Feeling resistance in your creative practice? Here’s what it might really mean

Understanding why resistance shows up in a daily art practice, and how to overcome creative resistance.

It’s been a while since my last 100 day update, but as of this writing, I’m at an unbroken streak of 67 days of art journaling! This is a first for me, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t think I would manage such a long streak.

If you’ve been a part of my world for a while, you know that I’m a big advocate for an almost daily art practice. For me, that has meant showing up to the painty table 4-5 times per week; my longest art streak tops out at 15 days.

So 67 days — that’s huge!

There have been days when I haven’t felt like painting, when creative resistance shows up loud and clear, and I just want to take a break for a day. But the thought of that unbroken streak pulls me to back to the art table. That, and my curiosity to see if I can make it to a 100 day streak.

Once I’m at the painty table, I find my flow fairly quickly. Which tells me something important: feelings, especially of resistance towards a creative project, are not always reliable.

Making art when you don’t feel like it

The biggest thing I’ve learned through this 100 day project is that resistance towards the creative process is a shapeshifter. It can show up as fatigue, fear, perfectionism, self-doubt, or even boredom. And learning how to recognize, and overcome creative resistance has been an important part of my journey through my daily art journaling practice.

Resistance can flare up when you’re at the growth edge of your comfort zone.

I’ve noticed this when I feel a certain staleness around my process. I know that if I keep showing up for my art, I will get experimental and try new things. This can lead to something fresh and exciting, or it may totally flop.

The fear of failure and uncertainty around trying new things can activate the brain’s fear response and lead to resistance.

Resistance often shows up around things that matter deeply to you. 

At such times, your inner critic can get louder, as it tries to protect you from the risk of being seen or of failing at something you care deeply about.

I’ve noticed this on the days when I’m particularly invested in maintaining an unbroken streak of 100 days. Most days, I can hold that goal lightly, but when my competitive streak takes over, my inner critic jumps in to try and shield me from the possibility of failure.

Through this project, I’m learning not to take resistance at face value, but to push past it, to art journal through the resistance, and see what happens. That is the best way to overcome creative resistance and find some breakthroughs in your art!

The more I pay attention to my creative process, the more I learn. And this project has been full of interesting insights and lessons, which I’ve been sharing over on Studio Diaries. If you haven’t signed up to receive weekly notes from my studio, head on over and sign up now! You can also read those notes without signing up, but you’ll miss out on so much creative goodness that comes your way every Friday!

Art journal spreads

Meanwhile, here are the art journal spreads from days 41 to 60 of the 100 day project. Click on the images to enlarge.

Which of these was your favorite?