Creative Clarity Series
Published on May 12, 2025

The Creative Journey, Part 4 of 12: Signs You’re Ready for the Next Phase

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2395 words // 13min read time

Hello, lovely crafter! Today, I’m releasing Part 4 of 12 of the Creative Journey Series. I am so proud of this series, as it’s a deep dive into the life cycle of the creative art experience. I hope you will read the tips and insights, and decide where you are in the journey, gleaning any help that you can to guide you through to the next step. Head to the main page if you’re just jumping in and you want to start from the top. Enjoy!

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[Crochet Pattern Shown: The Zendoodle Blanket]

3 Phases: Intro and Quick Links

The Creative Journey Series has an over-arching theme of 3 phases, each one with 4 parts, making the whole 12-part series. Here’s a quick overview again of the 3 phases, just so you know where you are in the journey. I’ll be adding this intro reminder at the top of each part through the series and hyperlinking Parts 1-12 as I go.

Phase 1, Imitation and Inspiration: Steps 1-4 are a deeper dive into Phase 1 of the Creative Journey. You can read more in my series post Creative Clarity, Episode 2: Phase 1 of the Artist’s Journey and a Deep Dive into the Realm of Copying

Phase 2, Innovation and Identity: Steps 5-8 break down Phase 2 of the journey, which is the topic of Creative Clarity, Episode 3: Phase 2 of the Artist’s Journey and How to Beat Creative Burnout

  • Part 5: What Style Really Means
  • Part 6: Experimentation and the Messy Middle
  • Part 7: Surviving the Burnout Phases
  • Part 8: The Power of Finding Your Unique Voice

Phase 3, Integration and Ascension: Steps 9-12 will be a dive into Phase 3 of the journey, but this episode of Creative Clarity has not yet been released. I will be sure to release that episode before we begin Step 9.

  • Part 9: Sustaining Your Style
  • Part 10: Cross-Pollinate through Fusion and Play
  • Part 11: Staying True Despite Style Challenges
  • Part 12: Artistic Evolution – Never Stop Growing

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Part 4: Signs You’re Ready for the Next Phase

There will come a moment during the first phase when imitation no longer feels satisfying. You’re still learning and practicing the foundations of your craft, but something has shifted. That’s the moment this post is about.

Phase 1 of the creative journey is all about inspiration and imitation. You borrow the best from those who came before you, use that creativity to build fluency. But what happens when you start to outgrow those borrowed shapes? You feel limited…

This post explores that liminal space and tell you what to look for to know you’re ready to start finding a personal style. The sign that it’s time to move toward your own voice.

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A Story of Restlessness

In my early design years, I followed patterns religiously. I’d mimic the structure, the color choices, even the yarn types, trying to absorb everything I could. I wasn’t just copying for copying’s sake; I was learning. Repetition gave me confidence.

My Copying Phase: A Show and Tell for Crochet Artists

I’m a crochet designer, and I learned to crochet in 2006. I started my hobby by crocheting from other people’s published patterns and designs, and I didn’t start figuring out design until 2012. Then, the first time that I copied another artist was in 2014.

It was a small heart mandala motif designed by Crochet Millan. I reached out to the designer and asked if I could have permission to create a squared off border for her heart mandala to turn it into a blanket square. I also wanted to create a half-motif and a quarter-motif for the design. She granted me permission, and I wrote up the little additions to her pattern and linked to her directions for the initial mandala portion.

I did this a few times, reaching out to artists and asking if I could link to their pattern, and show a little additional part to it. A different border here, a swap in stitch texture there. I’d convince myself I was just “customizing,” but the truth was deeper: the original template no longer fit. My own voice was coming through, and I knew it was time to try leading with my own ideas, even if they weren’t fully formed. The patterns that had once taught me everything were now boring to me.

