The Artist's Curse: A Thousand Ideas, 0 Completed Projects (Okay... Maybe 3)
Ah, the life of an artist.
People think it’s serene. Peaceful. A slow, thoughtful journey of sketching at golden hour with classical music playing softly in the background.
Meanwhile, I’m over here surrounded by 27 unfinished drawings, 100 different “new favorite” reference photos ( I REALLY need to stop looking at photo reference sites; I honestly have enough… but then again what’s one more), and a pencil in my hair that I’ve already lost 6 times.
It’s not that I’m unfocused...
It’s just that I’m inspired. Constantly. Unstoppably. All the time.
My Brain at Any Given Moment:
“Oooh, what if I did a bear family walking through mist?”
“Wait! A cuddling fox pair in a snowy landscape!”
“What if I drew a tiger cub sleeping? That would be so CUTE.”
“This piece I started three months ago is still staring at me... but so is this fresh sheet of paper.”
Creative inspiration is like popcorn in the microwave—quiet for a moment, then POP POP POP POP, and suddenly there are a dozen ideas spilling out of my head faster than I can draw them.
And every single one of them feels like The One.
Until the next one shows up 12 minutes later.
The Unfinished Project Pile (aka The Museum of Good Intentions)
I like to think of my abandoned sketches as a “resting collection.”
They’re not unfinished—they’re just... patient.
Maybe one day I’ll finish the bear cub in the flower field.
Maybe the emotional otter duo will have a moment again.
Maybe I’ll finally return to the dramatic landscape I spent 6 hours planning and then got distracted by a squirrel (a literal one, not a metaphor).
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because the truth is: being an artist means living in the flow of ideas.
Sometimes you ride one all the way to the finish line.
Other times, it drops you off halfway and says, “Okay, new idea now!”
What I’ve Learned (While Ignoring My WIP Pile)
Creativity is not linear.
Inspiration is a little unhinged (and I love her for it).
Just because a piece isn’t finished doesn’t mean it wasn’t valuable.
And sometimes, starting something is brave—even if it’s never quite done.
So if you, too, have a folder full of half-baked genius, sketches that just “need one more detail,” or projects that were supposed to be finished last spring… I see you.
We are the unfinished masterpiece club, and our slogan is:
“Started with passion, paused with love, may return eventually.”
Now if you’ll excuse me, I just had an idea for a baby bear walking along the beach at sunrise and I have absolutely no time to be responsible right now.
With joy,
Nancy