Embrace Mistakes and Make Better Art

We’ve all been there. You sit down to create, full of inspiration, heart open, ideas flowing—and then suddenly it feels like everything’s falling apart.

The colors get muddy. The composition feels off. The marks don’t match your vision.
And your inner critic starts whispering (or yelling):
“You messed it up. You should’ve stopped. You ruined it.”

But here’s what I’ve learned in the messiest corners of my art journal:
Sometimes the “mistake” is just the beginning of magic.

Close-up of Misty from Creatively Misty working on a soft, layered art journal page featuring delicate butterflies, stenciled florals, music notes, and inspiring typewritten phrases. In her signature mixed media style, she blends pinks, purples, and teals with hand-drawn accents and playful paint splatters. This dreamy page captures Misty’s mission to help Creative Caroline reconnect with her creative voice through joyful color, texture, and fearless mark-making. A gentle invitation to embrace beauty, curiosity, and bold self-expression.

A story from my art table

I remember the first time I created a piece in my current style. It began with soft pinks and delicate florals- gentle brushstrokes, a girlie color palette, and an airy vision I was certain would be perfect.

Halfway through, I was adding a few final touches when a big, fat drip of black ink smudged straight across the center.

Well hell!

It felt loud, harsh and completely out of place. I stood, staring at the once peaceful canvas. I wanted to toss it aside and come back to it later. That inner critic whispering about it being ruined.

But I couldn’t let it go. Something (my courage maybe, definitely my stubbornness) made me keep going.

I didn’t bother trying to “fix” it. I stopped fighting the mess and just went with it. I reached for bold teal paint and started adding broad, intuitive strokes. I scribbled with a white pen. I pulled out scraps of collage that had been collecting on my desk for weeks and let them guide the rest of the piece.

What started as delicate became wild. What felt like a mistake became a moment of freedom. The page transformed into something raw, electric, and full of life.

That "ruined" piece became one of my all-time favorites and the first time I truly felt like my creative voice had shown up, loud and unapologetic.

Art gets stronger when we let go of control.

Close-up of Misty from Creatively Misty adding hand-drawn details to her vibrant art journal page featuring a ruby-throated hummingbird. Surrounded by lush florals, abstract marks, and layers of joyful color, this mixed media spread celebrates bold self-expression and creative play. A beautiful glimpse into Misty’s intuitive process—designed to inspire heart-led women like Creative Caroline to explore their own creative voice with fearless color and layered magic.

Why letting go is powerful

Letting go is hard. Especially when you care deeply about what you’re making. You want it to be meaningful. Beautiful. Maybe even “good enough” to share.

When we cling to perfection, we cut ourselves off from the magic we’re craving. We tighten our grip so much that our work can’t breathe.

Letting go isn’t about being messy for the sake of it. It’s about allowing room for intuition, curiosity, and unexpected beauty to show up.

When you release control, something incredible happens:
You stop micromanaging your creativity and start collaborating with it.
You give yourself permission to play, to explore, to follow the spark instead of the rules.
You stop waiting for things to be "perfect" before calling them worthy—and you start seeing value in the raw, the real, and the becoming.

Letting go is an act of trust.
Trust in your voice.
Trust in the process.
Trust that you can handle the detours, the drips, the moments that don’t go to plan.

Because it’s in those exact moments that your truest art begins to take shape- not despite the imperfections, but because of them.

And when you practice this again and again, something shifts. You begin to show up differently, not just in your art, but in your life. You stop asking permission. You stop editing yourself down. You start creating with more power, more confidence, and more joy.

Misty of Creatively Misty creating a richly layered art journal page with expressive brushwork, intuitive mark-making, and vibrant floral textures. Her hands bring color and movement to the spread, embodying the joy and freedom of brave self-expression through mixed media art. Perfectly capturing Misty’s mission to inspire Creative Caroline to make art that feels bold, personal, and joy-filled.

Three ways to practice letting go in your art

Make intentional "mistakes"
Drip paint randomly, smudge your marks, or use your non-dominant hand for a layer. These small acts train you to welcome unpredictability.

Cover up something you love
It sounds scary — but it teaches you that nothing is precious or permanent. The next layer might surprise you even more.

Work fast and limit thinking time
Set a timer for 5 minutes per layer. Moving quickly bypasses your inner critic and invites intuitive play.

Misty of Creatively Misty adding expressive pencil details to a richly layered art journal page featuring bold floral collage, textured stencils, and a soulful female portrait. This image captures Misty’s signature mixed media style—infused with vibrant color, intuitive mark-making, and fearless exploration—designed to inspire Creative Caroline to embrace bold self-expression through art journaling.

A mindset shift to take with you

Your art doesn’t have to be pretty or follow the rules.
It doesn’t need to please anyone- not your inner critic, social media, or the version of you that thinks she has to get it “right.”

Your art gets to be messy. Unfinished. Bold. Quiet. Unapologetically yours.

Let go of the idea that every piece has to be gallery-ready or Instagram-worthy. That mindset doesn’t create freedom it creates pressure. And pressure has a way of suffocating the very thing you’re trying to set free: your creative voice.

Instead, try this:
What if your art didn’t have to prove anything?
What if it simply existed to express something- your truth, your mood, your joy, your curiosity, your frustration, your aliveness?

Because the truth is, your art is a living, breathing extension of your evolving self. It will change as you do. Some days it’ll whisper, other days it’ll roar and both are beautiful.

The more you embrace the imperfect, the more you'll find yourself showing up with confidence—not because everything is going smoothly, but because you’ve learned how to keep going when it doesn’t.

You don’t need to control the outcome. You just need to keep showing up.
The magic happens in the middle- in the mess, the mistakes, the moment you decide to keep creating anyway.

So let it be wild. Let it be true. Let it be yours.

Misty of Creatively Misty adding delicate pen details to a vibrant mixed media art journal spread layered with florals, textures, and uplifting words like “Believe,” “Create,” and “Make every day count.” This colorful journal page reflects Misty’s signature style—bold, expressive, and joyfully layered—to inspire heart-led creatives to explore their voice through fearless, intuitive mark-making.

Your bold invitation

If you’re ready to transform fear into freedom, join me in one of my online workshops. You’ll learn how to move through “mistakes” with courage, turn them into powerful elements, and grow your creative confidence layer by layer.

Click here to step into your creative power- and learn to let go with me in the next workshop.

Try this today

Start a page by making marks you “hate.” Smear, scribble, or spill. Then challenge yourself to turn it into something you love. Share your experience with me, I’d love to see your brave transformations.

Hi, I’m Misty

Mixed media artist, creative guide, and passionate believer in the power of fearless self-expression. After years of playing small and settling for a life that didn’t feel like mine, I chose to rewrite my story through art — and I’ve never looked back.

Now, I help women just like you break free from perfectionism and self-doubt so you can reconnect with your creative voice and boldly explore what lights you up. Whether you’re picking up a paintbrush for the first time or returning to art after years away, my mission is to help you step bravely into your own magic — one joyful, messy layer at a time.

Let’s create a life (and art) you absolutely adore. 💙