The Power of a Creative Reset: Why I’m Reshaping My Patreon for 2026

2025 Sketchbook practice of Mary Blair inspired art.

I’ve always had a bit of a “jump first, figure it out as I go” pattern in my creative life, and that’s definitely been true of my Patreon. I’m the kind of artist who learns by doing, which means that each year I’ve learned something new about what it means to not only make art, but to share it in a way that feels aligned with my values and with my audience.

This year, I’m implementing one of the biggest shifts yet and it’s already starting to feel like a complete energetic upgrade.

A Fresh Approach (and a Beautiful Source of Inspiration)

Recently, I came across an incredible artist on Instagram, @rayleearts , who shared how she structures her Patreon around an annual theme. Each month becomes a new chapter in that theme, and by the end of the year, she’s built a cohesive 12-month body of work. Even more brilliant? She turns those pieces into a calendar, so the story lives on in a tangible form.

This clicked something into place for me.

As much as I’ve loved offering spontaneous rewards, I realized something was missing: cohesion.

A unifying theme. A guiding thread. Something for my patrons to follow along with, and something for me to grow with, too.

What’s Staying (and What’s Changing)

The rewards themselves ( stickers, & postcards) aren’t going anywhere. But in 2026, they’ll all live within a single magical, whimsical, seasonally-aligned theme. I won’t spoil it here (my patrons will hear it first, of course), but I can tell you this: it’s full of charm, storytelling, and wonder.

Even though I’m a little nervous (I’ve never created a full 12-piece collection before) I’m also incredibly excited. I want this to be a year where I build something I’m deeply proud of, piece by piece, with my patrons right there beside me.

More Than a Collection, It’s a Journey

In the past, my offerings were more like a “pick-and-mix” so each month was unique and often unrelated to the last. This new structure creates a much clearer experience for everyone involved. You’ll still be surprised by the details, but the direction will feel beautifully grounded.

If you fall in love with the first piece of the year, you’ll love the journey we’re about to take together.

I’ve learned that people connect to what they can follow. As a creator, I used to focus on novelty like what’s next, what’s different, what haven’t I tried yet? But this year, I want to focus on depth. I want to bring you into the process with me. I want this year to feel like we’re co-travelers through a magical little world, not just visitors passing through.

Want to Join Me?

If you want to be part of this year-long journey and collect each piece as it’s released, join me on Patreon especially before January 31st, 2026. You’ll be the first to know what the new theme is, and you’ll receive limited-edition monthly rewards that won’t be offered anywhere else.

You can also sign up for my Art & Soul mailing list here where I’ll be sharing what happens after each piece debuts on Patreon. (Hint: some of them may take on new life in ways you won’t want to miss.)

This year, I’m not just making art — I’m building a story. And I’d love for you to be part of it.

When Inspiration Comes at Night, but You Need Sleep

What happens when sleep can’t wait any longer?

Learning to Shift My Creative Rhythm Without Losing My Muse

For the past few years, my creative ritual has looked the same: the house is quiet, the lights are low, and I slip into my little art world long after the day has ended.

Since 2019, I’ve done most of my artwork at night, after homeschooling, after coaching, after motherhood. It started as a way to make sure I created daily. But over time, it became a pattern so automatic that it started to feel like my inspiration only lived in those late hours.

But recently, I’ve felt the cost of this routine.

Why I’m Rethinking My Creative Schedule

Doing art late at night worked… until it didn’t.

I found myself going to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. more often than not. And while my art was flowing, my health was quietly asking for help. My sleep suffered. My hormones felt off. My body was telling me what my creative mind didn’t want to hear: this isn’t sustainable.

I knew I needed to shift.

But when you’ve trained your nervous system to link inspiration with the dark hours, change can feel more complicated than just “go to bed earlier.” I wasn’t just battling schedule change, I was trying to rewrite a neural groove that said “this is when the magic happens.”

The Emotional Tug-of-War

I’m not grieving my old routine. But I do miss the easy flow of creativity I used to find at night.

