You’re Still an Artist
There are days when your art feels far away. When the weight of caregiving, invisible labor, or survival leaves little energy for creating. You might look at the half-finished song, the unopened sketchbook, the paused manuscript and wonder: Am I even an artist anymore?
The answer is yes. You’re still an artist. Even if you haven’t created in months. Even if your art is unpaid. Even if your time is stretched thin. The identity of “artist” doesn’t disappear when life shifts. It waits for you, and it belongs to you—always.
The Myth of Constant Output
Our culture celebrates productivity: more paintings, more performances, more posts. But creativity doesn’t always look like output. Sometimes it’s silence. Sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s the way you see the world differently because you are living a new season of your life.
Being an artist is not about how much you produce. It’s about how deeply you notice, feel, and create—whether in fragments or full works.
Imposter Syndrome in Parenthood and Caregiving
Imposter syndrome tells us we aren’t enough. For artist-parents, that voice is louder: You don’t make money from this. You don’t have time. You’re not legitimate. Add in the cultural scripts around caregiving—where identity is often reduced to parent or provider—and claiming the title of “artist” can feel impossible.
But caregiving doesn’t erase creativity. In fact, it expands it. The problem isn’t you—it’s the systems that undervalue both art and care.
Guilt and the Value of Art
Many artist-parents feel guilt when carving out time for art, especially if it isn’t paid. But value cannot only be measured in money. Art is what keeps us alive, connected, and whole. When you sing, write, dance, or paint, you are not stealing time from your family—you are modeling aliveness. You are showing that creativity is a human right, not a luxury.
You Don’t Have to Earn the Title
If you make art, you are an artist. Even if your pace has slowed. Even if your process looks different now. You don’t have to prove yourself with exhibitions, streams, or sales. You only have to claim what is already yours.
How CRC Holds This Reminder
At the Creative Recovery Club, we return to this truth again and again: you are still an artist. Even in silence. Even in recovery. Even when invisible labor takes more than you imagined. Through community, workshops, and shared stories, we remind each other that creativity is not conditional—it’s inherent.
Conclusion
So if you’re doubting yourself today, hear this: You’re still an artist. You always were. You always will be. And the world needs your art, however it arrives, whenever it arrives.
