How to Move Through Creative Self-Doubt and Reconnect With Your Purpose
Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your spark?
Like the ideas that once lit you up have dimmed, or that the thing that used to matter doesn’t quite land the same way anymore?
Maybe you’ve asked yourself: What am I doing this for?
If you're here, chances are you’re navigating your own season of doubt. And if that’s true, then let me offer you this:
You’re not doing it wrong. This is part of it.
The creative process isn’t linear. It’s a stretch and a return. A leap, and then a grounding. A brave “yes” to something new, followed (often quietly) by the decision to come back home to what really matters.
What’s for you won’t go by you.
That phrase—shared by brand designer and creative mentor Sarah Robertson on a recent episode of A Thought I Kept—has been looping in my head since we spoke. It was something her Scottish grandmother used to say, sometimes just in passing. But it landed.
It became an anchor for Sarah in all kinds of moments:
When her business changed direction
When launching a new product stirred up old fears
And when self-doubt made her question whether she was going in the right direction
In each of those moments, that phrase whispered back to her: If it’s for you, it won’t pass you by.
What happens when creativity starts to feel fragile?
Sarah spoke about the delicate emotions that come up when we make something new—especially something that asks a lot of us. When she launched her Brand Seasons card deck (a beautiful, soul-filled strategy tool), it wasn’t just a product launch. It was a creative stretch.
She worried about whether she still had it. She worried whether it was worth it. And in all of that, she still trusted enough to try.
Because sometimes, the bravery is just in showing up for what might be possible.
If you're in a stretch season...
...it might look like saying yes to something that scares you. A project you’re not sure will land. A conversation you don’t feel ready for.
But then there’s the other half of the rhythm—the return.
Sarah shared how, after all the brave leaping, she’s now back in her creative comfort zone: working one-on-one with clients, doing deep brand work, mentoring creatives who are trying something new.
And she’s realised:
It’s okay to let go of the things that aren’t for you too.
Even the things you poured your heart into.
This is permission to release the pressure to make every project the thing.
It can just be a thing. A moment. A stretch.
Then you come back to what fills you up.
If you're in a return season...
...let it be enough.
You don’t have to reinvent everything. You don’t have to push.
Returning to what feels good—what feels like you—can be the most creative act of all.
As Sarah put it:
““There’s definitely been something about learning that the creativity is always there. I can access it, I can tap into it.””
So how do you find your way back to creativity?
Here’s what this conversation reminded me of (and maybe it will help you too):
Self-doubt doesn’t mean you’re not creative. It means you care.
You don’t have to push all the time. Sometimes the letting go is the power move.
A creative pause doesn’t erase your purpose. Your creativity is still there.
The process matters as much as the outcome. Trust what you're learning in the doing.
Not everything is yours to carry. What’s truly for you will stay. What isn’t, can go.
Want to feel more connected to your creativity again?
Take a breath. Come back to yourself.
And ask: What feels like mine to hold right now?
Not what’s trending. Not what’s shiny. Just… what’s true?
If it’s for you, it won’t go by you.
Let that be the anchor.
Want more like this?
Listen to Sarah’s full episode on A Thought I Kept on Substack, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts
