Maya B Creative on Burnout, Creativity & Finding Your Way Back
Creativity doesn’t disappear when we burn out — it waits for us to slow down enough to listen.
In this episode of Camera Rolling, I sit down with Maya B Creative, a photographer, production manager, and creative consultant whose journey spans Disney, ESPN, large-scale productions, and eventually… a hard but necessary pause.
There’s no script. No polished talking points. Just a real conversation about what happens when your identity becomes tied to productivity — and what it takes to rebuild from the inside out.
A Creative Spark That Started Early
Maya’s relationship with creativity began in middle school at a performing arts magnet program in Tampa. A single drama class — and watching Phantom of the Opera — cracked something open.
What started as curiosity turned into a lifelong pull toward storytelling, performance, and what happens behind the scenes. That early exposure mattered. It shaped how Maya understood creativity — not as talent, but as connection.
Creativity, at its core, is taking something internal and translating it into the physical world.
From Disney Dreams to Corporate Burnout
After studying radio and television management at UCF, Maya’s career led her into sports production, photography, and eventually Disney’s visual media department. She worked on major productions, immersive projection mapping, and live experiences — often behind the curtain where the magic is made.
But creativity at scale comes with a cost.
Long hours. High pressure. Little rest.
When COVID hit, Maya was furloughed for nearly a year — a forced pause that revealed something deeper. Without work, there was space to ask the hard questions:
Who am I without my job?
What does my body need?
Why am I exhausted even when I love what I do?
When the Body Says “Enough”
Burnout didn’t arrive quietly.
It showed up physically — exhaustion, emotional shutdown, and the realization that pushing through wasn’t strength anymore. Therapy became a turning point. Not as a crisis response, but as a tool for reconnection.
Healing meant revisiting childhood patterns, redefining success, and learning that rest isn’t failure — it’s information.
Your body speaks before your mind catches up.
Rebuilding Creativity on New Terms
Today, Maya’s work looks different.
Less hustle. More intention.
Fewer 15-hour days. More space to breathe.
A creative practice built around safety, alignment, and flow.
Community — both online and in person — became essential. From studio spaces to creative gatherings, Maya found that creativity thrives where people feel seen.
And perhaps the most powerful takeaway:
It’s okay to start over.
It’s okay to do it scared.
Why These Stories Matter
Camera Rolling exists for moments like this — not to chase virality, but to document truth.
Real creatives.
Real transitions.
Real conversations about mental health, identity, and what it means to live a creative life without burning yourself out.
If this story resonates, it’s because you’re not alone.
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