Trying to shift my schedule has come with unexpected friction. Because I homeschool, our shared family space is constantly buzzing with activity, and it’s also where I create. Finding a new time and a new emotional rhythm for my art has been more challenging than I expected.

And while there’s a small voice inside that whispers, what if the inspiration doesn’t come earlier in the day? I know that’s just fear, not fact. Creative inspiration can live anywhere. It just needs new pathways.

Rebuilding a Rhythm That Honors My Body

Right now, I’m experimenting with gentler routines. I’m allowing myself to rest more, get better sleep, and explore what it would mean to create during the light hours instead of the dark.

I haven’t cracked the code yet, but I’m asking new questions:

• What if a morning walk opened my creative channel?

• What if I set up a small, mobile sketching station away from the main study space?

• What if “daily art” could be redefined, not by time spent, but by presence?

I’ve always known my body is part of my art practice. It’s not just my hands that create, it’s my whole nervous system, my energy field, my breath. So I’m listening. I’m learning. And I’m letting my body be my guide.

What I’m Learning (Even Without Daily Art Time)

Even though I haven’t been creating as frequently as I used to, I’m learning that rest is part of the creative process. It’s giving me more clarity, more energy, and more access to the kind of work I want to create, not just the work I feel pressured to complete.

Sleep is not a threat to creativity. It’s an ally.

When I care for my body, I’m caring for my channel. And when I nurture my channel, I deepen my art.

For Artists Trying to Shift Their Rhythm

If you’re trying to shift your own creative rhythm maybe to care for your health, make more space for family, or honor a new season of life. I want to say this:

It’s okay if things feel off right now. You are not broken. Your creativity is not lost.

You’re just rewiring.

Changing your habits might mean you miss a few days. You might feel like you’ve “fallen behind.” But nothing is lost. Every pause is part of a larger rhythm. Every change is an opportunity to build something better.

Your body is a sacred part of your creative practice. Treat it with care. Give yourself permission to make new promises to yourself, ones that honor where you are now.

Want to See How This Unfolds?

If you’re curious how I’m shifting my rhythm in real time, come join me on Patreon I share the behind-the-scenes of my process as I rework my schedule, my art time, and how I build my creative life around both vision and well-being.

And if you’d like to explore how to gently rewire your own patterns using visualization and somatic dreaming, the Starlight Dream Lab is a beautiful free tool to help you align your big dream with your nervous system and begin installing the creative habits that actually serve you.

Final Thought

Making beautiful work is not about pushing harder. It’s about listening deeper. Sometimes the most radical act of creativity is to choose rest, reset, and trust that inspiration will find you again.

Because it will.

You are still an artist, even when you’re sleeping.

Why You’re More Ready Than You Think: A Love Note to Artists Who Doubt Themselves

My open letter for the creatives wondering if they’re behind, or not good enough…

Dear Artist,

If you’ve been quietly wondering whether you’re too far behind, not talented enough, or still too unclear to really step into your dream as an artist, I want you to know something from the deepest part of my heart:

You are more ready than you think.

I know those thoughts. I’ve had them too. The ones that whisper:

• “What if I’m not good enough to sell my work?”

• “My style isn’t clear enough yet…”

• “There’s still so much I need to learn.”

• “Other artists are miles ahead of me.”

They sound so logical. So reasonable. So convincing.

But just because a thought feels true doesn’t mean it is.

In fact, I want to gently offer this:
Self-doubt often shows up right before we’re about to grow. Not because we’re failing, but because we’re expanding.

Growth feels unfamiliar.

You might be standing in the middle of your next level right now and not even know it because you’re still waiting for it to feel safe. Or perfect. Or polished.

But here’s the truth:
Your style is not hiding from you. Nope, not even close.
Actually, it’s being shaped by everything you’re doing right now.

All those quick sketches? They’re helping.
Every unfinished piece? It counts.
And all the tiny decisions about what colors, textures, and characters you’re drawn to? That’s your style, showing you where it lives.

Style isn’t a mystery to be solved, it’s a pattern of preferences that emerge from action and play. It’s born from permission, not pressure.

