Conquering Fears & Chasing Dreams
From the Archives – Originally posted March 4, 2023
Note: This post is part of my From the Archives series, where I’m slowly migrating my older blog posts to my new platform. It was originally written and published on March 4, 2023, during a season when I was just beginning to reclaim the title artist again.
You hear people say that “comparison is the thief of joy.” It was actually Teddy Roosevelt who said that—and those words couldn’t be more true. I know this firsthand. In my younger years, comparison stopped me from painting, drawing, photographing, and doing all the creative things I loved. I let it speak louder than my desire to create.
But something shifted.
I’m now at an age where I care less about what others think. That’s such a good and freeing place to be. I’ve started painting again—after years of doubt and silence. The thing is, if I hadn’t stopped, I’d be so much further along by now. But even so, something surprising has happened: I didn’t get worse over the years. Somehow, I’ve improved. And now, I can’t stop painting or creating because I know that growth only happens when we keep going.
I do a lot of creative things because… well, I’m an artist. I used to feel afraid to call myself that. I doubted it. But here I am, nearly 40, saying it aloud with a settled confidence: I am an artist.
There are some things happening in my life right now (I won’t share them in this post), and having a creative outlet has been a grace. I’m beginning to see creativity not just as a talent, but a gift from God—a tool that helps me process, heal, and grow through difficult seasons. Art really does that. It holds space for the unspoken.
So here’s a peek at the work I’ve been doing over the past three weeks. These pieces are part of the journey, not the final destination. They’re beginnings—unpolished, in-progress—but deeply mine. I’ll make more beautiful things in the years to come.
And as I reflect on all this, I realize: I do so much.
Wife. Mother. Knitter. Crocheter. Photographer. Rose grower. Garden keeper. Teacher. Friend. Youth leader. Painter. Videographer. Vlogger. Blogger.
I even play video games with my family.
So I suppose the conclusion is… I’m never bored.
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“The fear of being ‘not enough’ has no power when you choose to show up anyway.”
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This post is a reminder that creativity isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up again and again, trusting that the work will grow with you. Whether you’re in a season of blossoming or barely beginning, your gifts are worth tending to. Maybe it’s time to pick something back up again—you’ll be surprised how much beauty is still in you.
