Why Trusting Your Art Process Is So Hard (And What to Do When You Can't See the Outcome Yet)
This week, I ruined a painting. Or at least, that's what it felt like in the moment.
I was working on an owl butterfly hybrid, a barn owl face painted over India ink, with washes of watercolor and gouache layered on top. The ink is my base layer. It's a process I love. And then, right in the middle of the face (which is supposed to be almost white, the way barn owls are), a big splash of black ink landed exactly where I didn't want it.
See? You would never know that I dripped ink all over his face!
This week, I ruined a painting. Or at least, that's what it felt like in the moment.
I was working on an owl butterfly hybrid, a barn owl face painted over India ink, with washes of watercolor and gouache layered on top. The ink is my base layer. It's a process I love. And then, right in the middle of the face (which is supposed to be almost white, the way barn owls are), a big splash of black ink landed exactly where I didn't want it.
I couldn't wipe it up. India ink is immediate and permanent on paper. So I had to make a choice: panic, tear the page out, start over, or trust the process and keep going.
I kept going. I filled in the rest of the face with the dark ink, reminded myself that gouache is opaque (it can cover anything), and decided to see what happened.
What happened is that it became one of the moodiest, most atmospheric pieces I've made. The dark underlayer gave it depth. It enhanced the evening feeling I was going for, something I couldn't have planned if I tried.
But here's the thing: I could only trust the process because I knew something. I knew gouache could cover it. I knew the ink would add depth. I had enough experience to take the leap.
What do you do when you don't have that certainty? What do you do when you're in the middle and you genuinely cannot predict the outcome?
The Middle Is Genuinely Unpredictable (And That's Not a Personal Flaw)
I want to be honest with you about something, because I think a lot of artist advice glosses over this part: trusting the process doesn't mean you know how it ends. It means you stay in it anyway, without that guarantee.
Right now, I'm working toward licensing my artwork. And there are weeks where I feel completely aligned, clear on my direction, energized, confident. And then there are weeks where I'm scrolling, comparing, questioning whether any of this is actually going anywhere.
The thought that lands hardest during those doubt-weeks isn't loud or dramatic. It's quiet and it sounds educated. It sounds like: what if no one wants this? What if I can't actually make a living doing this?
That thought brings exhaustion with it. And the exhaustion can start to feel like a signal, like maybe it's your nervous system telling you something is wrong. But I've started to wonder if exhaustion in the middle might actually be a sign that you are working toward something real. Something that matters enough to scare you.
What "Trusting the Process" Actually Requires
I used to think trusting the process was a mindset thing, like if I believed hard enough, the doubt would go away. It doesn't work like that, at least not for me.
What I've found is that trust isn't the absence of doubt. It's showing up in the presence of it.
With my painting, I trusted the process because I had a technical foundation to lean on. I knew what gouache could do. In the bigger picture of building a creative career, the equivalent of that technical foundation is consistency. Every day I show up and make something, I'm adding to what I know. I'm sharpening my eye. I'm expanding what I'm capable of. I'm building a body of work that compounds over time.
The process only works if you stay in it long enough for it to work. And staying in it is the hard part, especially when you are squarely in the middle and the outcome is genuinely unknown.
Rejection as Direction, Not Verdict
Something has shifted in me around rejection lately. It doesn't feel as final as it used to.
A "no" tells me something. It makes me look closer at my work. It makes me tighten, refine, and adjust. It's uncomfortable, genuinely uncomfortable, but it's also useful information. Like the splash of black ink: it doesn't mean the painting is ruined. It means I have to find a new way through.
I think the artists who make it are not the ones who avoid rejection. They're the ones who learn to read it differently. Not as a verdict on their worth, but as a signal about direction.
When You Feel Like You've Ruined Everything: A Practical Reset
When I hit that moment in a painting where I'm sure I've destroyed it, I've learned to do one thing: walk away. Sometimes I move to another piece. Sometimes I sleep on it. And almost always, when I come back with fresh eyes, I can see the path forward.
The "ruin" is almost never actual ruin. It's usually over-focus. It's my brain being too close to the work for too long.
The same is true in bigger creative seasons. If you're feeling like everything is falling apart or stalling out, it's worth asking: when did I last actually step back? Not quit, just breathe. Reset your nervous system. Come back with distance.
Exhaustion can masquerade as failure. Confusion can masquerade as incompetence. Give yourself the chance to tell the difference before you make any decisions about stopping.
