Finding My Voice Again: How I’m Rebuilding My Creative Life After Burnout (Chaos Included)

Kyra Marie
Jul 4, 2025
4 min read

Hello there! Remember when I used to blog like a caffeinated squirrel on glitter?

Lockdown made blogging my absolute lifeline—a place to scream “fuck a duck, life’s messy!” without pants, or care, or even the thought of shaved legs. It was my Mind Palace, just with more crumbs and questionable tangents. It was my little zone of chaotic sanity in a truly mad world

I couldn't decide on an image and this ridiculous thing made me laugh out loud so....you're welcome for the nightmards!

Then?

Everything went heavy. My creativity didn’t just vanish; it staged a full-blown Houdini act, and so did my will to adult. I tried to blog but the words didn’t come flowing out ike they used to and I claimed ‘writer’s block’

Problem is, sometimes when you give something a nice neat title like ‘writer’s block’, you can hang on to it as the armour you don’t really need, like wearing armbands while walking around asda…kinda. The fact is…it was worse than that…it was….. Dun dhun duuuuun…

Burnout

Burnout hit me harder than a toddler with a rogue biscuit. And honestly, for a long while, I just kinda… existed. Like a half-eaten packet of biscuits at the back of the cupboard. The ones the kids tell me off for ‘saving’ and never eating. (Ok, teeny tiny lie, I fought whatever was thrown at me but not much else, but that sentence flowed so well, therefore, existed!)

Ok, so what changed?

Side note; No, my life did not get less hectic and boringly normal!

Well, like I said, life got ‘woah, what the actual you can’t make this shit up’ chaotic but it did make me realised a few things while slowly peeling myself off the sofa (which, by the way, is a whole other saga involving levitating furniture, but we’ll save that for later. (Or maybe not. My brain decides.):

Waiting for the world to slow down is a scam. Waiting for ‘readiness’ is utter tripe (ooh, tripe…look at me trying to not say bollocks).

Creativity isn’t “all-or-nothing.” Most days, it’s actually “some-days-I-scribble-on-napkins-while-crying/laughing-like-a-loon.” And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. Who decided creativity had to be pristine anyway? Probably someone with a perfectly tidy desk and no kids. and all those teeny tiny drawers filled with actual useful stuff.

I definitely don’t need my shit sorted to share. (Spoiler alert: It’ll never be sorted. My life is basically a perpetual ‘before’ photo. Embrace the glorious unfinishedness, Chumlins and bound forward like a new labrador puppy.)

And my journals and prints? Turns out, they’re not just paper and ink. They’re burnout floaties. They’re tools for ADHD goblins like me to find a tiny shred of sanity in the beautiful chaos. Or, sometimes, they’re just what my brain decided to spit out that day – no clever category, no deep meaning, just pure, unadulterated output. And yeah, I’m making more of them. Because why the devil not? Sometimes my brain needs random creativity to shut da fook up.

THE PLAN (Chaos Edition, obviously)

So, I’m crawling back onto the internet.

half-caffinated

72.8% Terrified

Spending too much time trying to move tiny text boxes

but 100% done hiding

And this time, shit is getting real! This time…..I’m relaunching under the umbrella of

Current logo that I have already decided I am changing

(oo er, I know right?!)

But fear not, little Chumlins, it is still going to be just as gloriously messy as before. Possibly even messier, because progress over perfection.

Side note: Which is why, spoiler alert, I am publishing my new website before she is even ready.

She is going forth in to the world unapologetically unready

Here’s what’s on the menu:

- Prints that scream: “I too survive on chaos & caffeine” (and sometimes, pure spite. And sometimes, it’s just a really cool pattern my brain decided was necessary, no explanation given).

- Journals for ADHD goblins: Undated, forgiving, wine-stain-friendly, and probably covered in glitter from the aforementioned squirrels. Also, a few just because they felt right in the moment. And some that don’t feel quite right, but who am I to judge?

- Zero toxic positivity: Just “holy shit, we’re trying” solidarity. Because sometimes, the only way through is a shared, awkward laugh. And maybe a bit of swearing.

- And, of course, the raw, unfiltered bits of life—the funny, the honest, the healing, and the stuff you genuinely couldn’t make up (like that sofa incident, bless its cotton socks, it’s still in the hall).

Alright, What’s next then?

This ain’t a comeback. This is a crawl-back. And you can absolutely expect:

- Half-baked drafts ☑️ (fresh from the oven, probably still doughy, might need a re-read later or never)

- Awkward jokes ☑️ (so awkward they loop back around to genius, or just fall flat. We’ll see!)

- Unfiltered rants ☑️ (my therapist told me to externalize my feelings, so here we are, enjoying my emotional vomit)

- And a whole lot of me. The real, unvarnished, “did-I-just-say-that-out-loud?” me.

Trying to build an empire with a very needy dog

A teeny tiny ity bity ask….

If any of this resonates, if you’ve ever felt like your brain is a browser with 147 tabs open and several forgotten Spotify playlists blaring—let me know!

- Comment your burnout level below: 🍷 (tipsy) to 💥 (meltdown)

- And while you’re here, why not peek at my journals? They just might be the burnout floaties you never knew you needed. Or maybe just a print I made on a whim. Either way, something’s there. → (Here)

Here we go, again!

TPFN

Kyra x

Chief Chumlin / Chaos Creator

It was sugested to add an inspiring image of me looking off in to the distance looking all ready and shit but...I hate photos so this is what we are working with

Honestly, this just brings me so much joy! I~ wish I bought them!

Kyra Marie Is Me

Not the bimbling type? Here's a snazzy search bar: