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Gem #78 The challenge that brought my art back

Léa Wai

Dec 13, 2025

Bonjour my little demon,

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TODAY’S GEM

Summer 2026 was strange for me: that’s when I fell into a deep, long art block.

Not the kind where you’re “just tired.”

The kind that swallows your creativity whole and makes even opening your sketchbook feel impossible.

It drained me — not just as an artist, but as a business owner too.

Since then, I’ve spent weeks trying to overcome it and I’ve been sharing that journey on Patreon.
But today, it’s time to tell you the full story…

1- Found a cure to art block…

The turning point came when I launched a challenge for myself:

One week = One portrait.

After a few weeks of fighting without success, I stopped and asked myself what was really blocking me. And I realized that my block wasn’t about inspiration. I had ideas. Dozens of them.

What I didn’t have… was execution.

Every time I tried to bring an idea to life, I would sabotage myself. Overthink. Restart. Tear the paper. Try again. Quit. I was stuck in a loop, not because I lacked skill, but because I’d spent months putting all my art into the service of business.

And slowly, pressure and perfectionism started to win.

So I launched the challenge: every week, I had to draw a new character.

No overthinking. No excuses. Done is better than perfect.

2 – … but failed week 1

Sunday came, and I realized I had nothing to show.

I had spent the whole week working on ideas — sketches, concepts, accessories… The character was there. The vision was clear.

But the execution never followed.

And that’s when I understood something important: just deciding to fight your art block doesn’t magically fix it. That first week, I slipped right back into my old patterns. I had done everything except actually draw the portrait.

And in that moment, I was so tempted to cheat — to give myself an extra week to finish it, to push the deadline “just this once.” But I knew I had to make a choice: Perfection or discipline.

So I let her go.
I gave up on that character.

And on Monday, I started fresh. A new week. A new portrait.

3- Finally won.

In the following weeks, I made changes.

I added milestones in the week, so I wouldn’t fall behind.

I simplified my format.

I switched to a mindset of “do it first, think later.”

And from that point on — I finished every single week.

Week after week, I rebuilt my discipline.

I quieted the voices.

I created again.

Here are all the portraits I’ve made so far:

Cat spirit. In daylight, she roams as a cat, slipping through the shadows of ruined groves and abandoned shrines. When night falls, she takes the shape of a woman, her eyes gleaming under the moonlight. She searches for those who have damaged the places she protects, drawing them in with calm beauty… before delivering her punishment.

She was once a woman who lived by the lake, where the forest met the mist. Her love for this place was so deep that even death couldn’t take her away. Now, her spirit guards the water and the trees. But don’t mistake her for a vengeful ghost — she protects those who come with respect. When the fog rises, a soft light drifts across the lake. It’s her lantern, guiding lost souls safely home.

The Crocus Spirit is born of winter. She sits high in the mountains, where the wind is harsh and the ground is thin. From there, with a steady, just gaze, she judges us. Her eyes are violet. They see what we have done to the land, every small care, every careless harm. She carries her power in horns she wears like a crown. Her hair is white as snow, and crocus blooms rest on her head, holding the poison she keeps for judgment. If you love, protect, and cherish her sacred ground, she grants rebirth, a quiet promise of renewal. If you trample what she guards, her petals turn to poison. In her grandiose trial between grace and ruin, she seizes your fate.

Aether is born of the upper air, where clouds gather and the wind never rests. She shapes the sky in silence, guiding rain, breath, and movement across the world. Her hair drifts like clouds, and pale markings trace the paths of ancient currents along her skin. Her power is held in her horns, light but immense. A small wind chime hangs from her ear, singing only when the air is pure enough to move freely. If the sky is respected, she brings rain and balance. If it is filled with smoke and weight, her clouds grow heavy, and the wind turns away. She does not judge. She simply answers the air we give her.

She was born from red soil, an ancestral force and the living strength beneath our feet. For a long time she held everything together: the fields, the homes, the memories buried in the ground. The zebu horns on her head store the last fertile energy of the earth, pulsing like a heartbeat that refuses to fade. In her hair, small talismans of red soil carry the stories of seasons, families, and ancestors resting below. Then came the fires. The forests were cut down. The hills were left naked. The soil began to slip away, piece by piece. Now the Zebu Spirit is running out of strength. Her body cracks, her breathing is shallow, but she still refuses to fall. She carries us. But for how much longer?

Conclusion

What this challenge taught me

Art blocks are not about skill. You don’t lose what you worked hard for overnight. Block always comes from misalignment — mindset, exhaustion, or fear.
You need to understand your block. If your medium feels suffocating, try a new one. If the gap between your expectations and your currentskills feels overwhelming, a course can help. But first, listen. Take the time to understand what’s actually stopping you.
Momentum is everything. None of these portraits are my “best” work. But each week, I told myself: “It’s not perfect. Keep going.” Fix one thing next time. One step at a time. And little by little, that’s how I got my creative juice flowing back. Not with a big breakthrough — but by showing up again and again. Keeping Moving.

Voilà, that’s all for me.

Je t’embrasse,

Léa

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