Creative Sweet Spot
The Higher Ground Between Art Mastery and Art Therapy
There’s a powerful tension that lives at the heart of creative practice.
At one end of the spectrum, you’ll find the professional artist’s path: where the focus is on mastery and producing high-quality art that sells, refining technique, honing a signature style, building a body of work, and often, building a business around it.
At the other end, we find the space of art therapy principles: a space where there is zero attachment to outcome, where the act of creating is purely about the process, self-expression, and emotional release — no pressure, no goals, no critique.
Both of these are beautiful, valid approaches. Both have value and power. But what if we can draw on both in tandem? What if the way we approach art is not all or nothing?
This article is inspired by my recent conversation with Maggie Parr - she explains that she has two very distinct creative practices - one for healing and one for making money.
Maggie’s creative practices and the art she makes within them are vastly different. This got my mind ticking on how this applies to my own art and coaching work. I believe there is, in fact, a sweet spot that celebrates and actually elevates the creative journey.
It’s the space where we honour the process of creating deeply, not just to produce beautiful work for the world to see, but as a path of healing, self-nurturing, empowerment, and transformation.
And yet, we also lean into creative challenge, goals, and growth. We stretch ourselves. We embrace the edges of our creative ability. We get curious about what we are capable of expressing. We develop skill and confidence, not for perfection or praise, but to serve the soul’s voice more fully and clearly.
A Tale of Two Practices
If you are in the professional artist camp, this may mean allowing yourself to have two distinctly different creative practices:
One practice to deliver high-quality professional work: where you uphold the standards required for your audience, your collectors, and your brand.
And one practice purely for you: where art becomes a tool for soul connection, self-discovery, healing, and personal growth, a safe space where no one else’s expectations apply, where the focus is on the inner experience rather than the outer result.
I know in my own creative practice, I am getting more and more intentional about separating these two practices. For me, there is some overlap - leaning into themes of women’s empowerment helps me both professionally and personally, in fact, it helps me focus and makes it easier to show up (it’s less challenging for my busy brain to accept), but they are two distinctly different approaches.
I have sketchbook practice, which leans heavily into play and experimentation through the use of mediums I am less familiar with, and I generally spend no longer than 90 minutes on each page.
On the other hand, my professional art is long and winding. This is different for every artist, but I accepted long ago that I cannot churn out multiple pieces each week - it just can’t, it’s not how I work. Each piece takes a minimum of 2 weeks to complete (when I’m in flow creatively, but often pieces can sit around for a couple of months, sometimes longer, where I dip in and out and trust it’ll get done when the time is right. I work in layers (as many as I need to feel satisfied) and need to sit with each component of the painting, tweaking and changing until it feels right. I don’t have a formula or a repeatable format for my paintings, and that’s the way I like it. My style is consistent, but the composition, structure, and details of each painting vary. My professional art takes time and I accept that, but I do know artists that have a formula or a repeatable format and they churn out hundreds of paintings a year - its not better or worse, but the more paintings you are making the easier it is to build an art business, by the way :)
For others who may not identify as professional artists but feel creatively curious, this sweet spot means giving yourself permission to create with both care and courage. It means understanding that skill development is a beautiful part of the creative journey, and that taking creative risks or setting goals does not have to contradict the healing power of the process.
Why This Matters
When we lean fully toward professional perfectionism, we risk disconnecting from the soulful, intuitive essence of creativity. It can become about performing, achieving, and proving.
When we lean fully toward process-only art-making with no challenge, we may miss the growth that comes from stretching into new edges and embodying our creative power more fully.
The sweet spot honours both:
Process and progress.
Self-expression and skill.
Soul connection and creative courage.
This is where I see women come alive through creativity.
Not because they’ve “mastered” a medium, but because they’ve mastered listening to their inner voice and expressing it more fully with each brushstroke, word, or mark on the page.
Creative Seasons
And just like life, our creative practice moves in seasons. There will be times when your soul craves the gentleness and surrender of pure process-based creating. And there will be times when you feel a pull toward learning new techniques, growing your skills, and expanding your creative edges. Neither of these seasons is better than the other. Both are essential. The sweet spot I’m speaking about today honours this natural ebb and flow — it gives you full permission to be where you are, while also encouraging you to stay open to growth when the time feels right. The key is trusting your inner guidance to lead you through these creative cycles, and not forcing yourself into an approach that doesn’t feel aligned in the moment.
A Reflection for You:
If you are feeling the call to deepen your creative life, ask yourself:
What would it look like for me to embrace both the healing process and the creative challenge?
Where might I be holding myself back from one or the other?
You do not have to choose. There is beauty and power in the space where both meet.
Take care,
Sam x
P.S. if you enjoyed this article, please make sure to check out my podcast - Soul-led Creative Women
A podcast for heart-centred, creative women who are ready to reclaim their spark and live with deeper meaning, authenticity, and soul.
Each episode is an invitation to uncover the spiritual power of creativity to heal, nurture, empower, and transform. Through honest stories, soulful conversations, and inspiring tools, we’ll explore how art-making and spiritual practices can help you reconnect to your truth and live more expansively.
Your creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s your way back to yourself. Let’s explore how together.