Hello friends,
Somewhere in that space pictured above, I’ve lost it. Not a physical thing, like my phone or my glasses—though those tend to disappear often when I’m in the throes of a creative frenzy—but the flow of what typically compels me to create a work of art and then finish it.
Walking into my studio this morning, I found myself flitting from one potential project to another, unable to settle on just one thing. My thoughts were a logjam of possible options and each one had a very good reason attached for why it should get my attention first. Yet each one quickly forgotten, as something else would catch my eye.
It struck me after a time of sitting in frustration, with nothing to show for the effort, that this was exactly what one of my group members had described being their issue this week—the overwhelm feeling that comes when there are too many options and not enough time. How do we settle on just one thing?
Something about the memory clicked. I shared with the group member a few insights and what I suspected was at play in their inability to choose. We may be saying that we are overwhelmed with too many options without acknowledging the real question our mind is puzzling through—How on earth do we decide which thing really is most vital? Which thing will bring me the most satisfaction? Which thing is the best thing of all the things I could do?
The inner-critic is a sneaky booger. It doesn’t always present itself as a critical voice telling us we aren’t good enough to call ourselves artists. I’d say it is rarely so direct. Instead, it throws up all kinds of very valid sounding roadblocks—not enough time to finish? Don’t even bother, it’s not worth starting. Bring some new and exciting medium into the studio? Maybe you better wait to use it until someone more qualified shows you what to do.
In all of those piles of potential projects on top of the work table, is one of the most common critic messages of all—the voice of the perfectionist. The perfectionist will tell you that it is important to choose the one thing, the one exact right thing, or you will have blown it. The perfectionist will convince you that unless your results are show worthy, your efforts were wasted. You were a fool for spending time doing something so utterly frivolous.
The perfectionist will sneak up and whisper loudly in your ear, just as you make a decision “Are you sure??” it hisses.
I find myself listening now, not to the voice of the perfectionist, but to the memory of my own words advising the artist in my group—that having this many possibilities on the table really is overwhelming. But instead of feeling pressured to pick the one exact right project, give yourself permission to just pick one. The one that seems to catch your eye first. Not that it is anymore special than the rest. Not that there is some sort of guarantee attached. None of that matters. What matters is that you begin somewhere, doing something. And the action of doing something will lead you to whatever comes next.
When we find ourselves swirling around all the possible outcomes, hesitating to take a single step even though our heart is yearning to move forward—it's a sign. The perfectionist has tricked you into believing a lie: that if you just manage to choose right, you can control the outcome. That you can keep yourself safe—from failure, from being laughed at, from being exposed as a phony, or worse, from falling into absolute financial ruin!
The perfectionist knows there is no single right answer, no single right way. That is the schtick of its whole game. It is a dangling carrot, a wheel in a rat’s cage.
The truth is, you may fail at whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. It isn’t about finding some magical guarantee. It's about learning to trust yourself in the process. And learning to trust that you can still trust yourself, regardless of what the outcome might bring.
With gratitude,
Crystal Marie
For more about my membership group:
January 4, 11, 18, 25 and February 1, 2026—A month of Sundays: 5-week Collage series; Noon-2pm CST, onlineApril 22-27, 2026—Visual Alchemy: making your mark in mixed media collage;Red Thread Retreat, hosted by Lesley Riley —SOLD OUTMay 9th, 2026 —World Collage Day: A Collage Workshop—SOLD OUTJune 5-7, 2026—Alchemy Cloth;Studio Joy, Kansas, City MO hosted by Amanda JolleyAugust 6, 2026— Discovering Your Voice in Collage; Studio 11 by Vivi Magoo; Phoenix, AZAugust 7, 2026— Collage on Cloth; Studio 11 by Vivi Magoo; Phoenix, AZAugust 8, 2026— Paper and Layers in Encaustic; Studio 11 by Vivi Magoo; Phoenix, AZOctober 2-4, 2026 — Material Alchemy: Developing Layers of Meaning and Magic in Mixed Media; Bellissima Art Studio, Port Orchard, WA hosted by Kathie Vezzani — details here
January 14th: Collage on Canvas (Live online)
February: The Book of Alchemy: Working with textiles in Mixed Media and Collage (A 4-week intensive LIVE ONLINE)
March 15th: Introduction to Momigami: The Japanese Art of Kneaded Paper, Art and Soul; Portland, OR
March 16th: Boro Collage and Konjac Glue, Art and Soul; Portland, OR
March 18th & 19th: Nests, Vessels, and Pods: Crafting Paper and Mixed-Media Sculpture, Art and Soul; Portland, OR
April 1st: Paper and Layers with Encaustic (Live Online)
April 9th: Paper and Layers with Encaustic, Chicago, IL
April 10th: Optional Additional Studio DayApril 22nd-29th: Boxes, Nichos, and Reliquaries: Sculptural Assemblage Containers with Encaustic Wax, Live Online
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