Do You Have to Make Art Every Day to Be an Artist?

There’s a familiar idea floating around creative circles that “real” artists make art every single day. That consistent daily practice is the gold standard. That if you miss a day, or even a week or a month, your status as an artist might somehow dissolve.

But is that really true?

I recently shared a post on Instagram exploring this exact question, as I shared that I don't make art every day myself. I have a job and a new puppy and I like to keep my work-life balance in check so I don't burn out. The response was rich, thoughtful, and reassuring. So many of you chimed in with your experiences of ebb and flow, seasons of creative dormancy, and the inner pressure to "produce" as proof of your identity.

One comment put it beautifully:

“Being an artist isn’t about constant output. It’s about how you see the world and how you express that, in your own time.”

Another shared:

“Life gets in the way sometimes, and that’s okay. I’m still an artist when I’m mothering, resting, grieving, or just living.”

These reflections resonated deeply. They remind us that being an artist isn’t about meeting some external productivity quota. It's about engaging with your creativity in a way that is meaningful and sustainable for you.

Art Isn’t Always About Output

Some of my most creative periods have looked quiet from the outside. I’ve had long spells of introspection and incubation - collecting ideas, resting, reading, walking, wild swimming, making bread, reflecting. That’s creativity too. It might not result in a finished piece right away, but it’s feeding my creative soul and it's 'turning up' in a different way.

As artists we are not machines. We’re human. Life, especially for those of us balancing work, family, health, and other commitments, doesn’t always allow for daily studio time. And that’s not a failure—it’s reality.

Cycles, Seasons, and Trust

Nature doesn’t bloom all year round. Trees have bare branches in winter, flowers retreat underground. Why do we expect ourselves to be in perpetual bloom?

Making peace with the rhythms of creativity is an ongoing practice for me and I have to keep reminding myself to listen to my body. Sometimes I'm prolific. Sometimes I'm percolating. Both are equally valid. Trusting these cycles, rather than fighting them, is one of the most liberating shifts we can make as artists. I have recently taken a holiday and didn't even open a sketchbook all week. I read two glorious books instead which nourished me just as much as art-making,

So, do you have to make art every day to consider yourself an artist?

No, in my opinion, you don’t. You are an artist when you think creatively, when you notice beauty, when you solve problems imaginatively, when you let your hands get messy or your thoughts wander into possibility.

Let’s honour the quiet seasons and the loud ones, the bursts and the droughts, the breakthroughs and the blank pages.

You’re still an artist. Even when you haven't set a foot into your creative space or picked up a pencil for a month.

I’d love to hear from you - what has your relationship with daily art-making looked like?

Join the conversation in the comments below or on Instagram or send me a message to share your story