On Creative Slumps
Comfortably numb, yet painfully aware.
I’m in a slump.
Although it’s the New Year, a time when you’re supposed to feel excited about reaching your goals…to me, everything feels flat.
The truth is that I’m confused. I made a project called The 12 Symbols of Trust, thinking that by the end of 2025, I would trust myself more.
But now that it’s done, I’m left with the inevitable question:
Now what?
Is this all I’ve got to give?
Will I be able to create
with the same determination as I did before?
I don’t know…
And that’s when it hit me:
I never truly know what I’m doing.
When I write, I don’t feel like an expert. Because I’m always doubting myself. I’m trying to write, but I don’t think I’m doing the actual writing, like a real writer, if you know what I mean.
Yes, the ideas come. But I’m not creating them. Instead, I believe a “creator” receives them out of the blue, and their only job is to externalize them.
That’s the hard part.
It takes a lot of emotional labour.
How do you solidify all this mess?
Well, I don’t know. I feel like it’s a magical process. First, expect your mind to be cloudy. Stay with it. Try to remind yourself the reason why you want to keep moving. What kind of joy, treasure, goodness you want to show the world.
What’s so important to you that it brings you to tears?
That’s a glimpse of your life purpose.
And as you remember it, day after day, half-believing that it could happen, the machine has started and there’s no going back.
We’re not done yet.
In fact, we’re at the very beginning. We have so much left to explore, to daydream, to renovate…we could be spending decades working on our project if we have to. One week, one month of procrastination won’t matter in the long run. That’s fine. What’s a setback? We’ll get up again, and again, and again.
Creativity is a lifetime job.
It won’t be perfect.
Not everyone will like the way you externalize. Most people won’t even care. But at least you’ll have the best work you’ve ever done, for yourself.
And once you finish it…
You start again.
Thank you for reading! ✿
And since we’re starting again, I’d like to share with you a little poster I made for January.
It’s called Trust the Spiral, and it’s available for download right here.
You’re also welcome to join the shy reveal subreddit, a space for cozy discussions about trust, personal development, and belonging.
We’re currently 127 members! (as of January 2026)
I’m always thankful for your feedback <3
See you soon.
- Emilie
This breakdown of creative work being about externalizing rather than expertise is so spot-on. I've found that the post-project void actually intensifies when the work was meaningful, almst like the purpose was holding everything together. The framing of creativity as lifetime job helps though, because it shifts the focus from 'am I good enoguh' to just staying in the game.
You always make me feel better with your beautiful words 🌷🌷.