How Do You Stop Waiting and Start Creating?
You know you want to create. Maybe you’ve been meaning to scrapbook those photos for months, or you’ve been staring at a blank art journal page wondering where to begin. The desire is there — but something keeps getting in the way.
If that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
This post is the practical companion to the Start Where You Are Philosophy page, where I share the story behind the three principles — Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can — and why they matter so much for creative women like us.
Here, we put those principles to work. Whether you’re brand new to digital scrapbooking, returning after a long break, or doing deeper emotional work through art journaling, you’ll find specific exercises and “Try This” prompts you can use today.
How This Applies When You’re Just Starting
The Beginner’s Trap
If you’re new to digital scrapbooking or art journaling, here’s what often happens. You get excited. Download a freebie. Buy a kit or two. Watch a couple tutorials. And then … overwhelm.
Because now you’re comparing your beginner pages to gorgeous gallery layouts and thinking, “Well, mine will never look like that.”
Deep breath. You don’t need to be amazing. You need to begin.
Start Where You Are (Beginner Version)
Your “where you are” might be:
- you’ve never opened Photoshop Elements before
- you don’t know what a clipping mask is
- you’re not sure you’ll even like this hobby
- you feel intimidated by literally everything
Perfect. Start there.
Use What You Have (Beginner Version)
You don’t need expensive everything. You need enough to practice.
You DO need:
- simple software (paid or free)
- one kit (free is totally fine)
- one photo that matters to you
- willingness to be “bad at it” for a while
That’s how learning works.
If you need a little nudge, check out 15 strategies for finding creative inspiration.
Do What You Can (Beginner Version)
Instead of saying: “I want to make a whole album.”
Try: “I’ll scrapbook ONE photo today.”
Small is not silly. Small is smart. Small is how you build confidence.
Try This: A 5-Minute Starter Page
- Open your software (try Affinity or Photopea if you’re starting free).
- Open a template.
- Add ONE photo.
- Type ONE sentence about why it matters.
- Save it.
Congratulations. You made a page. You’re officially doing the thing.
How This Applies When You’re Just Feeling Stuck
The “I Used to Create All the Time” Trap
You’re not a beginner. You know the tools. You’ve made beautiful things. But lately? Nothing.
Sometimes it’s life. Sometimes it’s burnout. And sometimes your standards have quietly climbed so high that creating feels like taking a test. And who wants to take a test for fun?
Start Where You Are (Stuck Creator Version)
Your “where you are” might be:
- you haven’t created in weeks (or months)
- you feel disconnected from your usual style
- you’re comparing your next page to your best page ever
- you’re waiting for inspiration to strike
Here’s the twist: inspiration usually shows up after you start.
Use What You Have (Stuck Creator Version)
Instead of shopping for new supplies hoping they’ll magically fix the block, try using your stash like a creative playground.
Pick one constraint:
- use one kit for a week
- use only three elements and one font
- scrap “boring” everyday photos on purpose
- revisit a kit you love and use it differently
Need a deeper creative nudge? Read Creative Touchstones: The Heart of Your Art.
Do What You Can (Stuck Creator Version)
Your next page doesn’t have to be gallery-worthy. It just has to be done.
The goal is momentum, not masterpiece.
Try This: The 15-Minute “Break the Spell” Sprint
- Open your software.
- Pick any photo—truly, any photo.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Create anything (it can be terrible).
- Save it and walk away.
You just restarted your momentum.
Need a Gentle Way Back to Creating?
If you’re feeling stuck and would love a little company as you find your way back, I made something for you. Begin Anywhere is a free 7-day email series of gentle prompts to help you move past the blank page and return to your creative practice—whether that means a digital scrapbook page or an art journal page. You’ll receive one small invitation each morning, with no pressure and no perfection required. Think of it as a kind little nudge from a friend who knows how hard it can be to begin again.
How This Applies to Deeper Storytelling Work
The Art Journaler’s Trap
When the work is emotional, the page can feel heavy—like it has to “get it right.” So you wait for the perfect words. The perfect energy. The perfect moment.
But art journaling isn’t where you go once you have clarity. It’s often how you find it.
Start Where You Are (Art Journaler Version)
Your “where you are” might be:
- feeling too much (or feeling numb)
- not having the words yet
- being afraid you’ll ruin the page
- not knowing what you’re trying to say
Start anyway. Start with color. Start with texture. Start with one word. If having a few gentle words to return to feels helpful, I’ve gathered many of these permission-based phrases into a small prompt set called Permission to Begin: Prompts. It’s designed to work the same way this approach does—offering quiet encouragement rather than instructions, so you can use one prompt or many, in whatever way fits your creative season.
Learn more about Permission to Begin: Prompts
Use What You Have (Art Journaler Version)
The story you CAN tell today is better than the perfect story you never tell. This is where your “word of the year” or Focus Words shine. Instead of waiting to tell your whole story, choose one word and explore it slowly, gently, creatively.
Read more about this approach in The Alchemy of Focus Words.
