Checking in after 7 months since completing The Artist’s Way

And the result was surprising.

Nov 16, 2025

I started The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in January, and after my second attempt (I tried to start during Covid, yet failed), I completed the 12-week exercises that have changed my creative practice today. Here I am, in the first week of November, looking back and checking in on how I feel.

learning new technique of seeing: paper cutouts — New technique unlocked: paper cutouts and collage

What happened since then?

I left (no, actually lost) my full-time job.
The job that was so fulfilling to me 3 years ago when I joined has left me indifferent. I was no longer excited to start my day—I just did what I was told. If anyone knows anything about startups, that’s not how it works there. Truth be told, I really loved the company, but I have accepted now, after 3 months of being out of the job, that I was over it. No matter how high-paying tech jobs may be, I needed a fresh start.

I feel the most true to myself since my adult life began.
Along with CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), which I started in April last year, I have never felt so liberated. As a third culture kid, I hid a lot of my cultures, feeling ashamed and wanting to fit in. I had so many beliefs growing up: “I can never make art my career,” “If I make art my career I would resent it,” “Art is my escape from the real world.” After the hard inner work, that narrative changed. Right now, I’m in a stage of allowing myself again—allowing myself to play. This year was meant for accepting and embracing who I am.

My most common excuses to avoid pursuing my art

Aren’t my current work tasks creative?
Some people might consider working as a product designer “creative.” Yes, you come up with creative solutions to problems. Yes, you get to “draw” rectangles on screens. But is it “play” in the sense of having all the creative freedom? No—you have constraints: technical constraints, business constraints. In the end, it’s a service that I get paid for.

Don’t I have to make money?
As an expat/immigrant and third culture kid, I spent the majority of my life in paperwork. That means, always having in the back of my mind: no safety net. No matter what people say, passport privilege is real. I don’t get unemployment benefits, and I need to declare my entire life and my parents’ names just to visit a country. Sabbatical is a privilege that I have not accepted—and only from within myself can I change this mindset. So I will call this period an experiment.

My sketches in the beginning of the year

Towards the end of The Artist’s Way, I gave myself small, achievable goals to move towards the life I want to live.

Creative goal for this year

Finish a sketchbook
I might cheat a bit since it was about 100 pages of sketches. My comfort zone has always been Micron art black ink, which I love. This time, I experimented with drawing with thicker lines, more forms than detail. I also experimented with mixed media, which might be one of my favorite techniques—paper cutouts and collages.

What do you think of my work till now? i’d love to hear!

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Go to more art meetups
Living in Lisbon has given me a diverse crowd of people, from live drawings to urban sketches. But I was looking for more people with other techniques, more than just a hobby, people with big dreams. Recently, I’ve found my community through The Collective—a weekly session where people come together and bring their creative projects. I meet writers, authors, photographers, tattoo artists, artists with multiple styles.

Organize one art session with people
I haven’t fulfilled this goal, although I joined a workshop on color theory, which gave me a ritual of painting every Tuesday evening, a place to play and start from scratch. I learned different ways of mixing colors, that art can’t be rushed, unlike design work and projects. I am allowed to experiment and play, spending less time focusing on the details and more time playing.

I started drawing more on Procreate
I already had a small practice with Procreate whenever I’m in between jobs. I found the brushes that I liked, and I stick with them. I also took more classes based on the illustrators I admire.

I started drawing on bigger pieces of paper
One of my biggest goals this year was to paint a big painting, my biggest fear. I didn’t manage to do that yet, but I did increase the size of the paper from my sketchbook to A4.

I allowed myself to “color”
This was never my goal, but I now realize that I stayed in my comfort zone, the Micron ink pen, for way too long. It’s what I used during architecture school, design work and doodles during meetings. I love them, but like your mother, they don’t allow you to grow. Through my color theory class, I ventured into more colorful work, first through collages, seeing how different colors play together. Then, through gouache, which I enjoy more than watercolor. Gouache is more muted and vibrant, which I prefer.