And that voice telling you you’re not ready? That’s not your highest self.
It’s a ghost of a past belief that somehow you just were not enough. That’s the part of you that wants to be perfect before it allows you to be seen, simply to protect you.

But here’s the thing...

There is someone out there right now who is looking for the exact kind of art that only you can create, the kind that hasn’t been “overworked,” or “over-trained,” or “perfected” into something generic or robotic.

They’re looking for your color sensibility.
Those quirky lines you love to draw.
Your tender characters.
They are looking for your perspective and voice.

And they will only find it if you keep going.

Gentle Journal Prompt

Take a deep breath, and ask yourself:

What if I’m not behind at all? What if I’m exactly where I’m meant to be and my dream is already unfolding through me?

Let that question sit in your body.
Then, just write. Let it move through you.

Affirmation to Keep Close

“Every piece I create brings me closer to the artist I’m becoming. I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to keep showing up.”

Keep Growing with Me

If this letter landed in your heart, there are a few beautiful ways you can walk this creative path more deeply with me:

• 🎨 Patreon: Join my behind-the-scenes art journey from sketches to finished pieces, and receive monthly rewards like stickers, postcards, and art prints that carry intention and magic.

• 🌙 Starlight Dream Lab (Free Tool): Discover your big creative dream helping to anchor it into your nervous system. This tool is for artists who feel something BIG inside, but can’t quite name it yet.

• 🌟 Epic Year Express: A self-paced workshop that helps you turn your big soul-aligned dream into a strategy you can actually follow. Especially made for sensitive creatives and intuitive thinkers.

Final Thought

If you can imagine the life you want to live and the art you want to make, or the world you want to build, it’s not because you’re delusional or unrealistic…

It’s because you’re being shown what’s possible.

You are a creator. You are already doing it.

And no matter where you are in the journey, someone out there is grateful you haven’t given up.

💖
With love & belief in you,
Therese

How to Develop a Growth Mindset as an Artist (And Why It’s More Important Than Talent)

“Cocoa Cafe” by Therese Tucker for #tinseltown2025 challenge.

There’s a quiet revolution that happens when an artist shifts from asking, “Am I good enough?” to asking, “How can I grow from this?” That’s the difference a growth mindset can make. In this post, I want to share what this shift looks like in real time: the messy, hopeful, vulnerable truth about creating art when your inner critic is loud, your skills are evolving, and your dreams are huge.

Whether you're in a season of expansion or frustration, I hope these thoughts will help you reconnect to your creative path and keep walking it with love.

1. What a Growth Mindset Looks Like in Real Life

For me, a growth mindset as an artist means deeply believing that my skills, talents, and voice aren’t fixed. They’re alive and expanding with every brushstroke, sketch, or creative decision I make.

Even when a piece doesn’t turn out how I hoped, I’ve learned to trust that each session sharpens my hand and my eye, and takes me one step closer to the artist I’m becoming.

2. What It Feels Like When I’m Stuck in a Fixed Mindset

Every time my inner critic flares up, I know I’m brushing up against a fixed mindset. It’s that harsh, “reasonable-sounding” voice that tells me my work isn’t good enough, or that someone else’s style or polish means I should just quit trying.

Recently, while working on the #TinselTown2025 challenge, a cozy Christmas village illustration series, my self-doubt came in fast. I love this style of work, but I don’t feel confident in it yet, and my inner critic had a lot to say about how “wrong” it all looked.

Fixed mindset thinking makes you feel like you’re trapped in a box, with only one “right” way to make art. And that’s a lie.

3. How I Shift Back into Growth Mode

When I catch myself spiraling, I remind myself: This is just one piece. It’s not the defining moment of my career. It’s one brushstroke in a much bigger picture.

I also work with my nervous system with a few deep breaths, a body shake, a little movement to get my energy flowing again. I remind myself that moving the body helps move the mind.

Growth lives in motion, not perfection.

4. A Trick That Helps Me Regain Perspective

When things start feeling visually or emotionally “off,” I give myself permission to walk away. Distance softens the critical voice and resets your eyes.