If You're in the Middle Right Now
If you're applying and hearing nothing back. If you're creating consistently but can't see the traction yet. If you're doubting whether your work is good enough, or whether you started too late, or whether anyone actually wants what you're making, I want to say this clearly:
The middle is supposed to feel like this. It is not a sign you are doing it wrong.
You cannot see the outcome from inside the process. That's not a flaw in you, it's just the nature of the middle. The barn owl face was solid black before it was a moody, atmospheric painting. You can't always know what something is becoming while it's still being made.
What I know is that I'm still here. Still painting, still applying, still refining, still showing up on the days when I can't see where it's going. And I believe, genuinely, that the showing up is what builds the path. Not before you walk it. While you walk it.
Keep going, beautiful soul.
If You Want to Watch the Shaping in Real Time
I share this whole stage inside my Patreon, the works in progress, the portfolio building, the experimenting, the refining. It's not polished. It's honest. And if you're building something too, I think you'd feel right at home there.
And if you're feeling lost in the woods right now and need help reconnecting with your North Star, the Starlight Dream Lab is a beautiful place to begin. It's where we do the deeper work of remembering what you're actually building toward.
How Creating Art in Collections Helps You Find Your Style (Without Forcing It)
For a long time, I thought my art style was something I was supposed to discover, like it was hiding somewhere just out of reach.
I believed that once I figured out my style, everything else would fall into place. The confidence. The clarity. The sense of direction. The feeling of finally knowing what I was doing.
But what I’ve learned, through years of creating, experimenting, doubting, recommitting, and showing up anyway, is that style isn’t something you find first. It’s something that forms while you’re busy making meaningful work.
And for me, the biggest shift didn’t come from trying harder to “define” my style.
It came when I started creating in collections.
Pieces from my Botanical Beasties Collection 2025.
For a long time, I thought my art style was something I was supposed to discover like it was hiding somewhere just out of reach.
I believed that once I figured out my style, everything else would fall into place. That it would lead to my confidence, and clarity, giving me a sense of direction. I wanted the feeling of finally knowing what I was doing.
But what I’ve learned, through years of creating, experimenting, doubting, recommitting, and showing up anyway, is that style isn’t something you find first. It’s something that forms while you’re busy making meaningful work.
And for me, the biggest shift didn’t come from trying harder to “define” my style.
It came when I started creating in collections.
When Art Is Intuitive… but Scattered
Before I worked in collections, my creative process looked like this:
Inspiration would strike.
I’d make a piece.
I’d love the act of creating it.
Then I’d move on to the next idea.
As an intuitive, right-brained artist, this felt natural. Magical, even.
But over time, something felt off.
When I looked at my work as a whole, it felt scattered and disconnected. Like a series of beautiful moments that didn’t quite speak to each other.
And more importantly, I had no real sense of what my audience wanted from me.
It turned out, I didn’t lack creativity or even skill, I was actually lacking continuity.
Why Style Feels So Elusive When You’re Making One-Off Pieces
Here’s something I wish more artists talked about:
When you only create one-off pieces, you never stay with an idea long enough for your style to reveal itself.
Style doesn’t come from a single piece.
It comes from repeated choices.
When every artwork starts from scratch (with new colors, new tools, new moods, new methods) you don’t give your instincts time to deepen. You’re always beginning again.
Working in collections changed that for me completely.
What Creating Collections Gave Me (That I Didn’t Expect)
When I committed to telling a story over multiple pieces, something surprising happened:
I stopped obsessing over whether my work was “good enough.”
Instead, I started asking better questions:
What connects these pieces?
What feeling do I want someone to have when they see them together?
What choices need to stay consistent so the story makes sense?
And quietly, without forcing anything, my style began to emerge.
Not because I chased it, but because I stayed with something long enough to understand it.
Why Collections Reduce the Pressure of “Finding Your Style”
Here’s the revelatory part most artists don’t hear:
Style is a byproduct of consistency, not a prerequisite for it.
When you work in collections, your focus shifts from:
“What am I good at?”
to:
“What am I trying to give?”
You start by gathering:
a limited color palette
a recurring subject or motif
a setting or world
an emotional tone
a loose narrative arc
Suddenly, it’s no longer about proving yourself, instead It’s about serving the story.
And in serving the story, your preferences start to repeat themselves:
the same brushes
the same tools
the same layering order
the same line weight
the same kinds of shapes
the same color relationships
That repetition is style.
Style Is Not Just Something That Happens, It’s Also a Choice
This was another big realization for me:
Yes, style develops through practice.
