The Real Reason You’re Creatively Stuck (And How to Fix It)

Take It or Leave It Creative Advice

Hey everyone,

Another week, another round of creative questions—and these are some of my favorites yet. We’re talking about breaking through creative blocks, getting your personal projects out into the world, and the best way to become a graphic designer without drowning in student debt.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, uninspired, or unsure of your next step, this one’s for you.

As always, I appreciate every question you send my way. If yours isn’t answered this week, don’t worry—I’ll get to it soon. And if you’re not a paid Take It or Leave It subscriber yet, welcome! This is a great place to start your free trial.

Let’s get into it.

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Hey @apkinfolk, thanks for this question. It’s a big one.

You’ve probably heard this before—maybe you’ve seen it on a graphic (maybe even one of ours)—but there’s an old saying:

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

Perfection is an illusion. And the more time you spend making things, the more you realize that nothing will ever be perfect. That’s not a flaw, it’s the point. Art is subjective. One person might see your work as a masterpiece, while another might think it’s trash. That’s the human experience. That’s the beauty of creativity. Both people are right, and both are wrong.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll probably say it until my deathbed: The final product is for them. The process is for you.

The goal isn’t to make something flawless. It’s to create as often as possible, refining your instincts, sharpening your skills, and getting comfortable with the idea that most of what you make won’t be great and that’s okay. The only way to get better is to make a lot of things, and that means accepting that a good chunk of them will be mediocre. Maybe even bad.

Every “perfect” piece of art you admire—whether it’s a film, a book, a song, or a painting—wasn’t effortless. It just feels effortless because you didn’t see the process. You didn’t hear the artist’s self-doubt, the moments of frustration, the versions they scrapped. You’re comparing your behind-the-scenes to their highlight reel, and that’s always going to be a losing game.

Perfect is an illusion.

Like any sensitive creative millennial finding himself in the early 2010s, I’m a huge Frank Ocean fan. I think he’s a genius. His music is flawless to me. I’ve played Channel Orange and Blonde more than any albums in my life. He makes music that’s creative, deep, inventive, and nostalgic all at once.

But while he only has two proper studio albums, he had to create a massive amount of music to get there.

Before Frank Ocean was Frank Ocean, he was a songwriter. He was writing songs for Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, John Legend—big artists, but he wasn’t seen as one himself. He was just a behind-the-scenes guy, grinding away, stacking up hundreds of songs that would never be released under his own name.

Then something happened. A demo of him singing Thinking About You—a song originally written for Bridget Kelly—leaked online. People heard his version and connected with it more than the intended release. That moment, that song, was a turning point. But by the time he was recognized as an artist in his own right, he had already put in the reps.

Maybe you’re in your songwriter phase right now. Maybe you need to keep making things, keep experimenting, keep failing, until you find your gold.

Stop trying to make something perfect. Just try to make something good. Then do it again. And again. And again.

Consistency beats perfection every time.

And in the process of showing up consistently, you might stumble into perfection a few times. But even then—perfection is an illusion.

Thanks for the question! Hope this helps.

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Hey @ashima_pargal,

I hear you. I’ve felt this exact way before.

As a recovering Content Creator™, I know what it’s like to pour everything into a project—your time, your ideas, your late nights, your self-worth—only to release it into the world and get… crickets.

It’s exhausting. It’s demotivating. It makes you wonder, what’s the point?

Because as creatives, we want the energy we put into our work to be reciprocated. We want to feel like our work matters to someone. We want to feel seen.

And when that doesn’t happen, it’s easy to spiral.

But the moment you start creating for validation, you’re in trouble.

Create from inspiration, not aspiration.

A mentor once told me this, and it changed everything.