What the earth (and art) can teach us about letting go of perfectionism

Hey there,

Ashleigh the art therapist here saying hello on this beautiful sunny second day of May (or at least sunny where I am)!

I didn't send a newsletter yesterday because honestly? I didn't know what I wanted to share quite yet.

Sometimes the systems we are used to are actually the very ones keeping us stuck from true inspiration, right?

Instead of floundering and getting upset my ideas for May weren't here by the 1st of May.... I just said to myself, okay, I'll just send a newsletter and decide on my new offerings when they come to me. No pressure. It doesn't really matter!

That wasn't always my dominiant narraitive though.

Talk to the me from a few years ago and if I had said I was doing something specific on a certain day or someone gave me a deadline - you wouldn't see me sleep a wink until it's done.

I defintley still do that, but now it's when *I'M* inspiried to do that.

So many people don't realize that when i get a creative idea for a reel or an ebook, i jump and execute it right away. Some people might plan in advance, make a schdeule - but no. My work is very much about the present moment.

That's the wildest thing, that in the last year we have created a communtiy of over 157K of us creatives across platforms - and really it's just been me behind the scenes building it literallly day by day.

Moment by moment.

Many many many imperfect actions.

I live in beautiful Britsh Columbia Canada, and I often sit outside when I make art videos or sit in the sunshine comig through my window to work. Nature is such an important part of the work I do and create for you folks, even though it's not excplicity what I post about.

Nature can help regulate our nervous system quicker and better than most alternatives can.

Nature can bring us calmness, but also offer us adventure, and a place for our cusiosity to wonder. It can offer immense beauty, immense terror too at times (ever been in a tent camping in a thunderstorm?!)

But nature.... she has been such a co-creator in this whole discover art therapy thing.

I went outside the other day and made an art video (the art of lettig go with watercolour, you may have seen it on my insta!) and as I brushed away some dead leaves on the lawn to set my sketchbook down, I had that macro moment.

Where I was realizing just how much life is in the dirt below the grass. The little teeny beings living amonst the blades.

And NONE of them are wondering if they're ood enough, on time, or perfect.

The trees aren’t wondering if their leaves are good enough.
The flowers bloom when they’re ready, not when they’re “supposed to.”
Even the bugs are just... doing their thing.

It got me thinking—how often do we give ourselves that same permission?
To create without a goal. To pause without guilt. To show up imperfectly and still feel worthy?

Last week I hit POST on my new ebook, "Perfectionism-Free Creativity" and I am just the most grateful person alive that so many of you bought it right away! Wowza! And yes - if you haven't heard yet, it's a new ebook with 62 pages unpacking where perfectionism comes from in our lives, and then there's 30 therepautic art projects all designed to help you release perfectionsim, and rewire your brain away from perfectionism too. I think t's got about 90 journal prompts too. It's pretty packed. And I'm so happy it's out in the world!

And you can get your copy too. I'm going to give each person who has read this far in the newsletter $5 store credit to grab the ebook this weekend! So just use the word "NOMOREPERFECTION5" at checkout here until midinight on Sunday May 4.

From May 14–27, I’m inviting you into a brand-new 14-day Eco Art Therapy Journey inside the community.
It’s $14 to join and it’s going ot be really amazing.

Over two weeks, we’ll explore three kinds of nature-based creativity:
✨ Making in nature — letting the environment hold and inspire you
✨ Making with nature — using natural objects as your art materials
✨ Making about nature — reflecting on cycles, metaphors, and the way the earth mirrors our inner world

You’ll receive gentle daily videos and prompts inspired by nature — all designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and unhook from perfectionism.

This is for anyone craving more softness, more creativity, and more connection to something real.

And when you join the community, you’ll also unlock all previous 14-day journeys:
💗 Self-Love
🌱 Self-Trust
🎨 Embracing Imperfection
…plus a whole library of self-paced art therapy projects you can explore anytime.

And if you want even more communtiy and in-person zoom sessions with me—Make Space Membership is open at a special 6-month rate right now ($33/month)
It’s a space where we gather live to create, share, and witness each other in a way that feels real and nourishing. Whether you show up messy, quiet, or full of energy, you’re welcome exactly as you are.

✨ Also… something new is brewing in the background.
I’ve been dreaming up fully guided, pre-recorded therapeutic art sessions—think: a self-paced version of 1-1 art therapy, where I walk you through an experience with one material, like clay or paint, from start to finish. Like a meditation... but with art. It’s not ready yet, but my brain is buzzing with it and I can’t wait to share more soon.

Before I go, I just want to say thank you. Truly.

This account, these resources, the free content I post every day—I pour a lot into it. And as a Canadian content creator, I don’t earn money from views or likes. So when you buy an ebook, join a journey, or become a member, it directly supports me in staying here and creating more for you.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for making this possible.
And I’m so grateful.

—Ashleigh