But style also develops through decision-making.
Every time you choose:
which tools you use
which ones you don’t
which colors you return to
which processes feel natural to your hands
…you are actively shaping your style.
Working in collections made this visible.
Instead of experimenting endlessly, I started committing to a small set of choices and letting those choices teach me who I am as an artist.
My Doorway Into Every Collection: Color
Everyone has a doorway.
Mine is color.
Color is how I enter a story.
It’s how I feel my way forward.
Before I think about technique or polish, I ask:
What colors belong in this world?
Limiting my palette was the first thing that made my work feel cohesive.
If you’re just starting a collection, I always recommend this:
Choose 7 colors or fewer
Or even start with just 2–3
You’ll be amazed how quickly everything begins to speak the same language.
Real Examples From My Recent Collections
When I created my Christmas Village (Tinseltown 2025):
every building shared the same palette
every scene included people and dogs
the background texture was reused across pieces
With Scary & Sweet:
Victorian wallpaper
oval frames
named characters
a portrait-gallery feel (think Haunted Mansion)
And now with Moonrise Menagerie on Patreon:
woodland settings
animals + flowers
a mythic tone
and each piece representing a different time of day
Each collection taught me something new, not by accident, but by design.
One of the Biggest Gifts of Working in Collections
Here’s something I didn’t expect:
It made self-critique easier and kinder.
When a piece felt off, it was obvious why.
And because it was part of a larger whole, fixing it felt constructive instead of personal.
Collections turn criticism into curiosity.
They help you ask:
What does this piece need to belong here?
If You’re Struggling With Style, Start Here
If you remember only one thing from this post, let it be this:
Style is a byproduct. Not the starting point.
If you want to begin:
Start with a 3-piece mini collection
Choose one motif
Choose a limited color palette
Let repetition teach you
Consistency builds confidence.
Confidence builds clarity.
Clarity builds style.
Want to See This Process in Real Time?
Inside my Patreon, I’m currently creating a year-long collection called Moonrise Menagerie and sharing my decisions, missteps, revisions, and breakthroughs as they happen.
If you want to:
watch a collection unfold from the inside
understand how cohesive bodies of work are built
and see how style emerges through story
👉 Join me on Patreon and follow the journey from the very beginning.
Moonrise Menagerie: A Year of Magic in the Making
Every year, I love to begin with intention, and this year, I’m setting that intention through art.
Let me introduce you to Moonrise Menagerie: a twelve-part collection unfolding month by month on Patreon in 2026. Each painting will be a gentle portal: a woodland scene that combines one animal, one flower, and a specific time of day. Together, they’ll tell a story of cycles, symbols, and quiet moments of connection.
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know that I don’t just paint pictures I also channel messages.
The official poster for Moonrise Menagerie
Every year, I love to begin with intention and this year, I’m setting that intention through art.
Let me introduce you to Moonrise Menagerie: a twelve-part collection unfolding month by month on Patreon in 2026. Each painting will be a gentle portal: a woodland scene that combines one animal, one flower, and a specific time of day. Together, they’ll tell a story of cycles, symbols, and quiet moments of connection.
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know that I don’t just paint pictures, I also channel messages. These aren’t just animals or plants plucked at random. Every combination is intentional, and each one holds a message. I want every image to feel like the universe whispering something personal and timely to you. That’s the heart of this series:
✨ magic that meets you where you are.
Why “Moonrise Menagerie”?
I’m a lover of alliteration, and this phrase floated to me almost like a spell.
“Moonrise” felt right because it signals something rising gently, an ongoing story, a light that emerges through the dark, a rhythm we can feel but not control.
“Menagerie” brings the sense of a magical collection of beings. Each one holds mythic energy and presence. It feels alive.
What You’ll Find in Each Chapter
Each month in Moonrise Menagerie features:
A woodland-inspired scene
One animal guide
One seasonal or symbolic flower
A specific time of day (sunrise, moonrise, twilight, etc.)
Every combination is designed to:
Spark the imagination
Activate a sense of symbolic resonance
Remind you that the natural world is full of meaning
The themes are personal to me, but universal in spirit. This is a story you can find yourself inside of.
A Teaser for January: “Starlight Hour”
We begin our year in the far north, in the stillness of Alaska’s boreal forest. The first chapter takes place in Starlight Hour: that deep, quiet time when the sky turns its darkest blue and the stars feel closest.
