Mid Year Check-In + Recapturing My Creativity

Well, we’ve officially hit July and amidst the summer celebrations barbecues and suffocating heat waves, it hits me that we’re already over halfway through the year. Looking at the goals I set in January, I was a lot more optimistic about my

productivity than I feel right now.

I’m sure it’s no surprise but I’ve been quite absent from the internet over the last 6 months. Despite what seemed like very easy goals, it’s been a struggle to keep up. Was it the winter blahs? February passed and I still didn’t feel energized. Is it the stress of wedding planning? May passed and not much changed.

The first half of the year has been a process of introspection and shifting focus from constant productivity to balance. I grew up being pushed to always be doing something productive, whether it be something that can make money or housework. That led me to burning out on the things I love from trying to monetize them and guilt whenever I wasn’t “productive enough”.

Now, I’m in the process of finding balance and shaking myself out of guilt. This is also a process of reminding myself not to compare myself with other artists online. We are each working through our own journeys and even though they seem to hustle and handle everything easily, each person has their struggles behind the scenes. If I want to get to the same level as those artists I admire, I have to stop comparing and work up to it sustainably.

With the rest of 2026 I want to get inspired, make art, and rediscover the fire that made me start The NerDIY Blog in the first place back in 2021. All of this started as a blog for school. There was a simple joy in sharing what I love without expectations, and finding people enjoyed the same things. My first step in my creativity journey is going back to my roots, and I’m hoping this blog will help others find their creativity too.

With this mid-year check-in, I’m setting out 3 goals to re-capture my creativity:

1. Put my phone down for an hour before bed every night

   This was a habit I successfully had for a few months near the beginning of the year, but I eventually stopped sticking to it strictly. What I found was all the other things I wanted to do in my wind down time (journaling, reading, little self care moments) quickly fell apart after phone time started creeping back in. By forcing myself to get off the phone, I’m hoping this will lead to better sleep quality and more dedicated time for thinking.

2. Engage in artistic communities

   When I was feeling my most inspired, I was active in artistic and crafty communities on Twitch, Discord, and in person. There’s something so much more invigorating about the same crafty activities when you’re doing them with company.

3. Do something difficult and keep doing it

   One of the most difficult things for me to do is letting myself fail and fail often. I struggle with getting through the tough plateau in the learning process that comes after the initial energy boost of novelty. I’m very guilty of the “If I’m not perfect at it on the first try, what’s the point?” mindset. No longer! In the back half of 2026 I want to learn to sculpt with Blender. I’m going to try, fail, and try again.

I don’t have all the answers to the mystery that is creativity, but I know that I just need to take the first step, and when I look back in the future, I’ll have walked further than I could have imagined.