5 Things My Art Has Taught Me This Year

I don’t follow a plan when I create art. Layer by layer, stroke by stroke, it’s all about letting something emerge. I stay open to the process and sometimes even surprise myself with the result. That was true this year as well. I’ve learned a lot – not just about techniques or materials, but also about myself and how I deal with challenges.

Some lessons I had to learn the hard way. Others I haven’t fully absorbed yet – but I’m working on it and constantly learning. For me, art is also a journey of self-discovery. Here are the 5 key things my art has taught me this year.

1. Art Needs Its Own Rhythm

I have to admit, patience is not exactly my strong suit. When I have an idea for a painting or a series, I want it to be finished immediately. But that rarely works.
There are phases when everything flows effortlessly, and others when nothing moves forward, no matter how hard I try.

A painting needs time to develop, and I have to be willing to go along with it. When I push too hard, my work becomes heavy-handed – and you can see it in the painting. But when I let things take their course, what I’m searching for often emerges as if by itself.

2. Mistakes Are Part of the Process

I’m not a perfectionist. Yet, I’ve often felt the fear of failure myself and know it’s the greatest enemy of creativity. Every creative attempt carries the risk of failure – but it’s also the only way something new can emerge.

It’s so easy to hesitate, to hold back, and tell yourself there’s no point in starting because it won’t work out anyway. But that’s a terrible way to think, and if I gave in to it, I’d only be robbing myself.

Not everything you start will turn into a masterpiece – of course not. But I can amaze myself when I take the leap and trust the process.

3. Knowing Your Limits Is Important

I’m incredibly grateful to be able to work as an artist. Being creative and expressing myself is deeply fulfilling. But that also comes with a risk. There’s always another idea to try out, another stroke to improve the painting. And because this work is so rewarding, I sometimes fail to notice just how draining it can be.

This year, I experienced that first-hand again: after a cold that completely knocked me out, I felt exhausted for weeks. It was a clear reminder of how important it is to respect my own limits.

Slowing down and making time for breaks isn’t the opposite of being productive. It’s the key to staying creative in the long run. For me, setting boundaries means creating space – space to rest, space for new ideas, and space to truly enjoy what I do.

4. Creativity Connects

This year, I’ve often thought about how creativity brings people together. It’s a universal language that connects us across differences. It’s not about the finished piece or the creative genre – it’s about the stories, thoughts, and emotions behind it.

Creativity creates space for encounters that might never happen in everyday life. For me, this has been especially true this year. By chance, I stumbled into a new creative family in March. The connections and ideas that have emerged since then have deeply moved me. My interview series is also a natural outcome of this community of creative minds.

Everyone brings their own perspective, yet there’s this shared flow that ties everything together. But creativity doesn’t just connect me with others – it also connects me with myself. Through my art, I can feel who I am and what moves me.

5. Art Is My Mirror

My art often reflects what’s going on inside me, even if I don’t realize it right away. When I’m fully immersed in a painting, focused on colours, shapes, and layers, it sometimes reveals more about me than I initially knew.

I step back and suddenly recognize something in my work: a mood, a thought, or a feeling that I hadn’t been able to grasp before. Subtle, yet deeply honest. This year, I experienced that again while working on my art series Glimpses – it gave me glimpses into myself as well.

My art not only allows me to express myself but also helps me understand myself better. It shows me what moves me, where I might be stuck, and sometimes even where I need to go next. For that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Lessons from a Creative Year

So these are the findings of this year: I’ve had many small and big lessons hidden between colours and shapes. Have you learned something through your creative work this year? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!