In a world that celebrates results, ticking boxes, and finished artwork, it can be hard to remember that the magic of art lives in the process.
Here’s the truth I’ve learned, over and over again in my creative practice: Finishing isn’t the goal.
The goal is to show up, explore, and grow.
For me, finished art is more like a byproduct of showing up, exploring, and growing.
Let’s discuss.
The Pressure to Finish
From the moment you purchase your first sketchbook, there’s an unspoken expectation: finish this book. Complete the drawing. Make something beautiful on every page. Not only is that wildly intimidating, but when we focus too much on finishing, we rush. We silence intuition in favor of direction. We override curiosity in favor of control.
It’s a little like the great desire to “grow up.” My five-year-old talks about wanting to be a grown-up. But anyone who is grown-up knows that there’s no rush. There’s so much to enjoy about being five and no need to hurtle towards bills and responsibilities and all that grown-up stuff.
It’s okay to be unfinished as a person. Can you sit in the discomfort of not being a grown-up? Of being a young artist (whatever your actual age)? What I mean is, if you’re sixty-five years old and you’ve been making art for five years, you’re really just a five-year-old artist.
The Joy of the “Unfinished”
Some of my favorite work has emerged from letting things remain incomplete for a while. A half-painted background that lingered for weeks turned into the perfect foundation for a new technique I wanted to try. A collage that “wasn’t working” became a layered masterpiece after months of spontaneous additions. Those pieces never would’ve unfolded the way they did if I’d forced myself to finish too soon.
Letting go of the need to finish allows us to:
- Experiment freely without fear of “ruining” something.
- Revisit and revise with fresh eyes and new skills.
- Enjoy the moment instead of racing toward a result.
Working in Stages
Working in stages—not rushing toward a polished piece—teaches us patience and trust. Trust that the ideas will come. Trust that it will be okay in the end. Here’s a short video where I’m taking these ideas into my art journal and just playing.
You can find the Art Foamies I used in the video HERE. They come in three sizes:
Key Quotes from the Video:
- “I may work on something one day that I actually started like a year ago—or even longer than that sometimes.”
- Art doesn’t have an expiration date. Allowing yourself to revisit and rework pieces over time gives space for growth, reflection, and unexpected inspiration.
- “I do like to work on my pages in stages. I usually do like 10 to 15 minutes a day of art journaling… I jump around to lots of different pages and I may work on something one day that I actually started like a year ago. That’s something that unleashes my creativity. Doesn’t make me push to a point where I feel like I have to finish something just to finish it.” Instead I get to play, to enjoy a moment, to be inspired…”
- Have you ever ruined a piece of art because you just wanted to get it finished? I have. Often. This has been a lesson I’ve had to learn over and over again. Stop trying to finish. Just get to the next step and come back later to see what’s next.
- Rushing to complete something often limits what’s possible. Give your work—and yourself—permission to evolve over time.
- When finishing isn’t the priority, creativity flows more freely. Letting go of false deadlines can open the door to deeper, more playful exploration.
And the whole philosophy can be summed up with: “I don’t push to finish—because playing, layering, and revisiting are where the magic happens.”
Fun fact: The base of that page (the face) is a Thermofax print I made back in 2013 and didn’t know what to do with! So, it’s 12 years later that I managed to turn it into something.
3 Questions to Stop Being a “Finisher”
The next time you find yourself stuck in the mindset of, “I need to finish this,” ask yourself:
- Why do you need to finish it?
- What does “finished” mean to you?
- What would happen if you just let it be unfinished… for now?
You might discover that in letting go of the goal, you find something even better: joy, flow, and creative freedom.
Thanks for stopping by!
