Designer
Nothing I did helped get my energy back. Then a day came where I had no ideas, no spark left in me. I was burnt out. It gave me such a fright, I thought, ‘If I’m no longer a creative, who am I?’
It covers five areas that act as fuel for creativity: connection, wonder, pause, movement, joy.
PRINT Magazine’s DesignThinkers Podcast features Finnish designer Emmi Salonen discussing her book 'The Creative Wellbeing Handbook' and the importance of sustainable creative practices. Hosted by RGD President Nicola Hamilton, the episode explores burnout, slowness, and maintaining joy in design work. It highlights Salonen’s thoughtful approach to design systems and creative balance.
The article profiles Finnish designer Emmi Salonen and her new book, The Creative Wellbeing Handbook, published by BIS Publishers. Drawing from her own experience with burnout, Salonen introduces a model that reframes creativity as an ecosystem requiring balance between input and output. The book compiles insights from over 100 creatives worldwide and offers tools for sustaining creative wellbeing.