Why Artists Quit Too Soon and How to Make Sure You Don’t

The artist’s journey is harder than anyone tells you. It’s a rollercoaster of highs and lows, breakthroughs and setbacks, and most people quit right in the middle of a dip, not knowing that the smoother path was just ahead. In this post, I share what the creative journey actually looks like, why so many artists walk away at exactly the wrong moment, and the single thing that changes the entire trajectory of your art. It has nothing to do with technique and everything to do with who you’re making art with.

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Why So Many Artists Quit at Exactly the Wrong Moment (And How to Make Sure You Don’t)

Nobody warned me how hard the artist’s journey really is.

When I started out, it was exciting. I was making things. Learning. Discovering. And then it got hard. Really hard. And I started to wonder if something was wrong with me. If I was the only one feeling this way. If maybe art just wasn’t meant for me after all.

I wasn’t alone. And neither are you.

 

 

What the Artist’s Journey Actually Looks Like

Most people imagine creative growth as a steady upward climb. You start, you practice, you improve. Linear. Predictable. Encouraging.

That is not what it looks like.

The reality is far more turbulent. You begin with excitement and momentum. Then you hit a wall. You push through, make some progress, and just when you think you’re getting somewhere, something shifts and you slide backward. You plateau. You second-guess everything. You look at your work and wonder if any of it is actually good.

This is the rollercoaster. And it is completely, utterly normal.

The problem is that most people don’t know that. So when they hit one of those dips, when the work feels hard and the doubt creeps in and the progress seems to stall, they do what any reasonable person would do when something feels this uncomfortable. They stop.

And that is exactly the wrong moment to stop.

Because just on the other side of that dip, if you stay with it, is where the real growth happens. Where the breakthroughs come. Where the work starts to feel like yours in a way it never did before.
 

Why Artists Lose Objectivity When Working Alone

There’s another thing that happens when you make art in isolation that nobody talks about.

You lose objectivity.

After a while, working alone, you genuinely cannot tell anymore whether what you’re making is any good. You stare at a painting for so long that you can’t see it clearly. The inner critic gets louder. The questions get harder. “Is this good? Who am I kidding? What’s the point?“

And here’s the strange thing. That loss of objectivity is actually a sign that you’re growing. It means you’re pushing into new territory. It means your standards are rising faster than your current skills, which is exactly how breakthroughs happen.

But it can take you out completely if you’re navigating it alone.

This is where other people become essential. Not critics. Not teachers standing above you. Fellow artists who are on the same path, who can look at your work with fresh eyes and say, “No, this is really working. Look at what’s happening over here.” That outside perspective, that witnessing, is one of the most powerful tools available to any artist.
 

The One Thing That Smooths Out the Journey

I’ve spent a long time thinking about what separates artists who keep going from artists who quit. And the answer is almost never talent. It’s almost never technique.

It’s community.

When you make art alongside other people who are on the same journey, something fundamental shifts. The wild swings of the rollercoaster flatten out. The dips feel less isolating because you can see that everyone around you is experiencing the same thing. The mistakes feel less catastrophic because you watch others make them and keep going. The progress feels more sustainable because you’re being carried by a collective momentum that’s bigger than any individual’s doubt.

This is what I’ve built Art2Life around. Not just the teaching, not just the techniques, but the understanding that the creative journey is profoundly better when it’s shared.

When you know that other people are having the same experience, it normalizes everything. The struggle doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re in it. And being in it, together, is how you get through it.
 

Two Paths Through the Creative Journey

The way I see it, there are two versions of this journey.

The first is the one most artists experience when they go it alone. The wild rollercoaster. The crushing lows. The moments of doubt so heavy they feel permanent. Some people ride this version for years. Some ride it all the way to quitting. And I understand why. When something feels this hard and this uncertain for this long, stepping away feels like the only reasonable response.

The second version is what becomes possible in community. It’s still a journey. There’s still struggle and growth and the occasional step backward. But the swings are smaller. The lows are shorter. The progress is steadier. And most importantly, you’re never alone in the middle of it.

I rode the first version for a long time. I know exactly how it feels. And I also know, from years of watching artists grow inside the Art2Life community, just how different the second version can be.
 

The Difference Community Makes

Here is what I’ve watched happen again and again inside Art2Life.

An artist arrives feeling stuck, frustrated, and alone in their struggle. They’ve been making art in isolation, losing objectivity, riding the rollercoaster without a map.

They step into the community. They start making art alongside other artists who are honest about their own struggles. They get feedback that helps them see their work differently. They realize that the dip they’re in is not a dead end but a turning point.

And something opens up.

Not because they suddenly learned a technique they were missing. But because they stopped being alone in the process. Because they found people who understood the journey and could walk it alongside them.

That’s what I want for you.

Tomorrow, BLOOM Week begins. April 27th through May 1st. One hour a day at 12 PM PT. Five days together exploring the BLOOM practice, a way of approaching your art that’s easier, more connected, and built to sustain you for the long haul. Not just for a week. For the rest of your creative life.

This isn’t about learning to paint like someone else. It’s about finding your way to yourself as an artist, surrounded by people who are on the exact same path.

Let’s bloom together. Click here to join us. I’d love to see you there.
 

Now It’s Your Turn

Are you feeling some of the rollercoaster right now in your own creative journey? The self-doubt, the loss of objectivity, the wondering if it’s supposed to feel this hard?

Share it in the comments below. You are not alone in this. And knowing that might be the most important thing I can tell you today.