Try This: Emotion-to-Color Prompt
- Name the feeling you have today.
- Choose 2–3 colors that match it.
- Put something on the page.
- See what wants to come next.
Your mess is allowed. Sometimes your mess is the message.
5-Day “Just Show Up” Challenge
- Monday: One ordinary moment
- Tuesday: One sentence about how you feel
- Wednesday: One color that matches your week
- Thursday: One word you need to hear
- Friday: One thing you’re grateful didn’t go unnoticed
Five simple pages. Zero pressure.
What If I Can’t Do Even That?
Then do less.
- Can’t do a full layout? Place one photo.
- Can’t journal? Add a date.
- Can’t create today? Open the file.
- Can’t do today? Try tomorrow.
Any movement counts.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Every page you make (even the “meh” ones) becomes part of your creative foundation. Masterpieces aren’t made by waiting. They’re made by showing up.
Your memories are expensive. Every day you wait is a day your stories stay untold.
You don’t need perfect. You just need momentum.
Today’s Your Assignment — If You’re Ready
- Open your software.
- Choose ONE photo.
- Open ONE kit or template.
- Create something.
- Save it.
- Repeat tomorrow.
Just start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
There’s no finish line here.
You don’t have to catch up. You don’t have to make up for lost time. You don’t have to do this perfectly or all at once.
You just have to begin.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
And trust that showing up—even imperfectly—is already enough.
Question: What’s the one thing that keeps stopping you from starting? I’d love to hear in the comments.
Want to Go Deeper?
Start Where You Are: A Creative Recovery Guide for Digital Scrapbookers is the book I wish someone had handed me during my own creative winter. Nine chapters, three bonus resources, and one simple promise: you’re not broken, this is temporary, and here’s how to start moving again.
A self-paced, gentle guide for digital scrapbookers who are ready for a deeper reset.
I tried to open the 15 strategies for finding creative inspiration and the Creative Touchstones: The Heart of Your Art. and it said the pages were not available or something like that. How can I get those pages?
I’m so sorry Nancy! I’ve fixed the links and will email you as well.
Thanks, Vicki! This is a great article…wow! I’m not feeling stuck at the moment…thank God. Doing the AJ stuff and loving it. Cheryl & Susie are doing AJ in Members Challenges and just changed the name to “The Creative Circle”. I’m going print this article for future benefit. Also read the articles you linked. Thanks much for your inspiration and honesty with life. Your email brought me over here. I love the 9-word quote and will be printing that – it will probably get into an AJ LO!
Char
Hey Char! So happy you liked the article! It’s so great that you’re not stuck and that you’re having fun with art journaling right now! You KNOW how close it is to my heart! I LOVE that you might use the quote on one of your pages! Be sure to tag me if you do! Big hug!
Thank you so much for this! I am somewhere between Beginner and Just Plain Stuck. I take way too much time creating in my head when I could be creating on paper. I get stuck in the “it has to look like those designer” pages or it isn’t right. I have all these projects going through my head, it is hard to choose where to start. So I will start where I am, right here, today! Thanks for giving me some guidelines to calm my mind.
Oh Linda! You’ve made my day! You’re exactly who I hoped would see this post! I’m so very happy it has helped you! I’d love to see what you create! You GO girl!
Vicki, thanks for this encouragement! I can relate to everything you are saying. I especially like the “permission” to be imperfect. One of my favorite scrappers is Stacy Julian (who is retiring! ;( ) of Live Your Story. She has the saying “imperfectly perfect” and teaches the concept of the “Enough Quotient.” I need to tell myself often that I will do what I can do and done is better than none. I can easily get overwhelmed and need to be kind to myself. I have “pinned” this post and will refer to it often!
Oh thanks so much for your reply, Joyce! I’m so glad you found the post helpful, I don’t know of Stacy, but one of my favorite phrases is “done is better than perfect” so it sounds as if we’re are pretty much in alignment! I very much appreciate your comments!
Wow! I don’t know how long it took you to write that advice, but it’s brilliant and so appropriate. I will be printing out the “mantra” to remind myself that perfect isn’t required. I usually get stalled when I don’t have a photo(s) to begin with. I’m not much of a picture-taker so I often rely on free images and those I get from friends or family. I have enough digital supplies to last me several lifetimes, and that is often a drawback too. The time I waste finding the right paper or elements….gah! I need to lighten up and remember the fun of it all.
Oh Julie! I’m right there with you! And one of my other favorite phrases is “Done is better than perfect”!! Thanks so much for your comment! I’m thrilled you found the post helpful!
I love this! I am just about to start a new, very important role in my DAR chapter and have been worrying over it a lot, because having observed others doing the same job, it looks incredibly time consuming and difficult. I am going to copy you and put these 3 statements on cards to put on my computers, in my notebook, plastered to my head. you get the picture. Thank you for sharing.
Deborah! I’m so glad you found this helpful! You’re absolutely right because the quote really does apply to life in general, not just scrapping . Good luck with you DAR chapter work x- you’ve got this!