Creative burnout is a common but often under-examined part of studying at art school. Our new research report, Inside the Kiln: Student Experiences of Creative Burnout at UAL, explores how students experience burnout, what contributes to it, and what needs to change to support more sustainable creative education.
Arts Students’ Union has published a new research report exploring creative burnout amongst UAL students.
Drawing on focus groups with students from across UAL, Inside the Kiln looks at how creative burnout affects students’ ability to generate ideas, experiment, take risks, and stay connected to their creative practice.
Students described creative burnout as a loss of creative capacity; feeling stuck, depleted, unable to make work, or forced into “just getting it done” mode. The report also highlights the structural pressures that can contribute to burnout, including assessment design, deadline clustering, expectations around originality, access to resources, and the personal nature of creative work.
The report sets out practical recommendations for UAL and Arts SU, including changes to assessment design, clearer support around creative block, better access to resources, and more open conversations about sustainable creative practice.
You can read the full report here.
This research was completed through our Research Insiders programme. You can sign up to become a Research Insider and take part in similar opportunities here.