turn your creative process into content.
You need a strong portfolio that represents your best work. A website that makes it easy for people to understand what you do and how to work with you. A way to stay connected with people who've already experienced your work. Relationships with complementary businesses who understand your value.
Most of all: the space to do your actual work at the level that builds your reputation.
The platforms will tell you that consistent posting is essential. Of course they will - their business model depends on your content.
But your business doesn't need you to feed algorithms. It needs you to do work worth remembering and build relationships worth maintaining.
The platforms profit from your exhaustion.
Your business doesn't have to.
— Caitlin Backeris
Full Excerpt from Field Notes. This is where I share what I'm learning about building businesses that grow through depth, not noise. If this resonates, subscribe here to get a bit more personal in your inbox.
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