Hey there!
If you're here, that means you either liked what you read, accidentally clicked a link, or (my personal favorite) you're looking for creative sanity in a world that’s not helping. I’m Urmila-writer, artist, educator, accidental IT professional, certified yogi, and full-time believer that creativity is for everyone.
☕ Teacups and Tiny Victories ✌
This Substack is my love letter to slow growth, messy beginnings, and the magic that happens when we show up as ourselves, even when we’re still figuring things out. If this piece gave you even a tiny spark of joy or clarity, I’d love it if you bought me a coffee.
Thank you for being here - for reading, reflecting, and showing up with such beautiful humanity. You make this all worth it. 💛
Now, let’s dive in…
🎨 Stop Learning if you want to be Creative!
There was a time when I thought the best way to become a better creator was to learn more.
More techniques.
More tools.
More styles.
More courses.
More rules.
I told myself I was preparing. Building a foundation. Gathering what I needed before I really started.
But years passed.
And I never really felt ready.
💡 Learning Feels Safe - Creating Feels Risky
Let’s be honest:
Learning feels safe because you’re not actually doing anything real yet .
No one sees your half-finished idea.
No one judges your early drafts.
No one knows you haven’t made anything that matters yet.
So we keep gathering:
Bookmarking tutorials.
Saving Pinterest boards.
Buying another course “for later.”
Studying other people’s work instead of making our own.
We call it “research.”
We call it “getting ready.”
But deep down, we know it’s just avoidance.
Because creation demands something learning never does:
Courage.
Not talent. Not skill.
Just the guts to show up as you are, imperfect and unsure.
🔑 What If You Created Just for Yourself?
Here’s a question that changed everything for me:
What would I make if no one else ever saw it?
That small shift from public to private creation lifted the pressure completely.
Suddenly, I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
I wasn’t building a portfolio.
I wasn’t chasing likes or followers.
I was just playing.
Experimenting.
Exploring.
And for the first time in a long time, creativity felt fun again.
✅ Take the Pressure Off Your Creativity
If you’ve been stuck in the learning loop, I want you to hear this clearly:
You don’t need permission to create.
You don’t need to be ready.
You don’t need to share it.
You just need to begin even if it’s invisible.
So here’s my challenge to you:
Create something today that no one else has to see.
Draw. Write. Doodle. Record. Collage. Improvise.
Let it be messy. Let it be weird. Let it be yours.
That’s where real creative freedom begins.
🧾 Want to Try the 5-Day Private Creativity Challenge?
This isn’t another thing you “should” do.
It’s not homework. It’s not another item on your list.
It’s more like a little creative getaway just you and your imagination, no pressure, no performance.
I’m hosting a 5-day private creativity challenge in the subscriber chat , where we’ll explore what it means to make something just for you no sharing, no posting, no perfection (but if you want to, that’s ok too!)
Each day I’ll share a tiny, playful prompt to help you show up creatively in a way that feels light, easy, and actually fun.
No skills needed. No expectations. Just curiosity.
If you're in, come say hi in the chat.
👉
💬 Talk to Me
Have you ever realized you were avoiding creation by staying in learning mode?
What’s the last thing you made just for yourself with no plan to share it?
Let me know I read every reply.
📹 Watch the Video Version
❤️ Found This Useful? Tip Me a Ko-Fi!
This took time, energy, and heart to write and if you found even one useful idea here, I’d love to know.
A small tip helps me keep making content like this — and reminds me I’m not shouting into the void.
It means the world that you made it till the end!
Love this, Urmila. How about just doing it first for the fun of it - then maybe trying a new technique or tool as well. Or not! (I'm talking to myself):)
Hi Urmila! I think there is a lot of truth to this. And I also think that for many people, the process of learning is about becoming more restrictive. For instance, what’s one of the first things we learn about coloring? Stay in the lines. Follow the rules, don’t go against the grain. But doing all this unwittingly restricts our creative juices. Thanks for giving me something to think about!