If you’re like most creatives, my guess is your creativity is scattered across a thousand tabs in your brain. Shooting, editing, pitching, invoices, and client calls. Oh, and don’t forget to post something amazing on social media before the algorithm forgets you exist. And somewhere in the chaos lurks the heavy hitters: perfectionism, burnout, and that gut-punch of a question: Am I even good enough? It’s enough to drive you mad.
The problem is that we get so caught up in making that we stop minding the mind behind it all. We don’t notice the slow slide from inspired to exhausted until it’s already too late. So how do you go from surviving to thriving as a creative without burning out or losing your spark?
Here are six of the biggest mental traps that snag us, and how to climb out before they pull us under.
Get out of your head and back into your creative flow. © Brandon Verdura
1. Perfectionism Paralysis
This one I struggled with a lot.
The Trap: You tweak that one project until it’s “just right”… and three weeks later, you’re still tweaking. The work never sees daylight. If only you could see the number of 90% finished photos in my Lightroom… it is shocking.
Why It’s Deadly: Perfection is an illusion that keeps you stuck and robs you of momentum and growth. Waiting for perfection is like waiting for the perfect wave to surf; you’ll watch hundreds pass by without ever riding one. There is a fine balance between creative expression and overthinking your work.
In the 1970s, University of Florida photography professor Jerry Uelsmann split his class into two groups. One was graded purely on the quantity of photos they produced, the other on the quality of a single “perfect” shot. By the end of the term, the best photos came from the quantity group. Shooting constantly forced them to experiment, make mistakes, and improve. The perfectionists? They spent more time theorizing than creating.
© Brandon Verdura
"Remember that growth feels uncomfortable because you’re stretching beyond your current skill set. If you don’t feel a bit uncomfortable or out of place, you probably aren’t challenging yourself enough."
The 80/20 Reality: In the creative world, unless you are submitting for a competition or something, 80% of the work is usually “good enough” for your audience. The last 20%—the tiny adjustments only you notice—often takes 80% of your total time. That’s the danger zone of perfectionism. Your audience won’t see all the debris you removed, the subtle highlight shift, or the exact shade of teal in the shadows. But chasing those details can stall your progress for days or weeks. Done and shared beats perfect and hidden.
The Way Out:
• Aim for 80%. 80% is good enough. The time you would have spent on that last 20% can be used to create another piece of work.
• Release work knowing it will always be imperfect, then aim to make the next one better.
• Remember the KISS method (I have to thank my Father-in-law John for this one) KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid. Stop overcomplicating everything in your life. From your workflows to your pitches.
As a US Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, Brandon knows a thing or two about keeping cool under pressure. © Brandon Verdura
2. The Comparison Spiral
The Trap: You scroll through other creators’ feeds and feel like you’re five years behind.
Why It’s Deadly: It shifts your focus from creating to competing in an endless, unwinnable race. The only person you should be competing against is who you were yesterday.
In 1954, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, something many believed impossible. Within a year, over a dozen others did the same. The ability was always there, but the mental barrier dissolved when someone proved it could be done. The lesson? Others’ achievements can be proof of possibility, not a measuring stick for your worth.
The Way Out:
• Only follow creators that inspire you. The others? Delete them. Either you can shift your mindset to learn from their work, or you need to remove them from your feed. There’s no use in following people who make you feel worse about your own craft.
• Remember that everyone started from zero. Zero skill. Zero followers. Zero technique. You wouldn’t shame a seed for not blooming as fast as the tree next to it. Different roots, different seasons, different timelines: but both still grow.
© Brandon Verdura
"Protect your mind, and you protect the work that only you can bring into the world."
3. Burnout lie
The Trap: You tell yourself you’re “just tired” or “it’s just a busy week,” but really, you’ve been running on fumes for months.
Why It’s Deadly: Burnout doesn’t just drain energy; it erodes creativity and joy.
The Way Out:
• If you’re only making because you feel you have to, you’ll drain the joy out of your craft fast. So create for yourself first. Let your inspiration run wild and take you to some weird places. Create without a care for what others might think of it. In reality, if you wouldn’t make it for yourself, why make it at all?
• Schedule guilt-free creative breaks that have nothing to do with your craft. Your mind is a muscle; it needs a break to grow. Then, when you get back to it, you'll find fresh eyes to bring to your work.
• Protect sleep, movement, and nutrition as part of your creative process. I can’t stress this enough. Even a Ferrari will run like junk if you put the wrong fuel in it and never take your foot off the pedal.
© Brandon Verdura
4. The Self-Doubt Demon
The Trap: That nagging voice whispering “Are you even good enough?”
Why It’s Deadly: It fuels hesitation, over-preparation, and missed opportunities.
Even while I am writing this, the little demon in my head is saying, “Who do I think I am to write about this?”. A healthy mindset doesn’t mean you never get intrusive thoughts… a healthy mindset allows you to have those thoughts and the power to tell it to them to shut up. These thoughts are called Automatic negative thoughts or “ANTs,” and we all have them. They are involuntary and pop into your head, usually without any conscious effort. So you are not alone in having these thoughts.
The Way Out:
• When ANTs show up at your door, you have a choice: You can let them in, or you can say “No thank you” and close the door.
• Remember that growth feels uncomfortable because you’re stretching beyond your current skill set. If you don’t feel a bit uncomfortable or out of place, you probably aren’t challenging yourself enough.
Make your mind like water, go with the flow. © Brandon Verdura
5. The Always-On Grind
The Trap: Believing creativity only counts if you’re constantly producing.
Why It’s Deadly: It turns your craft into a hamster wheel instead of a source of fulfillment and expression.
The Way Out:
• Build seasons into your creative life: production, reflection, rest.
• Remember that quiet space is where ideas actually form. Allow time for silence. In the shower, in the car, on a walk. Play no music or just lofi. Let your thoughts flow. This is when my best ideas come to mind. Not in front of a screen. The space between shoots is just as valuable as the shoots themselves.
© Brandon Verdura
6. Idea Graveyard
The Trap: You keep ideas locked in your head, or on your hard drive: waiting for the “right time” or for it to be “fully finished” to release them. It’s perfectionism’s ugly sister.
Why It’s Deadly: Unused ideas become stale and you lose the spark that made them exciting. The “90% finished photos” I spoke about earlier… I edited them to 90% because I was super excited about them. Now, when I look at them, they feel like old, uninteresting pieces of work.
The Way Out:
• Act on ideas while the excitement is fresh.
• Share the imperfect version; momentum breeds better versions.
© Brandon Verdura
Final Thought
Creativity isn’t just about talent or tools. It’s about mental stewardship. There is a quote that says, “You either master your mind or it will master you”. Protect your mind, and you protect the work that only you can bring into the world.
Additional Viewing
Setting the Tone: Color Grading for Underwater Photography
Working With a Freediving Model in Open Water
Macro Minded: Creating Meaningful Underwater Macro Photo and Video
How Motherhood Transformed Alison Bounce's Underwater Maternity Photography
What a Wildlife Filmmaker Learned From an Underwater Maternity Photoshoot
Brandon Verdura is an avid photographer, freediver, and US Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer living out his dreams on whatever beautiful shoreline he finds himself. He developed a passion for the water at a young age, learning how to freedive and spearfish in his father’s footsteps in South Florida. His career takes him to many water-based locations where he is able to master and practice his love for photography. Check out more of Brandon’s work on his website or Instagram @brandonverdura.
