I’m writing a book about my experience of burnout as a freelancer. It will include not only my own experiences and reflections, but also conversations with people who have gone through similar experiences, as well as with specialists working in this field and focusing on burnout prevention.

I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t try to turn this story into something meaningful. I’ve been educating myself and exploring this subject in greater depth, expanding my knowledge (and, in a way, returning to my roots, as I came to photography from a background in sociology and social work), so that I can not only work through my own story, but also offer meaningful support to others who may be struggling with similar challenges.
After twenty years as a freelancer, I know this way of working inside out. I also know that burnout can take many different forms.

On 27 June, Facebook reminded me of a post I had shared eight years ago, announcing the opening of my Portrait Studio in Katowice.
I scrolled through the many comments, congratulations and kind wishes. As I read them, I could feel the excitement of that moment all over again. I remembered the sense of pride, hope and joy that came with it.

Looking back, it’s natural to ask how I ended up experiencing burnout; how, somewhere along the way, I lost the joy, the ease and the sense of purpose in my work, and came within a hair’s breadth of closing my business and giving up photography altogether.
Fortunately, today I know the answers.
I’m staying with photography. I’m slowly rebuilding a healthy relationship with it—but on entirely different terms.

I realise just how many warning signs I missed, and how hard I tried to turn a blind eye to the so-called “red flags”. For years.

That crisis is behind me now, but the subject remains very close to my heart. That’s why I’ve created an Instagram account, @wypalenie_na_freelansie, where I want to explore this complex, multi-layered issue and share my own experiences. Not to scare anyone or add to their worries, but to start a conversation about how to take better care of ourselves and prevent burnout.

So if you’re an artist, a creative, or a freelancer, you might find it interesting. I’d love for you to follow the account—and, if you feel like it, to share your own perspective too.