Every artist knows the paralyzing fear of starting. The weight of potential “failure” it brings.

But there is a way to push through — through something so simple, you might just want to close your laptop in frustration after reading this:

✨ Trusting the process. ✨

Because the truth is, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the art of creation. That’s what makes 99% of people call it quits and sacrifice a beautiful life of artistry.

But let’s be honest — simply saying this mantra isn’t enough to help you get out of a creative block or encourage you to keep going. So, what will? Let’s explain this a little further.

🤸‍♀️ Understanding the Concept of “Trusting the Process”

At its core, trusting the process is about having faith in your creative journey, even when the destination isn’t clear. This is where everyone gets stuck — we want to think so much about the “how,” when all we need to know is the “why.”

Yes, that’s right — when we know the “why” to our artistic journey, the “how” will uncover itself.

This is basically all of what “trusting the process” means: embracing uncertainty, following the principle of “keep going,” knowing that the beginnings of creativity are messy and unpredictable.

🧠 The Psychological Benefits for Artists

🫦 Reducing Anxiety Around Being an Artist

The pressure to show up every day can feel paralyzing in and of itself — especially when others know you’re showing up.

I remember being one of the only people in my high school graduating class to go to college for theatre. The constant questions of, “Well, what are you going to do with that?” would run rampant in my brain. If I hadn’t cared what others thought, I would have yelled, “I’m going to perform on-stage and in movies, duh!”

But I knew people would judge me — think I was dreaming. If only I could have paid more attention to trusting the process, and I wouldn’t have felt like I needed to explain myself to everyone!

Placing trust in the process helps us focus from the end result to the journey of creation — helping us reduce anxiety around the “how.”

When we trust the process, we give ourselves permission to experiment, make mistakes, and learn. This mindset helps us approach our art with curiosity and playfulness — and when we’re embracing our inner children like this, a lot of fear and pressure melts away.

🌊 Enhancing Creative Flow

When we’re not constantly second-guessing ourselves or worrying about the outcome, we’re more likely to actually find our creative flow state (the opposite of a creative block)!

A big part of this is alleviating the pressure you’re putting on yourself. Imagine — crazy, I know — that there are other factors other than yourself that’s controlling the outcome of your reality.

This is why I talk about the importance of having some sort of higher power involved in your process. The sheer understanding that you’re not in control of everything can help you embrace the natural flow of things even more.

In turn, it can help you feel free and cozy when you do have the time to work on your art.

💪 Building Resilience and Patience

I’ll be honest — having patience in personal growth has been one of the hardest parts for me!

Part of the principle of “keep going” means knowing that things won’t always be smooth-sailing. There will be times you realize that what you’re doing just… isn’t working.

And that’s okay. There will be storms, setbacks, and moments when we feel like throwing in the towel. But having tools for trusting the process helps us develop resilience and patience. It reminds us that creative growth is a journey, not just a singular goal.

🔨 Practical Tools to Trust the Process

🧘‍♀️ Establishing Consistent Rituals

Ever felt exhausted by chores, tasks, and to-do lists? Let’s look at them in a different way — as rituals, instead.

Instead of thinking about my morning to-dos — waking up, exercising, showering, checking emails — I’ve turned them into rituals without changing much other than my mindset and intention around them.

I ritualize…

• Waking up — with a nice, soothing red light to sit in for a few minutes before getting up
• Exercising — by putting on a mindful podcast or music that sparks joy for me
• Showering — by dimming the lights and smelling that sweet, fresh eucalyptus hanging in my shower
• Checking emails — by lighting a candle, sitting in my living room, and putting seasonally-aesthetic music on my television to listen to

Ritualizing helps foster trusting the process through giving you things that you can control that trigger a little flutter in your heart (also coined as “sparking joy” by Marie Kondo).

When we create these joyful, mindfulness practices throughout our days, we can control what we can control, and feel more of a sense of relief of what we can’t control.

(At least, that’s what it’s been for me. 😉)

🔮 Believing in the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction states that positive thoughts and beliefs can attract positive outcomes. And for artists specifically looking for more ways of trusting the process, this is huge.

I 110% believe that everything that’s come into my life is because I’ve manifested in one way or another (along with a higher power having a universal plan for me).

I also believe that your thoughts dictate your reality.

The Key to Living the Law of Attraction is a fantastic, short read that gave me a great overview on the Law of Attraction when I was in college. For you, I think it’s a great way to address overcoming setbacks with a very specific and clear framework.

And for those who want a slightly-cheesy-yet-insanely-cool watch, you can find The Secret on Amazon Prime Video (as of this writing).

🧜‍♀️ Knowing How to De-Tense to Allow for Creative Coziness and Flow

If you feel a creative block, it’s either a tension in your body/mind, environment, or career. I talk more about tension in this video below 👇

The thing is, creation naturally has to come from a relaxed, cozy, and free state. If there’s tension in one of these key areas, then you’re creating a natural block in your ability to flow through your creative process.

Part of trusting the process simply means knowing that this tension exists. If you feel blocked, stuck, frustrated, all you need to do is refer to that video above 👆, identify where that tension is, and take action to get cozy in yourself again.

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Your creative voice needs to be heard. Trust in it, nurture it, and watch it flourish. The world is waiting for the art that only you can create. If you want a little community all doing it together, subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I talk about taking inspired action in your artistic life.