We’ve all gone through various moments of indifference when balking at the mundane nature of our everyday life. The work and interactions become dull and the things that once brought interest and joy to our lives become flat or borderline draining. I’m sure many of you reading this acknowledge that a sense of passion helps fuel some of your best work. But sometimes, that fleeting passion slowly evaporates, leaving you wondering where to replenish this sacred creative ingredient.

The last 6-8 weeks have been a series of personal uncertainties,  mostly due to a deep introspective look at what interests me today, how much these things interest me, and what could interest me even more. I soon came to the realization that my current set of opportunities and experiences lack that ability to impact a decision meaningfully.

While trying not to discount burnouts, it dawned on me that impact is a key component towards our professional and creative happiness. Impact is your ability to influence and engender  positive change in the system you’re in (regardless of company or personal setting). What’s crucial is that our impact on a task/skill may wane and transform as we gain experience. Taking on more responsibility for the first time translates to the ability to impact yourself (through learning) and to affect your surroundings through management/directional decisions. But does it last forever? Not quite. The fascinating part about impact is that, as you develop competency and experience, there’s the potential to crave new challenges. You often hear people go on to seek new horizons, but I believe that they actually do so because of their inability to affect an outcome. This personal interest in creating change pushes you to recognize that there are new and bigger opportunities ahead of you.

From the safety of a company or brand to starting your own project, there’s a lot of merit in running and doing your own thing. The freedoms and benefits you reap from your decisions, however difficult, translate into an incredible personal growth experience.

There is a myriad of reasons as to why we get into such creative ruts. However,  these phases are a good reminder that in the inevitable moment of lethargy and indifference that comes with the work we create, there are solutions. Modifying outcomes through your impact is a near limitless way for you to find creative sustenance on your journey.