Sometimes, I even invert my body by hanging my head over the edge of the bed upside down or do a stretch to literally shift my view. It sounds simple, but changing how you look at your work helps you feel differently about it too.

5. To the Artist Who’s Feeling Behind…

Have compassion for yourself. You feel this way because you care deeply. That’s a beautiful thing.

If your vision feels far away, know that most dreams are made up of tiny steps, not giant leaps. There are days when I can only sketch for 5 minutes. But that 5 minutes helps me feel my momentum.

If I showed up today, then I’m closer to my dream than I was yesterday. And so are you.

6. Want Support for Your Creative Growth?

If this post resonated, you might love some of the spaces I’ve created to support other sensitive creatives:

• 🎨 Follow my journey on Patreon — See my collections unfold, get exclusive access to stickers, postcards, behind-the-scenes process, and more.

• 🌠 Try the free Dream Lab — My guided tool to help you clarify your soul-aligned “North Star” so you can turn big dreams into grounded direction.

• 🌙 Join the Epic Year Workshop — This workshop turns your soul-aligned dream into a 12-month creative strategy rooted in nervous system alignment, numerology + your progressed moon.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be perfect to be powerful. You don’t need to be the most polished to be on your path. You just need to keep showing up.

If you’ve been looking for a sign to keep going — this is it.

5 Things Keeping Me Creatively Grounded Right Now

“Love Potion” by Therese Tucker.

Lately, I’ve been holding a lot—artistically, emotionally, and energetically. With big creative goals, active art challenges, a coaching practice, and my daily life in full swing, I’ve realized how important it is to have grounding practices that keep me connected to the joy and purpose of creating.

These aren’t complicated or “productivity hacks.” They’re small, soulful things that bring me back to center—and I want to share them in case you need that too.

1. A Warm Mug While I Work

Whether it’s a favorite tea blend or my evening magnesium hot chocolate, having a cozy, comforting drink by my side while I work makes the whole experience feel more intentional. It’s a small ritual, but it turns my art practice into a moment I look forward to.

2. Mantras That Unlock Flow

When I’m feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, I remind myself:
“I can do this.”
That simple phrase helps soften my shoulders, unlock my wrists, and let me drop back into flow. It pulls me out of worrying about outcomes and into enjoying the process.

3. Artist Challenges & Creative Kinship

Participating in artist challenges—like the #scaryandsweet2025 challenge—has been such a grounding force. Seeing how other artists interpret the same prompt reminds me we’re all connected, and it makes creating feel like a conversation instead of a solo act. It's also where I've been sharing and developing a new collection—surprising even myself!

4. Letting Color Lead

Color is always the first place I start. When I lock in a palette—whether it’s deep Prussian blue, warm vermilions, or glowing golds—I feel lit up and excited to keep going. I often joke it’s like eating the frosting before the cake, and honestly? It is.

5. Visioning Instead of Rushing

I’ve started journaling more intentionally—not just to log my days, but to listen. To ask questions like:
– What kind of art do I want to make?
– What am I trying to say with my work?
– What would it feel like to create from a deep sense of purpose?

Right now, I feel like I’m holding a world in my hands—something not fully formed, but alive. It’s not just a collection. It’s a world that wants to come through. And I’m learning to treat that world gently... like a cat that might jump into your lap if you give it space and time.

You’re Not Behind, You’re Becoming

If you’re also in the middle of something—if you’re trying to make sense of your art, or your purpose, or the direction that calls you—this is your reminder that it’s okay not to have all the answers yet.

The knowing will come.
The art will come.
Your direction will reveal itself in its own rhythm.

💌 Come Along For the Journey

I’m sharing my creative evolution—my collections in progress, sketchbook flips, challenges, and monthly art rewards—on Patreon. I’d love for you to join me there if you want a closer look behind the scenes. 💖

And if you’re seeking daily inspiration, you can always download my Art + Soul Journal—a year-long prompt guide for connecting more deeply to your creative self.