Stepping Back to Leap Forward: How to Not Give Up in the Face of Setbacks

On burnout, self-doubt, and finding your way back

“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.”

―Banksy

Art by Adam Hall

Sometimes I imagine I look like someone who has just survived a shipwreck, crawling out of the foamy sea onto land, only to be hurled back into the water moments later.

It doesn’t always feel great to celebrate wins and milestones as a self-employed artist and creative entrepreneur. Many times the wins feel like little rafts holding me over until I can reach dry land, except the dry land never seems to arrive.

As a highly sensitive person, I am sometimes in awe of the fact that I’m still at this game of pursuing my dreams and building a business around them after ten years (next month).

I still have days when I fantasize about a “normal job” with a steady paycheck, a 401k, and health insurance paid for by an employer rather than me. But I’m wise enough to know that the traditional path has its own challenges, and my colleagues in the corporate and academic sectors probably fantasize about the time-freedom and flexibility that self-employment brings. At the end of the day, there is no such thing as perfect stability, and challenges are a rite of passage for any human being, regardless of industry or career path.

When I talk about quitting what I’ve built, I know I’m not talking about the joy my art brings me, or the incredible humans I get to meet, or the milestone or occasional financial win that gives me wind under my wings, even for a short while. I want to quit most when my ego decides we should be further ahead, or when I’m mulling over business decisions that ended up hurting me instead of propelling me forward, or when a rude comment online makes me want to close my laptop, throw my phone into the ocean, and never look back. But those obstacles and nagging voices are not what I do, or who I serve, and they certainly aren’t the reason I should give up.

So every time I’ve wanted to throw in the towel over the past decade, I’ve had to pull back in order to leap forward. And sometimes, when I don’t have the energy to leap, I at least take that baby step rather than give up entirely.

Now that I’m ten years in, there is a whole other reality: I am an equal contributor to my household, and I have to consider that, despite all its challenges, a six-figure salary is hard to come by in the arts. This is exactly why I created my own business back in 2016.

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Deconstructing What We’re Doing and Why

Recently, I took three months to maintain my business at just enough of a baseline to keep basic operations running, with no forced growth. I temporarily stepped away from new private clients, events, and other abundant but energy-consuming elements in order to focus on why I’m building this, who I am, and whether I’m truly committed to this life.

My triggers as a business owner are not unique: financial setbacks, overbooking myself, and not leaving enough time for thinking and personal creativity. I’ve learned that having space to think and dream is crucial not only to my mental health but to the health of my small business. My minor irritants are online trolls, social media noise, and the pressure of “keeping up with the algorithm,” which I’ve written about a few times over the past year.

But this post isn’t to complain. Especially after taking time to address and prevent further burnout, I’ve come out the other side with some good news.

I like being free to make art. I love serving fellow artists and art lovers in our community. I love the magazine. I was just tired. And the Banksy quote at the beginning of this article rings true again.

After a hard season, after rejection, loss, disappointment, a difficult stretch in the studio, a slow sales period, burnout, or a difficult client situation, it’s crucial to allow yourself a break and then get back on the horse when you’re ready. Of course, if you’re self-employed like me and rely on showing up to pay the bills, you can’t fully lounge and do nothing. (Check out my low-energy artist strategy post on Substack for more on that.)

Here is how I’ve been approaching the return after a period of exhaustion and disappointment. I hope it helps you too.

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1. Refresh Your Vision

Get clear on your dream and vision for your life. What do you want? If anything were still possible and you knew the answer was yes (because everything is still possible, my friend), what would you want for your life and your business? This is your vision, your map. I always come back to this, even when I’m battered by life.

2. Find Your Purpose Again

Your “why” is the light that will guide you through the darkest moments. Maybe it’s your family, the younger version of you, or a person you love and want to serve. Maybe it’s your love of art, or mentorship, or healing. You know what inspires you and keeps you up at night. Reconnect with that.

3. Find Your People

There are always a handful of people who share your purpose and even your vision. They might be someone you connected with at school, at a workshop, or even online. Reach out to remind yourself you’re not alone. This is one of the biggest reasons I started the Create! Collective (formerly Art Queens, in 2019). I was dealing with a legal issue from a former mentor, felt alone and wrongfully accused, and needed to know I wasn’t on this journey by myself.

4. Find Your Power from Within

We all have that fire in us, that light born of deep purpose. It’s not the “podcast bro” motivation that flickers out at the first sign of inconvenience. It’s the part of us that believes in our dream, in a better world, and in what’s still possible. Know that a dream has been given to you so you can carry it out, even if it looks different than you originally imagined. Lean into your own fire and let it move you forward, even when all you can manage are baby steps.

5. Lock In on Your Identity

Time and again we see successful people fail, lose their businesses, their money, or their status, only to rise again. This isn’t luck. This is identity at work. When you practice believing in yourself as a capable, successful person, temporary setbacks won’t destroy you. They become the arsenal and the wisdom that propel you forward, and eventually you’ll find yourself mentoring others through the same things. None of my successes taught me nearly as much as my failures did. They hurt. They’re hard. But they are the true gifts in disguise.

6. Allow for Setbacks and Slower Times

Sometimes grinding mindlessly in the name of “growth” is just wasted energy. I mentioned stepping back for a few months to reconnect with my why, lightening my schedule to get my passion back. There were times when I wanted to quit the membership, stop showing my work, and even sell the magazine, because it got so hard to keep going. But I’ve come to recognize that as my mind and body begging for a break. Deep down, I would regret letting go of what I’ve built.

7. A Holistic Approach

We are not just our minds. We are body and spirit too. When we neglect one part of ourselves, the rest suffers. During this season I took steps to nurture my health, addressed some symptoms that had been bothering me, hired a nutritional coach for accountability, and let go of habits that were wreaking havoc on my nervous system. It was the darkest time of year and February hit hard, but coming back this month is a reminder that I made the right call. The light is coming back both outside and inside.

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If you, like me, took some time to process, to heal, or to reconsider what you’re building, you are not behind. You are getting clarity, removing noise and distraction, and choosing to return because you truly want to, not because you’re stuck or feel like you have to.

So here’s to the next decade, approached with clarity, intention, and alignment.

Let’s bring purpose and joy back into what we’re creating, and spend less time fretting over what went wrong, in exchange for the possibility of everything going right, as long as we don’t give up.

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About the Author

Ekaterina Popova is a contemporary oil painter, publisher, and creative entrepreneur. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Create! Magazine and host of The Create! Podcast, with over a decade of experience building a life and business around art. She created the Create! Collective, a membership community for professional artists navigating the realities of a creative career with intention and sustainability.

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