I used to believe that if something I made wasn’t beautiful, it wasn’t worth making.
That if I couldn’t draw “well,” I shouldn’t draw at all.
That creativity was a talent I must’ve missed out on in the gene lottery.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve ever ripped out a sketch because it didn’t match the Pinterest version, or abandoned a project because it looked “messy,” I see you. But what if we let go of the idea that creativity is about making something good — and instead embraced it as something that makes us feel good?
Let’s talk about perfectionism, play, and why your creative mess absolutely matters.
The Perfectionism Trap
Perfectionism is sneaky.
It wears the mask of “standards” and “trying your best” — but more often, it silences us before we even begin.
I spent years believing I wasn’t “creative.” I was the anxious kid with a thousand ideas and no confidence. If I couldn’t do it “right,” I just didn’t do it. Art classes made me nervous. Blank pages made me freeze. I wanted to make things, but I was terrified of doing them badly.
And so I didn’t. Not until I was nearly 50.
The turning point? Realizing that creativity wasn’t a contest — it was a way to cope. A way to connect. A way to breathe.
Creativity as a Human Instinct
You were born to create.
No, really.
You don’t have to be “artistic” to be creative — just human. Creativity is the instinct that made us draw on cave walls, sing lullabies, and braid grass into baskets. It’s not about producing masterpieces. It’s about making meaning.
Imagine creativity like play: joyful, experimental, and often messy. Or like emotional composting — turning all the tangled stuff inside into something that helps you grow. When we let go of how things should look, we rediscover how they feel.
Messy Is Meaningful
Some of my most meaningful creative moments are also my messiest.
The crooked watercolor I made during a panic attack.
The scrap-paper poem I wrote in the middle of a grief spiral.
The ugly little clay figure I pinched together one afternoon when my brain felt too loud to think.
None of them are pretty. But all of them helped.
My art journal isn’t Instagram-ready. My doodles wander into the margins. My knitting has mistakes I chose to keep. But every mark, every stitch, every page is a breadcrumb trail back to myself.
Let yours be, too.
A New Definition of Success
What if success wasn’t about likes, polish, or perfection — but about presence?
Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, reminds us:
“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves.”
Success can be sitting down with a pen and actually starting.
It can be finishing a page, even when you don’t love it.
It can be letting something be ugly — and letting that be enough.
Let’s redefine success as how it feels to create, not how it looks in the end.
Creative Pep Talk: Start Small + Keep It Yours
Here’s your invitation:
Start with five minutes. That’s it.
Grab a pen, a highlighter, a ball of yarn, a glue stick.
Make something tiny. Silly. Rough. Joyful. Pointless. Private.
No posting. No sharing. No judging.
This is “low-stakes making” — a rebellion against the pressure to produce. A reminder that your creativity belongs to you, not the algorithm.
Your Turn: Let’s Talk About It
Have you struggled with creative perfectionism?
Have you ever stopped yourself from making something because it wouldn’t be “good enough”?
Tell me in the comments — your voice might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
And if you’re ready to take the next step, grab my free Creativity Workbook: it’s full of prompts, rituals, and gentle ways to reclaim your spark — no perfection required.
Let’s make a mess together. 💛