You Don't Need to Be 'Better' To Be Creative

A love letter to Imperfect Artists, Slow Makers, and Beautifully Unaccomplished Days

We live in a world that praises the after. The Results. The "after the diagnosis", "after the breakdown", the "after I got my life together". The before is never glamorous. It's messy. Uncertain. Often Invisible.

But here's what I know as someone that lives in a body that rarely ever likes to cooperate: You don't need to be fully healed, high energy, or "better" to make something beautiful. You just need a thought, maybe a pattern, and the softness with yourself to try.

Perfection is the Enemy of Process

Some may call it procrastinating, but there's this silent pressure that creeps in when you're chronically ill or mentally exhausted... "I'll work on my project when I feel up to it." "That pattern looks like a lot right now, I'll work on it when I have the brain space." "I'll make one when I feel more clear... just... better". But creativity doesn't wait for a clean slate. In fact, nothing does. But, some of the most tender, honest work comes from the foggiest and deepest points in our lives. That's where the raw stuff lives. The meat and the potatoes of our lives. The good stuff. If you only gave yourself permission to make anything or work on anything when you were at 100%, how often would you make anything at all?

My Best Work Happens When I Stop Trying To Prove Anything

When I crochet, I don't always know what I'm going to make, and I rarely use a pattern. I just follow the rhythm, stitch after stitch, probably forgetting to count every once in a while, until something real starts to take shape. That's what creativity is. It's not a performance, it's sitting up (instead of standing up) and making 3 stitches, and going back to bed for the day. It's whipping out a dress in a day on the days when you feel good. And that's okay! It's a way of checking in with yourself. Saying "I am still here". Even on really low spoon days, even if your body is protesting, even if your brain is foggy, you are still here. Some days, my only "creative win" is holding yarn in my hands or fixing up a ball. And that's enough! Because art doesn't need to fix you, it just needs to meet you.

You're not Behind, You're Creating Differently.

Social media will convince you that everyone is more productive than you. That people are churning out projects, brands, healing journeys, entire aesthetics faster than you can make your morning coffee. But resting is part of the work. Slowness is not failure, it's a rhythm. And your version of creativity, whether it be messy, delayed, or nonlinear, is still valid. you're not behind, you're just creating at a pace that doesn't burn you out.

You're Already Worthy of Creating

You don't need to be symptom free, have clear vision, wake up energized, or feel emotionally bulletproof to make something meaningful. You just need space. And a little self-compassion. Maybe even a cozy corner, a pair of soft hands, and a project you can pick up and put down without judgement. The world doesn't need you to be "better" before it sees your art. It just needs you to be honest. And you, as you are, are already enough.

Peace, Love, and All the Above,

Ella Marie <3