5. Signs of a Growing Artist:

  • Excited about grand art projects but don’t see them through: This could indicate a lack of focus or discipline.
  • Spending more time gathering supplies than creating: This could be a sign of procrastination or fear of starting.
  • Showing up on days when inspiration is lacking: This demonstrates a commitment to practice and development.
  • Being open to feedback, even when it stings: This shows a willingness to learn and grow.
  • Consciously choosing creation over consumption: This signifies a focus on artistic development. 

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When Imitation No Longer Feels Like Home

In the beginning, imitation is a lifeline. It offers structure, clarity, and the safety of proven steps. But at some point, the very things that once felt supportive begin to feel restrictive. You start to notice a subtle resistance when following instructions because something inside you has changed. This shift often begins as boredom. What once felt exciting now feels mechanical and you realize you’re not just copying anymore. You’re editing, adapting, imagining something else.

Recognizing Potential for Growth:

  • Finding a compelling reason to create: Do you have a specific goal or project in mind that inspires you to create more?
  • Resisting the temptation to revert back to technique-focused work: Are you striving to explore more complex ideas and concepts?
  • Putting everything on paper: Are you actively planning your artwork and thinking through your ideas before you start creating? 

Intentionally incorporating art into each day will improve your quality of life and put you in the headspace to create. With an artful purpose and meaning, your creative process will elevate your mood and open your mind to new ideas. This way, when you decide to set aside time to create, you can be sure it will be a positive experience, and you’re more likely to feel in love with your art.

Each day, we consume things like television, music, clothing, phone apps, nature walks, books, and even food. All of these can be looked at with an artist’s eyes. Invest thought and time into making sure as many of your decisions as possible are geared toward artistic expression in some way.

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Why This Shift Happens

Creative growth follows certain emotional rhythms. And just when you think you’ve arrived at something satisfying, the bar moves. This is definitely a sign of growth. As your creative eye sharpens, your old benchmarks no longer feel fulfilling.

This readiness often shows up not as certainty, but as discomfort. You might feel:

  • Feeling a deep desire to create: Do you find yourself consistently thinking about art and wanting to express yourself visually? 
  • A sense of inspiration: Do you feel drawn to explore new ideas and subjects, or are you drawn to specific media and techniques? 
  • A desire for self-expression: Do you feel the need to communicate your thoughts, emotions, or observations through art? 
  • Commitment to learning and improvement: Are you willing to put in the effort to learn new skills and refine your techniques?
  • Openness to feedback: Are you willing to receive constructive criticism and learn from others?
  • Patience and persistence: Are you willing to put in the time and effort required to develop your skills and create meaningful art? 

These feelings aren’t signs that you’ve plateaued. They’re signs of transition, and it’s your creative mind making space for something new. This is the beginning of divergence: when you realize your creative instincts are worth listening to, even before you know exactly where they’re taking you.

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Practical Signs You’re Ready to Shift

How will you know when you are exiting Phase 1 and starting Phase 2? When you start showing signs of exhibiting your own style. Eventually, during Phase 2, your influences will no longer be easily discerned in your pieces.

When you ask yourself a question about what you are working on, you are inherently doubting that you know the answer, which knocks down your confidence. Constantly having to course correct while navigating these logical processes pulls you out of the creative headspace, leaving you feeling frustrated and insecure about your art.

Here are five core signals that it’s time to move into deeper creative exploration:

  • Copying starts to feel boring. What once felt absorbing now feels mechanical. This boredom is a clue that your capacity has grown.
  • You hear yourself saying, “I think I could do this my way…” That thought is gold. Pay attention when you start to imagine alternatives.
  • You keep feeling the nudge to tweak or modify. That impulse is your emerging style.
  • Imitation feels tight, like creative clothing that no longer fits. This is uncomfortable, but necessary for growth.
  • You’re no longer thinking about who you’re imitating. Your influences are still present, but they’ve started to blend and soften. Your decisions feel more instinctual.

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An Invitation to Reflect

Take stock of your current creative practice. Are you still excited by imitation, or are you starting to chafe against it?

If you feel the nudge to tweak, remix, or reimagine, honor it. You don’t have to leap into full originality overnight. Just notice where your curiosity is trying to lead you.

