There are days in our creative lives when everything seems to fall apart, when our hard work goes unrewarded and our dreams threaten to unravel right before our eyes.

There are times when we lovingly pour our whole heart into something – a book, a show, a workshop, a podcast, a painting, a blog, a service – and then we offer our precious gift to the world and… nothing.

No one shows.

No one cares.

No one buys.

No one gets it.

Or maybe one person. Or three. And one of them’s your mom.

Or your sister. (For me, it’s my sister)

It hurts.

Or maybe we are the person who doesn’t appreciate our work.

We draw, we paint, we write, we dance, and what we create never pleases. In fact, it mocks us, showing us over and over again the distance between our creations and our dreams.

It hurts.

I wish I could tell you that this will never happen to you, that there is a three-point plan, a masterful strategy, a powerful mindset that will spare you from this but there isn’t. In your exquisite and significant creative life there will be times when it hurts.

When it hurts…

Don’t turn against your self.

Don’t turn against your art.

Don’t turn against the world.

Don’t give up.

Yes….

Yes, assess what is working and not working.

Yes, learn new skills, practice determinedly and gain expertise.

Yes, work on bridging the gap between what is and what you want to be.

There is always work to be done!

Never…

But never doubt that when you create something out of the stardust of your soul, it matters.