Far from perfect, I believe the end goal of a creative person is to play, to practice, and, most importantly, to excel. Whether you're a freelance designer, a working artist, or a creative entrepreneur, these principles have shaped my journey and my studio practice.

I firmly believe in the avid pursuit of excellence, of the personal and vocational advantage of pattern recognition, and of simple silliness. These are my core ideas as a creative professional and small business owner, and to break it down further:

Excellence means that you deeply understand your craft. The materials, how they work, why they work, and your process to working with them. For a designer or visual artist, this means knowing your tools — from traditional paint and canvas to modern web design platforms — deeply enough to bend them to your vision.
Pattern Recognition means you're able to see repeated cycles of interest, happenings, or occurrences and link them to causes or effects that seem to connect. This is a gift for yourself because it helps in all arenas of life, from simply recognizing you're being manipulated by someone to understanding what materials lead to what result. It is an evergreen personal gift to oneself — and for creative entrepreneurs, it is an invaluable business skill.
Silliness allows the joy of your craft and the deep personal WHY to flourish. This silliness keeps things fresh, meaning you'll always be at the edge of exploration to uncover what else can be done in your craft or in your life. And silliness keeps you feeling alive.

All of these are evergreen gifts to oneself — and together, they form the foundation of a sustainable creative career.

What Does It Mean to Pursue Your Highest Creative Life?

It means your life will be reaching for the "highest version of your life experiences." In my experience, even fear won't get in your way - but it will be a companion. All you will do is put fear in the passenger seat — you in the driver's seat, with the love of excellence, pattern recognition, and silliness in your heart, will move forward.

Ask yourself: What else are you going to do with your life? What is that little voice in your head so afraid of?

Truly, ask it.

Truly let it expel all its fears and worries, in a journal or in meditation/prayer.

Then ask it: "What else are we going to do? Will we be able to give our full focus to seek to be exceptional in this, while able to be in joy while doing these things? What about the hard days — can we see ourselves feeling this was worth it even on the worst day?"

If the answer is no… then I can't see how someone can compete against the more passionate person who is obsessed and pushes forward regardless of trials and successes — they just want to be exceptional.

My Creative and Entrepreneurial Journey

As a Texas-based freelance designer and visual artist, I wake up wanting to design, to paint, to create, to move my body. I've been actively pursuing entrepreneurship since 2019, freelancing on-and-off since being a high school design intern, and I'm still here. In between has been day jobs funding my dreams.

I'm grateful to have my studio, to serve local Texas businesses, and to have the time to connect with business decision makers and creative entrepreneurs in my community. The fact that I can give back because I am obsessed with providing the best means a lot to me.

And when I meet other passionate people who aim for total excellence, I know the service they provide — and beyond that, the life they lead — must be amazing and true to them.

When the Passion Fades: Creative Burnout Is Real

Sometimes the passion can fade. Sometimes the love for things goes away. A couple of years ago this happened to me; I thought I was empty and dried of creativity. My creative block hit my heart and I had no love left for my work. But it was only a season — a long season. (I'll be writing soon about how to get your love for your passion back — stay tuned on the blog.)

Creative burnout is one of the most common struggles for artists, designers, and entrepreneurs. And recovery is possible.

A Case Study in Excellence: Alysa Liu

For example, let's briefly look at Alysa Liu, the gold medalist figure skater. She retired at 16 from burnout, gave herself a normal life, then came back to simply enjoy her craft. As a result, she won gold.

I believe this is what a master of one's craft looks like — exceptionalism “perfected”, knowing her process through pattern recognition of what works, and simply enjoying herself out there. The whole world felt this.

This is a serious power. Even if she hadn't won gold, she was exceedingly more impactful than her peers regardless. People deserve to see more of this — in sports, in business, and in art.

How to Apply This Framework to Your Own Creative Life

Please do ask yourself those questions — I did so many times and my life is the most aligned it's ever been.

I would also encourage you to take this framework and review the different areas of your life, rate them, and see how you can improve these 3 aspects. Find or read about people who have the relationship you dream of, who have the career you love, who have the health or spiritual depth or community connection you desire. These can be different people, and you can be the beautiful amalgamation of it all. I know I am, and there's still so much more to do.

What I've Been Creating in the Studio Lately

With all of that being said, here are some of the projects I've been working on as a freelance designer and artist — and it has been so fun!

Recent studio work and creative explorations:

Web Design & Motion Effects I've been playing with Unicorn Studio for web design motion effects — interactive elements that follow your mouse cursor! I've also been integrating AI tools into my current web design process to bring the most innovative design solutions to my clients. My goal is to always bring the best of design and branding to Texas small businesses and beyond, so I must always keep learning and playing.

2. Returning to a Painting I Abandoned in 2022I was pushing my skills then to really mold the form, and I couldn't at the time. I walked away frustrated in my home studio in Newark, NJ — only to find it again in my boxes here in Texas. My skills have grown since then, so I happily breezed through this while keeping a lot of my original mark makings. This piece truly holds my development-in-progress from 2022 me and 2026 me — a true collaboration and appreciation of how far I've come as a visual artist.

Wings of a Feather, started in 2022, finished in 2026

3. Mini Paintings for a Baby Shower I can't share these just yet because it's a surprise — but they'll be updated on my art portfolio soon. Check back at crimsoncreates.com/art to see them!

Life Beyond the Studio

I've taken up journaling and decided social media is an energy suck… again. I've also been connecting with so many local business owners and decision makers in my community — and so many of them are incredibly cool. A book club may be on the horizon, and I have a new art buddy. Truly exciting things ahead.

Let's Connect

So, what are you working on that has moved the needle for your brand, your creativity, or just for yourself? Drop a comment below — I'd love to hear from you.

And if you're a small business owner looking for branding, graphic design, or custom art in Texas, let's talk. Visit crimsoncreates.com to learn more about working together.

Crimson Creates is a boutique creative studio offering graphic design, branding, web design, and fine art services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Based in Texas.

What Nobody Tells You About Building a Creative Life You Actually Love