When we look at artists who seem “finished” today, it’s easy to foget how long it actually took them to get there.
We see a polished Instagram feed, a website, a shop, maybe even books or exhibitions.
And without noticing it, we start believing that this is how we should show up too — even at the beginning.
This false expectation often leads to one thing:
We stop before we really start.
In this post, I want to share three principles that have helped me stay connected to my creative practice in a more grounded and sustainable way: staying, time, and direction.
Staying
Staying means showing up regularly without being attached to outcomes.
Not every day looks creative in the obvious sense.
Some days, staying simply means:
- sorting papers
- preparing collage materials
- cutting, priming, printing
- cleaning or reorganizing your space
All of this counts.
Staying is about remaining in relationship with your work — as often as you can — without constantly asking whether it is “good enough” or “ready to be shared.”
When you stay with the small, everyday actions, you create continuity.
And continuity is what allows a practice to grow.
Time
Time gives us something incredibly important: a reference point.
When you stay with your work over time, you can look back and see where you started.
You stop comparing yourself to others and begin comparing your work with your own earlier work.
This creates a personal timeline.
I personally love having timelines. That’s one reason why I enjoy tools like planners or journals — they allow me to reflect and see patterns over weeks, months, or years.
You can also see this very clearly on social media.
If you scroll back to the first posts of artists you admire, you’ll often notice that they didn’t know exactly where they were going at the beginning. But through staying and time, their direction slowly became clearer.
What you see today is the result of years of showing up.
Direction
Direction is not something you have to decide upfront.
It develops gradually when you pay attention to what resonates with you:
- what you enjoy making
- what you return to again and again
- what feels meaningful rather than just impressive
Over time, you start doing more of what truly fits — and you naturally let go of what doesn’t.
Direction is less about choosing one thing forever and more about refining your focus step by step.
You don’t need to see the entire path.
You only need enough clarity to take the next small step.
Bringing it all together
Staying, time, and direction work together.
When you stay with your practice, time creates a visible path.
And through that process, direction emerges.
This approach may look slower from the outside.
But it is sustainable — and it allows your work to grow from the inside out.
If you’d like to hear me speak about these ideas more personally, I’ve recorded a short video where I reflect on staying, time and direction from my own creative practice.
A small support for your own process
If you’d like a simple structure to support your own creative practice, I’ve created a free resource that explores these three principles in more detail.
It includes:
- a short guide to staying, time, and direction
- a Daily Staying Note you can use to gently reconnect with your work each day
You can download it for free below.
