When Creative "Someday" Projects Become Creative Roadblocks
Those art supplies you bought with such good intentions? Sometimes they become the very thing stopping you from creating.
We hang onto craft materials for "someday": someday I'll try watercolors, someday I'll finish that scrapbook, someday I'll use all this beautiful paper. But when "someday" supplies take over your workspace, they stop being tools and start being obstacles.
Here's the question that changes everything: What am I making room for today?
Bay Area Story: The Watercolor Guilt Trip
Sophie in San Francisco had a whole shelf of pristine watercolor supplies. Paint tubes still sealed. Brushes that had never been wet. Paper pads still in plastic.
She'd taken one class two years ago and bought everything the teacher recommended. "Someday I'll get back to it," she kept saying.
Meanwhile, those untouched supplies made her feel guilty every time she walked past. They weren't inspiring her — they were judging her.
When we finally tackled that shelf, some paint tubes had separated. The paper had that crisp, never-touched feel. She realized she wasn't excited about watercolors anymore. She'd moved on to mixed media but felt bad "giving up."
She offered the supplies to a friend who'd been wanting to try painting. "I thought I'd feel like a quitter," she said. "Instead, I felt free."
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The "I Paid Good Money" Trap
One of the hardest things to let go of is expensive supplies you never used.
A client in Petaluma kept a pottery wheel in her garage for four years. She'd bought it after one ceramics class, full of enthusiasm. Now it lived under a tarp, making her feel guilty every time she parked.
"I paid $300 for that thing," she said.
"And keeping it won't bring the money back," I replied. "But someone else might discover they love pottery because of it."
She sold it to a high school art teacher. Used the space for her actual current hobby: woodworking.
Questions That Make Letting Go Easier
Instead of "I might use this someday," ask:
"Have I thought about this project in the past six months?"
"If I saw this in the store today, would I buy it for a specific project?"
"Is keeping this helping my creativity or making me feel behind?"
Instead of "I paid good money for this," ask:
"Would I buy this again with what I know now?"
"Has this already served its purpose by teaching me what I don't want to pursue?"
Bay Area Story: Making Room for What's Calling You Now
David in Mill Valley had boxes labeled "college art," "printmaking phase," and "that pottery class." His garage was a museum of creative phases he'd moved through.
One box had darkroom chemicals from his film photography days. The bottles had crystallized residue. Photo paper had aged yellow at the edges.
"I loved doing this," he said, holding up old contact sheets. "But it's not how I make pictures anymore."
We kept a few prints for memory. The chemicals went to a community college darkroom. The shelf space now holds his current passion — woodworking tools he uses every weekend.
Your Creative Evolution Deserves Space
Every creative person's interests evolve. The collage phase led to your current mixed-media work. The pottery class taught you about form even though you never threw another pot. The drawing exercises improved your painting even though you don't sketch anymore.
Honoring that evolution means making room for what's calling you now, not storing everything that once did.
Start Here
Pick one "someday creative" area — supplies for something you haven't touched in over a year.
Remove three items that represent a creative phase you've clearly moved beyond.
If you hesitate, ask: "Is keeping this honoring my creative journey or making me feel stuck in the past?"
Want to start with something lighter? Try my 5-Minute Stuff Reset to get you started.
Ready to make room for the creative work that's actually calling you? Book Your Free Hope +
Relief Call — we'll figure out what deserves space in your current creative life.
