Think You Are Not Creative? Just Start

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 146

Jul 10, 2025

Hi Friends,

So often I hear the words, “I wish I could do something like that, but I’m not creative.”

My answer is usually that everyone is creative in their own way. The most important parts are trying and enjoying the process.

If you really want something, if you really want to be something, you can make it happen in your own way.

In this newsletter:

Preprogrammed to say, “I can’t”.
The desire to do something.
Go ahead and start.

Defaulting To The Negative

My friends will tell me how creative I am. I dabble in art and write this newsletter.

What they don’t know is how many times my first thought is “I can’t”.

Isn’t saying “I can’t” giving in to excuses?

My art instructor often doesn’t show us a sample of what she plans for us, fearing it might scare us. She doesn’t want us to think we can’t do it, which is usually my first thought.

So many weeks I sit down to start on my newsletter and think I have nothing to say. Somehow it gets done.

I work not to let “can’t” hold me back.

It Starts With Desire

It all starts with wanting something, even if you think you can’t do it.

As a small child, I wanted to make art, whatever my young mind thought that meant. In high school, I signed up to take art as an elective. I lasted a week in the class. During the first class, the teacher gave vague directions like, “draw something you like.” I did not find that helpful at all. I didn’t understand that I should start without caring what others thought. I thought teachers taught with an end product in mind. All the students would produce it.

I let my fear of not knowing how drive me out of the class. I gave in to “I can’t” and switched classes.

College rolled around, and I needed to meet two fine arts credits. Hoping for the best, I chose drawing as one. This instructor explained that each artist has a different perspective and no two end products would be the same. She taught us the skills to draw what we saw, not what we thought she wanted to see.

The most important lesson she taught was that it’s OK to be a beginner.

That’s a challenging mindset to maintain. With each art class I’ve taken over the past two years, such as acrylics, drawing, watercolor, and pastels, I started with doubts. And just like my experience in college, over and over, the instructor reinforces that we each have a unique approach, skill level, and perspective. Beginner or expert, our art will not be the same.

As children, we all have dreams about activities we would like to do or what we want to become. The easy way out is to see all the things that stand in our way. Isn’t this true about more than creativity?

I’m not more creative. I just push aside the “can’t” and try. I’m willing to be a beginner. You will never find my works in a gallery; however, they are my works of art.

Your “can’t” may be exactly what you need to do.

Just Start

Now I’m a writer and an artist (it’s the first time I’ve said that) in my small way. I have discovered one of the secrets to getting what you want or becoming what you want.

Just start. Be a beginner. Join a class, ask for help, watch YouTube, or set out on your own.

I wasn’t ready to start my newsletter. I had only been writing for two years. I didn’t have an audience. But I started. I learned as I did. I’m still learning.

At the time, I didn’t know how wise this was.

In my first art classes, I started slowly, trying to follow the instructor's instructions exactly. No matter how slow I was, my work never looked like the instructor’s, and it never would.

Classes in abstractism and surrealism taught me to just start, go with my first thought, and have fun! If you don’t, you are likely never to start.

Exploring what you want to do and learning the process requires starting; it requires being a beginner. Only then can you decide if what you thought you wanted is something to invest time in.

I may not be creating art that will hang on the walls of an art gallery or writing best-selling books, but I’m having fun doing what I want.

What do you want to do? Poetry, archery, or technology? You need to start. It’s never too late. You’re doing it for fun, for yourself.

Start where you are. In the sentence, “I wish I could do something like that, but I’m not creative,” the emphasis should be on “I wish,” not on “but…”

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

I had no idea where I was going with the surrealist piece above. Surrealism is not for everyone, but I liked the end result.🖌️🎨
It’s a good thing to create just for fun. It lessens the possibility that you will be disappointed in the outcome. There are other benefits, too. You can read about them here.
A quote: “You have to start poorly to end well. Every expert started out as a beginner.” -Sahil Bloom.
Are you having trouble getting started on a new endeavor? Maybe you need to adopt a beginner’s mindset.
It’s a good thing to have an open mind when exploring what you want. You may be happy with your choice or you may decide you want to pivot to another path.
I am grateful for the community of people who share my interests and share their ideas. I’ve learned to look at my classmates’ work and read other newsletters and do as Austin Kleon suggests in Steal Like An Artist.💡
I am grateful for instructors who recognize the creativity as well as the fear and hesitation in all beginners.

Thank you for reading. What gives you the courage to try a creative activity?

Until next time,

💚

Susan

What are you saying “I can’t” to? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear about it. We can give each other support.

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