THE STUDIO RESET
STEP 1 - THE CLEAR OUT
You don’t need to rush this. Just take a breath and start where you are.
Hey,
I want you to treat this less like a course
and more like a quiet moment to sit with your art again
No pressure to get it right
No need to push through quickly
Just read, pause when you need to
and take what feels helpful
Before we get into anything
Most of the time when things feel off in our art practice
it’s not because we’re not trying hard enough
It’s because we’re carrying too much
Too many ideas
Too many unfinished pieces
Too many things quietly sitting in the background
And even if you’re not actively thinking about them
they’re still taking up space
So instead of trying to push forward
We’re just going to gently clear some of that out
This is where we start
Not with more ideas
Not with a plan
With space
Because most artists don’t have a motivation problem
they have a too much problem
A small thing I want you to know
You’re allowed to let things go
You’re allowed to not finish everything you start
You’re allowed to change your mind
This step isn’t about being productive
It’s about being honest
Before you keep going…
Pause for a second
What’s already coming up for you?
✏️ Your turn
Take a notebook, your notes app, or just a piece of paper
Start by listing everything that’s currently sitting in your art practice:
• unfinished works
• ideas you’ve been holding onto
• projects you’ve started
• things you feel like you should finish
• anything that’s been lingering in your head
Don’t organise it
Don’t filter it
Just get it out
Now go back through your list
Next to each one, mark it:
✨ Alive — you still feel something for it
😐 Neutral — you could take it or leave it
😮💨 Heavy — it feels like pressure or obligation
Try not to overthink this
Just go with your first reaction
This next part matters
Anything marked heavy
You’re allowed to release it
That might look like:
packing it away
painting over it
archiving it
or simply deciding “not right now”
This isn’t failure
This is making space for what actually matters
Now gently narrow things down
From what’s left
Choose 1–3 things that feel the most alive
That’s it
Not everything
Not “eventually”
Just what feels right right now
If this feels a bit uncomfortable…
That’s okay
Letting go of ideas, projects, even versions of yourself
can feel strange
Especially when you’ve been holding onto them for a while
You’re not doing it wrong
This is part of it
What this step is doing
You might not feel completely sorted
But you should feel a little lighter
Like things aren’t all sitting on top of you anymore
Like you can actually see what’s in front of you
And that’s all we need right now
When you’re ready
Move on to the next step
(A small note for later)
If you’re already thinking
“I need a better way to keep track of all of this…”
That’s exactly why I am building the In Studio App
You don’t need to worry about that yet
we’ll come back to it in Step 4 🤍