Adapted from Duke University lecture on Resilience by clinical psychologist Dr. Rebecca Kennedy
Resilience as an Artist: The Learning Space in Creativity
Resilience is a word with a positive, but the experience of being resilient often feels anything but positive. It’s messy, frustrating and uncomfortable. Yet, it is essential—not just in life, but in the creative process itself.
There’s a concept called the learning space—the gap between “not knowing” and “knowing”. In that space there are high and lows with can be painful, especially if you identify as someone skilled, someone experienced, someone who “should” know how to do something already. But the truth is, no matter how long you’ve been an artist, no matter your experience, your medium, or your technical skill, every artwork you create will go through phases of uncertainty.
From beginning to end, in every artwork they create, 99% of artists experience something like this:
“This is a cool idea!” → “This is okay.” → “Wait, that’s not what I meant to do.” → “This isn’t going well.” → “I am terrible at this.” → “Maybe I should quit and do something else.” → “Well, that’s not too bad.” → “Oh, that’s a little better.” → “Hey, that’s actually pretty good.” → “Whoa, that looks great!”
This cycle is universal. It doesn’t go away with experience—it just becomes something you recognize and work through more effectively. Resilience in art is not about avoiding these stages; it’s about pushing through them.
It’s about fixing or flowing through mistakes. It’s about changing the way you hold your hand to get the motion needed for a certain mark. It’s about trying something new, failing at it multiple times, and then—eventually—getting it right.
Mistakes? No. Battle Damage!
This mindset is something we live by in the studio, especially when creating props and costumes. When someone makes a mistake—maybe a bad cut on the front of a foam shield, an accidental burn on the side of a helmet—it’s not a mistake or an accident. It’s battle damage!
That bad cut? That’s a battle scar from an epic fight. That burn mark? That’s the searing aftermath of a powerful forge. Every supposed “mistake” has the potential to add character, story, and uniqueness to the final piece. More importantly, these moments teach adaptability and problem-solving—the true core of artistic resilience.
Frustration is Proof of Learning
Here’s something that will change the way you approach your art: Frustration is not failure; frustration is proof that you are learning.
If you can sit in that space of frustration, if you can recognize it as part of the process rather than an indicator that you should stop, then you’ve unlocked something truly powerful. The longer you can tolerate being in that learning space, the more you will grow, adapt, and create in ways you never imagined.
So the next time you hit that moment in your artwork where you think, “I should just quit,” remind yourself: this is the Learning stage… this is where Resilience lives. And remember, in art—just like in life—what looks like a mistake might just be battle damage in disguise
