Thinking Like an Artist
Psychological Tools for Creative Practice
These aren't cheerful productivity hacks or "overcome your blocks" prescriptions. They're honest excavations of the psychological mess underneath creative work—the shame, the terror, the contradictions.
Use these wheels when you're stuck, when you're lying to yourself about why you're stuck, or when you need to see the pattern you're caught in. They won't fix you. But they might help you see what's actually happening.
The Recognition Shame Wheel
What You Secretly Want But Can't Admit
The double-bind of wanting to be seen while believing 'real artists' don't care about recognition.
Surface Story (What You Tell Everyone)
- I just make what I need to make
- Art shouldn't be about the audience
- I don't check metrics/responses
- Real artists don't need validation
What You Actually Do
- Check Instagram likes at 2 AM
- Google your name to see if anyone mentioned your work
- Feel deflated when something gets no response
- Feel guilty when something does get attention
The Shame Spiral
- Wanting attention makes me a fake artist
- If I admit I want recognition, I'm just like everyone else
- Real suffering artists don't care about being seen
- Needing validation means the work isn't enough on its own
The Terror Underneath
- What if I'm just making art to feel special?
- What if all my 'pure' motivations are actually desperate attention-seeking?
- What if I can't tell the difference between authentic expression and performing authenticity?
The Deeper Recognition
- Wanting to be seen is human, not artistic failure
- The shame about wanting recognition blocks more creativity than the wanting itself
- You can want attention AND make authentic work
The Double-Bind: You're supposed to make art "for yourself" but also somehow share it and connect with people. This wheel shows the psychological knot that creates.
The Terror Wheel
Where the Real Blocks Live
Pure archaeological excavation of the real terror underneath creative paralysis. The stuff that keeps you awake at 3 AM.
Surface Fears
- It won't be good enough
- People will think I'm pretentious
- I'll embarrass myself
Deeper Terrors
- If I make this, I can't pretend I'm not an artist anymore
- This might reveal who I actually am
- What if I succeed and have to keep being this person?
- What if this shows I'm not who I think I am?
Core Existential Confrontations
- What if my authentic voice is ugly?
- What if I'm ordinary and creativity was just my cope?
- What if I've been hiding behind 'not being ready' my whole life?
- What if I make something true and no one cares?
- What if I discover I actually hate making things?
The Void Questions
- Who would I be if I wasn't the person who 'might make art someday'?
- What if my ideas aren't special and I'm just another human with hands?
- What if I make this and realize I wasted decades not making?
Warning: This wheel doesn't offer comfort or solutions. It's designed to name the terrors you've been avoiding. If you're in a fragile place, bookmark this for later.
What's Really Driving This Choice?
Awareness Without Prescription
This wheel doesn't tell you what to do—it helps you see what's already happening. No right answers, no prescriptions.
The Surface Choice
- Store-bought (familiar, safe, efficient)
- Homemade (complex, risky, personal)
Questions to Notice What's Underneath
- Am I choosing this because it serves the situation?
- Am I choosing this because I'm afraid of failing?
- Am I choosing this to prove something?
- Am I choosing this because someone said I should?
- What would I choose if no one was watching?
Gentle Acknowledgments
- Fear is information, not a verdict
- Both choices can serve different purposes
- Patterns repeat until you notice them
- Awareness doesn't require change
How to Use: Think of a creative decision you're facing right now. Spin to whatever question feels relevant, sit with it, and notice what comes up. The goal is awareness, not answers.