Ask yourself:

  • What would I do differently, if I trusted myself more?
  • What part of this process feels mine, even if it’s borrowed?
  • Is there a small way I could experiment with that instinct today?
  • What’s one “tweak” I keep making almost without thinking? What would happen if I made that my starting point instead?

Shifting means letting your art evolve in your hands.

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Emotional and Creative Signals

  • Restlessness as a creative signal. The desire to move forward even without knowing where you’re headed.
  • Creative boredom doesn’t mean you lack talent. It often signals readiness for complexity, not stagnation.
  • Imposter syndrome shifting forms. At first you worry you’re not good enough to copy, and now you worry you’re not original enough to lead. (A huge one for me!)

Philosophical & Practical Notes

  • Your edits are data. Pay attention to what you change when you copy, because those changes hold your emerging style.
  • You don’t have to “announce” your shift to your followers. Just let your process evolve naturally with the work that you share.
  • When you’re ready to shift, your critiques of others may become clearer and kinder because you understand the complexity of finding a voice.

Prompts or Questions to Explore

  • What kinds of patterns or processes have started to feel stale?
  • What part of your practice feels most like you?
  • What would your 6-months-ago self think of the work you’re doing now?
  • If someone gave you permission to invent something entirely your own, what would you start with?

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You Don’t Need to Feel Ready to Begin

If you take a break from your current body of work, and act as though you are a beginning artist, you can reorient yourself on your artistic journey. We need to be reminded more than we need to be taught, and sometimes that means being reminded of where you came from.

Common artistic doubts:

  • Is this even fun anymore?
  • I have no idea what I’m doing.
  • I’m feeling overwhelmed.
  • Why do I even make art?

In the pursuit of life as an artist, your work will evolve and change many times, with each step in this evolution being informed by all of the previous steps. If you walk far enough down the creative path, you will reach a point where your current works look nothing like the artwork you created at the beginning of your journey.

Here are 7 pieces of advice I would give to get you started:

  • Experiment with lots of mediums until you fall in love with one
  • Get inspired by a wide variety of art forms
  • Sharpen your technical skills by learning as much as you can
  • Go through your artistic endeavors to pick some for a portfolio
  • Explore and transform your ideas so that they evolve into a personal style
  • Discover the ways that creating art will help improve your mental state
  • Imitate the artists that you admire so that you can focus on your technique

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Creative Voices to Follow

These artists and writers speak directly to this part of the journey. When choosing inspiration artists, if you’re feeling unsure of your ability, ask yourself what you would do if fear was eliminated from the equation.

  • Austin Kleon – His book Show Your Work encourages sharing unfinished work as part of creative evolution.
  • Kerry James Marshall – A painter who started by studying Old Masters and now rewrites visual history with his own hand.
  • Lynda Barry – Explores creativity as an instinctive, childlike force that thrives in imperfection.
  • Yayoi Kusama – Repetition and pattern as personal vision; letting obsession become voice.
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat – Layered influence into a raw, unmistakable visual language.

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10 Bonus Signs You’re Ready to Shift

  1. You’re more interested in remixing than repeating.
  2. You start to feel like a collaborator rather than a student.
  3. Craving space to learn from mess-ups.
  4. You’re revisiting older work and imagining how you’d do it now.
  5. Feeling flashes of excitement when you improvise.
  6. You trust your taste even when your technique lags behind.
  7. Getting curious about making something no one’s ever seen before.
  8. Feeling drawn to materials or tools outside your usual comfort zone.
  9. Spending less time asking “Is this right?” and more time asking “Is this me?”
  10. You realize that copying was a chapter and not the whole book.

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Thank you for reading this part of the Creative Journey Series! Next Monday, we will look at Part 5: What Style Really Means. Part 5 will help you figure out that style isn’t something that you can stumble upon. It emerges naturally from the creative patterns that you repeat over and over, even subconsciously.

Hope you have a great week, and happy crafting!

Rachele C.

Order my crochet pattern book: The Art of Crochet Blankets

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