Surrendering to the Creative Process

Surrendering to the Process.

Recently, I asked hundreds of artists to share the best advice they would offer someone just beginning their encaustic journey. The responses were beautiful—thoughtful, generous, and full of wisdom. But one theme appeared again and again:

Surrender to the process.
Let go.
Be patient.
Don’t overthink.
Enjoy the journey.

This reminded me of an example Laura Valenti shares in one of her courses:

Her friend, who leads community hikes, says there are two kinds of hikers—those who rush to the summit and those who wander slowly, savoring the path. Laura encourages us to be “slow hikers” with our photography and art. We’ll reach our creative summit eventually, but there’s so much to discover along the way.

When I Try to Control the Wax, I Lose the Magic

Like many artists, I often enter the studio with a clear vision of how I want a piece to look. But wax has a mind of its own, and I frequently forget that. When I try to force the outcome, disappointment usually follows.

But when I surrender—when I listen to my intuition, even if it takes me in an unexpected direction—I’m far more likely to create work that truly makes my heart sing.

That doesn’t mean every piece succeeds. Far from it. Some days I rip the image off the board and start over… again and again. Sometimes I’m sad to let the work go, and sometimes it feels like a relief. But every “failed” piece teaches me something valuable.

Failure isn’t optional in the creative life—it’s required. (A few years ago I wrote about why every artist should join the “Fail Club.” That still holds true.)

Letting Go Isn’t Weakness—It’s Courage. Many of us were raised to believe that control equals strength and surrender equals weakness. But creativity doesn’t flourish under tension, pressure, or perfectionism.

If the past few years have taught me anything—especially during Covid—it’s that surrender requires tremendous trust and courage. When I let go of control, I can finally hear my intuition. I begin to refine my instincts, my vision, and my unique point of view.

And the art that emerges through this openness? It’s often more powerful and surprising than anything I could have forced into being.

Surrendering to the creative process doesn’t mean giving up. It means showing up differently—open, curious, willing to explore instead of dictate.

When we trust the process:

• our instincts sharpen

• our vision deepens

• our artwork becomes more authentic

• and our creative voice grows stronger

Through surrender, we give ourselves permission to create art we never imagined was possible.

Let me hear from you. What do you do when you want to surrender to the process? I’d love for you to join the conversation.

Be well….be creative,