Ready to grow personally and have fun along the way? One of my first posts (the twelfth, to be exact) explored the joy of creative expression. This joy became a reality for me about two years ago when I picked up crocheting. What I discovered is that creative expression offers much more than just happiness—it has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for personal growth. I believe the main reason for this is that any creative pursuit inherently encourages you to develop a growth mindset.

In a way, picking up a new hobby or creative outlet can be absolute chaos. Just as in life, you’re bound to mess up—sometimes spectacularly, and often repeatedly. The field of your pursuit is cluttered with remnants of unfinished projects and materials once purchased with the best of intentions. As we speak, there are about six unfinished projects scattered around my house—and many, many more materials that once had a definite purpose. Yet, if your newfound inspiration truly captivates you, you’ll find the resolve to persist in your creative endeavors.

You Are Taught a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset, a term popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck, contrasts sharply with a fixed mindset. Instead of believing that your abilities and character are static, a growth mindset encourages you to embrace the idea that you can learn, grow, and improve in nearly any area, as long as you put in the effort. This mindset is often accompanied by a healthy dose of self-confidence and the understanding that failures are simply opportunities for growth, rather than evidence of your limitations.

In my own journey with crocheting, I started by making small, cuddly toys because they were easy and provided quick satisfaction. As my confidence grew, I attempted more complex projects, like tops and sweaters. However, until last week, every single one of these attempts ended in failure. I would lose interest, make so many mistakes that I lost track of the project, or discover far too late that I’d made a critical error at the beginning. Despite these setbacks, the desire to create a simple piece of clothing persisted.

This persistence is a hallmark of the growth mindset—it’s about seeing each failure not as a defeat, but as a step closer to mastery. Moreover, you are forced to perceive of yourself as a learning, capable being—else you won’t finish anything at all. If you keep creating your self confidence grows, and with time you will be able to overcome what was an obstacle at first. Three days ago, I finally finished my first successful clothing project¹:

Inspiring Self-Confidence Through Creation

When you create something yourself, you’re reminded of your ability to bring ideas to life. This is where the growth mindset truly takes root. Each successful project, no matter how small, reinforces the belief that your abilities are not fixed but are continually evolving. This newfound confidence motivates you to tackle more challenging projects, each time pushing the boundaries of what you thought you could achieve.

Tracking Your Progress

One of the most rewarding aspects of a creative journey is the ability to look back and see just how far you’ve come. After a number of projects, you start to notice the small but significant improvements in your skills. This ability to track and acknowledge your progress is a core component for developing a growth mindset.

Seeing tangible evidence of your improvement reinforces the belief that with effort and persistence, you can continue to grow. The realization makes you more resilient when you face new challenges, as you now understand that obstacles are merely stepping stones to further development. With each completed project, your confidence grows, and you find yourself more willing to take on the next challenge, no matter how daunting it might seem at first.

Create, Mess Up, Repeat

Wherever you find yourself in your dense forest of creative expression, keep forging paths. Keep your goal in mind, allow yourself to take a massive detour and then return to the original path because it suited you better anyway. As long as you can stay inspired to keep going, and learn which paths work and which ones don’t, you’ll build resilience and cultivate a growth mindset.

If you enjoyed this post, please like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on my latest articles and projects. I’d love to hear about your own creative journeys—feel free to share your stories and experiences in the comments below. Let’s continue to grow, create, and inspire each other! 🫴🏽💚

Photo by Adrian Fernández on Unsplash

1. Special thanks to HayHayCrochet for the free pattern for this vest. Check out her site here if you enjoy crocheting too: Hayhay Crochet. ↩︎