Things I Have Learned Along The Way

The Messy, Wonderful Reality of Being an Artist

There is a strange thing that happens when you become a creative person.

From the outside, it looks like confidence. Someone standing in front of colourful paintings. Someone sharing their work. Someone calling themselves an artist.

But behind the scenes?

You spend so much time putting pieces of yourself out into the world. Hoping they connect with someone, hoping someone sees something in them, hoping you’re heading in the right direction. And then sometimes you’re left wondering “Am I actually doing this right?”

After years of painting, creating, sharing online and figuring it out as I go, these are some things I have learned.

Not everyone will cheer you on.
And that is okay.

This one took me a while to understand.

When you start something new, you naturally look around hoping the people closest to you will celebrate it. And sometimes they do. Sometimes they surprise you with their encouragement. And sometimes they do not.

Sometimes the people you thought would be your biggest supporters are not. And yes, that can sting.

But I have learned that someone else’s reaction to your dreams is not a reflection of their value. Or yours.

People have their own fears, insecurities, opinions and experiences. Not everyone will understand why you spend hours creating something that did not exist before. Not everyone will like your work. That is okay.

The most important thing is that you keep showing up for yourself.

Social media can be a strange world.

I have a funny relationship with social media. I will jump on with the intention of sharing my work, catching up with people I love following and having a quick look around.

But somehow I end up down the rabbit hole.

Suddenly I am comparing.
Why are my posts not reaching more people?
Why am I not further along?
Why do I not look like that?
Why am I not more successful?

Should I go on Ozempic. Should I change my hair. Should I get a new wardrobe. My house is not good enough. Why can I not bake like that. Why are their kids so well behaved. I wish I could go on a fancy holiday like that. And it continues. Ugh.

And then, before I know it. I have gone from feeling excited about my work to questioning everything.

Social media can be wonderful. It connects us, inspires us and allows us to share our creative journeys.

But it can also make us forget that we are comparing our everyday reality to someone elses carefully chosen moments.

I am learning to create first, scroll second. Phew.

Not every idea needs to become your forever thing.

When I first started painting my big blooms, I was completely obsessed.

Those early pieces found homes quickly, and I thought. “Okay. This is it. This is what people want.”

So I invested in beautiful, expensive big metre sized canvases and committed myself to creating more. And then things changed. The sales slowed for the big pieces.

My curiosity moved elsewhere.
My drive to make the big ones slowed.

I started wanting to experiment with different shapes, colours, textures and ideas. And the hours of stitching took its toll on my hands. And fingers.

For a while, I saw that as failure.
Now I see it differently.

Every artwork teaches you something.
Every collection moves you somewhere.

Not everything you create is meant to stay forever.
Sometimes it is simply part of the path.

The hardest part of being an artist is believing in yourself.

The funny thing about being an artist. Is that even after years of creating, selling work and having people hang your paintings in their homes, you can still have days where you think “Maybe I’m not good enough.”

I still have those moments.
I still compare.
I still question.
I still have days where I feel like a little solo artist out here trying to find my people.

But maybe that is actually part of the journey.
Maybe we are all just figuring it out.
Creating something from nothing takes courage.
Sharing it with the world takes even more.
And continuing to create when nobody is clapping yet?

That might be the biggest act of belief there is.

So keep painting.
Keep creating.
Keep experimenting.
Keep learning.
Keep trying new things.

Because somewhere along the way, you might realise the goal was never to become “perfect”.

The goal was always to become more yourself.

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