It’s gonna be a NO from me.
When and how to say no to opportunities as a creative.
Today I want to talk about saying no. Until recently, I was bad at this… like really bad. I would say yes to everything, answer all my DMs, work for free, pick up other peoples’ slack, until I was so drained I didn’t even know why I was pursuing design anymore. Have you ever felt like this? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏿♀️🙋🏾♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏼♀️
I think learning WHEN and HOW to say ‘no’ is one of the most important parts of overcoming that cycle that ultimately leads to burnout. Here are some examples of things I’ve said no to lately:
- Can I pick your brain about ____?
- Can you look over my portfolio?
- Can you review my app before we launch next month?
- Can you include our product in your YouTube video in exchange for free merch? (ha!)
- Can you speak at our conference on a volunteer basis?
Saying ‘no’ isn’t rude. It doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful for the opportunity. It just means that you’re prioritizing other things at the moment: work obligations, passion projects, your mental health, chats with your friends, walks out in nature, screen-free Sundays, watching the Bachelor… I could go on.