There’s a special animal and flower that live in this place and I can’t wait to share them with my patrons first. You’ll see the full reveal there, along with a channeled note, a tiny palette card, and more behind-the-scenes peeks.
How to Join the Adventure
The first sticker and postcard mailers go out at the end of January.
If you join a mail tier before January 31, you’ll receive:
January’s original postcard print
A matching sticker
Access to WIPs, lore, swatch cards, and gentle surprises all year long
✨ Patreon is the only way to collect the full Moonrise Menagerie.
You’ll be able to see the full set grow month by month—culminating in a complete 12-part journey by the end of the year.
Join Patreon here →
Or hop on the Art & Soul Journal email list to follow the journey.
A Final Thought
More than anything, this collection is about remembering your inner world and reconnecting to nature’s quiet invitations. These aren’t just paintings. They’re conversations with your soul.
Whether you collect the series or simply follow along, I hope Moonrise Menagerie brings a bit more beauty, wonder, and intentionality to your year.
The Power of a Creative Reset: Why I’m Reshaping My Patreon for 2026
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.
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.
Building Tinsel Town: How a Christmas Village Helped Me Step into My Style
There’s something magical about creating a world from scratch.
This December, I joined the #TinselTown2025 challenge on Instagram, hosted by a wonderful group of illustrators (listed below), and something clicked. I love drawing and painting brownstones, so the idea of building my own illustrated Christmas village? It was an instant yes.
“Gumdrop Village” by Therese Tucker for the #tinseltown2025 art challenge.
There’s something magical about creating a world from scratch.
This December, I joined the #TinselTown2025 challenge on Instagram, hosted by a wonderful group of illustrators (listed below), and something clicked. I love drawing and painting brownstones, so the idea of building my own illustrated Christmas village? It was an instant yes.
At the start, my only real plan was to fill my village with beautiful brownstones. That was it. No master strategy. Just a desire to follow my joy.
🎨 Inspired by Brooklyn (and a Little Wes Anderson Magic)
My time living near Park Slope in Brooklyn gave me all the nostalgic material I needed: snowy walks with my husband, beautifully lit windows, wreaths on front doors, and the hum of cozy cafes tucked between brownstones. I also pulled color inspiration from The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson's genius never fails me). I chose a palette that felt slightly vintage, slightly sweet, and full of charm and I stuck to it all the way through.
Each piece was drawn digitally in Procreate using gouache, ink, and pencil brushes. I gave every building its own personality and a canine companion because every great town deserves dogs. 🐾
📚 My Favorite Building? The Bookstore.
While I loved every part of this piece, the bookstore became my favorite. It was inspired by a real memory — visiting the Barnes & Noble in Union Square ( though this version is purely imagined.) There’s something about the elegant arches, the stone columns, and the woman standing outside holding her packages that feels like me. She’s done shopping... but she’s still looking for the perfect book.
It was hard to choose a favorite…
In the end, the bookstore won my heart from the star ornaments, to the little details of books, pots of ink and presents.
It was little vignettes like that one that ended up surprising me most.
🧠 What I Learned While Building Tinsel Town
I’m better at storytelling than I realized. Creating each building felt like writing a short scene.
My style is getting more cohesive, my linework is more delicate and intentional.
I love working with a limited color palette. It makes decisions easier and results stronger.
I found a workflow that works for me: blocking in shapes before sketching feels natural and satisfying.
I want to start documenting my creative process like a recipe. That’s now on my to-do list.
And even though I didn’t get to paint every building I hoped to (time was tight!), I’m genuinely proud of what came through. Sharing a horizontal panoramic piece on Instagram wasn’t seamless, but the kind response made it all worthwhile.
🧁 What I Hope You Feel When You See Tinsel Town
Whimsical nostalgia. That feeling you get when you watch a Wes Anderson film with everything in its place, gently charming, and a little bit dreamlike.
This village is my love letter to Brooklyn, to winter walks, to festive windows, and to the slow beauty of building something one brick at a time.
🧁 What’s Next + Where to Find More
🎁 Limited Edition Alert!
A print and sticker from my Tinsel Town collection will be available exclusively to my Patreon patrons for December. Join before December 31st and it’s yours too!
🎄 Want to see more of the process?
Follow me on Instagram @starthistle.and.quartz — I shared the buildings in real time over there.
❄️ Special Thanks
A big thank you to the hosts of the #TinselTown2025 challenge for inspiring this magical project:
Why You’re More Ready Than You Think: A Love Note to Artists Who Doubt Themselves
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.
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)
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.
“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.