Why Beautiful Things Matter (Even When Life Feels Messy)
Why the mindset work matters when you’re building something new
There’s a moment many artists and business builders know well. You sit down to begin—whether it’s a canvas, a collection, a class, or a new offer—and suddenly you’re flooded. Not with inspiration, but with uncertainty.
Who do I think I am?
Am I good enough?
What if they don’t like it? What if they’re right?
You’re not alone. That voice? It’s normal. But it’s not the truth.
Whether you're picking up a paintbrush after years of silence or preparing to launch a new product or service, you're not just managing the task in front of you—you’re managing every story you've ever been told (or told yourself) about who you’re allowed to be.
This is where mindset work becomes more than just a nice-to-have. It becomes the foundation.
The Oxygen of Art — And the Resistance to Breathing Deeply
When I say art is oxygen, I don’t just mean the act of making. I mean the space it creates. The clarity it offers. The strength that emerges when we finally stop performing and start expressing.
But for many of us, the moment we move toward that kind of clarity—through art, through business, through visibility—our nervous system registers risk. And with good reason. Many of us were raised in systems or environments where being visible, confident, or self-expressed wasn’t encouraged. It was labelled as “too much.”
So when we dare to take ourselves seriously now, the body sometimes fights back with doubt. It’s not sabotage—it’s survival logic. And that’s where self-awareness becomes strategy.
What Brene Brown and Neuroscience Can Teach Us
Research professor Brené Brown writes extensively on shame and vulnerability. She reminds us that “vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” But she also teaches that shame—the voice of “not good enough”—grows in silence.
Naming it out loud, sharing the feeling, and making a conscious decision to act anyway is the first step toward freedom.
Dr Tara Swart, neuroscientist and executive advisor, explains this in neurological terms: the brain’s resistance to change is biological. It prefers the predictable, even if the predictable is painful. The unfamiliar—like stepping into a new identity, or charging more, or showing your work—feels threatening until it becomes integrated.
This is why mindset work isn’t fluff. It’s neurobiological. It’s the difference between a system that shuts down in fear and one that can tolerate—and even seek—growth.
Clarity Is the Turning Point
The best thing I ever did for my own creative and professional growth was stop trying to earn my place, and start creating from clarity. That meant:
Getting specific about what I wanted
Building systems to support it
And rewriting the narrative that said I had to stay small to stay safe
When I work with clients—whether they’re artists, educators, or entrepreneurs—we’re often doing exactly this. Peeling back the performance. Dropping the shame. Making a new plan.
Because when you know who you are, what you offer, and how you want to lead, you stop second-guessing and start building with integrity.
Final Thoughts
Yes, the mindset stuff comes up. Yes, it’s messy. But the voice that asks “Am I good enough?” isn’t there to stop you—it’s asking you to listen more closely. It’s asking you to choose clarity over fear.
And clarity? That’s what gives your work power.
Whether you’re creating something beautiful or building something bold—
Art is oxygen. Clarity is power. And you are absolutely allowed to breathe.