Navigating Uncertainty as a Creative Professional

Chris Mitchell - Coach for Creatives
Jun 9
7 min read

Updated: Jul 14

Intentional Approaches to Coping, Creating, and Staying Grounded

Uncertainty is an inherent part of building a career and life as an artist or creative. We don’t always know where our next opportunity will come from or who will connect with and value our work. Our income can be inconsistent. Our workload and creativity can fluctuate. Most of us accept these uncertainties, even if we sometimes struggle through them.

But navigating our careers and lives as creative professionals during this time of global instability—marked by ongoing geopolitical conflicts, climate crises, economic volatility, shifting cultural dynamics, and rapid technological change—is becoming even more challenging. These factors amplify the uncertainty we already face, taking it to an entirely new level. Sorry if that set your heart racing, but my experience right now is that many creatives (myself included) are feeling the impact of this heightened uncertainty on our daily work and career development. It can affect our ability to focus, impact our mindset, and shake our sense of clarity and possibility in both our work and daily lives. Coping with uncertainty has become an increasingly common thread in my conversations with clients.

As a creative myself and a coach for artists and creative professionals, I’ve come to understand the importance of being intentional in how we navigate and cope with uncertainty. There are countless uncertainties vying for our attention, and it’s easy to get distracted, fearful, mentally stuck or feel isolated. Developing tools, strategies, and coping skills isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Without them, we risk being pulled away from or incapable of doing the work that matters most to us. Personally, I’ve been building awareness of practices and strategies that support me to cope, be creative and stay grounded in the midst of uncertainty. I’m learning this in my own journey and encouraging my clients to do the same.

Here are some insights I’ve gained both from personal experience and from working with other creatives about how uncertainty affects us, and some practical tools and strategies that can help us stay grounded, keep creating, and move forward:

Uncertainty can shake creative's confidence and undermine our sense of agency.

We hesitate in taking risks, submitting work or proposals, and pursuing opportunities - which hinders our career development and potential.

A proven coping strategy is to focus on what we can control.

Focusing on areas where we can take action helps reduce uncertainty and restores our sense of autonomy. We can start with being intentional in small but meaningful ways. Some examples of strategies that have worked for me and my clients include:

Minimizing distractions. Constant notifications, news updates, and doom scrolling keep us on high alert, reactive, and unfocused. All of which can amplify our feelings of uncertainty and that things are spinning out of our control. Being intentional about limiting time on social media, turning off notifications or our phone and putting a stop to other distractions is something we can take control of.
Focusing on what we need or want to learn. Identify gaps that may be contributing to uncertainty focuses our brain in more productive and growth oriented directions. Whether it's learning a new skill, exploring new technology, or doing research, taking proactive steps to build our knowledge can increase our sense of confidence and agency.
Practicing self-care. Uncertainty can take a toll on our mental and physical well-being, affecting our focus, creativity, and resilience. Self-care isn’t a luxury. It’s essential for creative professionals. Start with the basics: Are you eating well? Getting enough rest? Taking regular breaks to recharge?

What does self-care look like for you?

Maybe it’s taking a quiet walk, stepping away from the news cycle, or simply giving yourself permission to rest. When we care for our body and mind, we create the foundation to tackle uncertainties with renewed energy and perspective. Reflecting on what fuels our creativity and energy can make a big difference. For additional guidance, consider downloading my free Self-Care Check-In for Artists and Creatives.

What is within your control, even in the face of uncertainty?

Uncertainty can cause artists and creatives to embrace a scarcity mindset.

Our attention is consumed by what we lack or what we perceive is diminishing or being taken away. For example funding cuts or shifting priorities of funders or changes within our particular creative sector can cause uncertainty and shake our perception of what opportunities are available. A scarcity mindset narrows our focus,making it hard to see the bigger picture or plan ahead. This kind of thinking can hijack our perception in a number of areas, but where I see a scarcity mindset showing up and really having a negative impact on my client’s decision making and planning is often around money, time and opportunities.

Tackling a scarcity mindset requires both mindset shifts and practical changes.

Here are some approaches to experiment with reprogramming that mindset:

Keeping an Evidence Log: Keep a running note on your phone or notebook titled “Proof of Plenty,” where you record small wins, positive actions you have taken, acts of kindness, resources you forgot you had, or things working in your favour.

Celebrating small wins immediately: This releases dopamine, training the brain to anticipate and seek out positive outcomes instead of fixating on deficits. This has been such an impactful strategy for so many of my clients and honestly for myself as well. As one client put it recently “reflecting on the wins has really changed how I see myself and my practice. It’s given me new confidence and it’s my fuel really”.

Working with a coach or mentor. Seeking 1:1 support can help you expand your perspective, sense of possibilities and develop coping strategies.

Unchecked uncertainty can create and amplify fear in artists and creatives.

It heightens the worry that our effort might not lead to anything, that failure is just around the corner, or that one wrong move could derail everything. This pressure can create a kind of mental paralysis, where taking action feels risky and not acting feels safer, even when it isn’t.

Some strategies that I've noticed help creatives stay grounded and move past fear:

Building Awareness: Understanding that these fears are not personal flaws, but natural brain responses to ambiguity is the first step toward loosening their grip. We can keep our fears in check by asking:

“What exactly am I afraid of right now?”
”What are the facts?”
“What assumptions am I making”
“What is another way I could look at this”?
Using Micro-Decisions to Build Momentum. I have witnessed this work with so many clients! Breaking big or uncertain tasks into tiny, safe actions reduces becoming overwhelmed and builds a sense of agency—boosting dopamine and confidence.

Connecting to our 'Why' and Values as a Creative Professional. Fear of failure loses power when we connect with our deeper purpose and our values - the things that are most important to us in life and most important in relation to our work and professional development. Connecting to our values and purpose activates our long-term thinking and resilience.This is core work that I do with every client and it's something I’ve integrated into my own work. My weekly reflection routine. is something that helps me stay grounded, intentional and creative in the face of uncertainty.

Uncertainty can intensify feelings of isolation for artists and creatives.

We often feel alone in our uncertainty, convincing ourselves that we’re the only ones experiencing it. That others have it all figured out or that our doubts are somehow unique. I’m frequently asked by clients, “Am I the only artist you’ve worked with who feels this way or struggles with this kind of uncertainty?” The answer is always no.

I believe that it's crucial to be intentional about actively cultivating professional relationships and conversations that nurture us, our creative practice, and the things we care about as an artist or creative.

One client of mine, who was feeling particularly isolated and unsure, came to realize through coaching that she had a powerful asset in her network of artist friends. By initiating a monthly gathering, she began to intentionally foster mutual support and connection.

Who is in your network of support (professional or otherwise)?

How could you strengthen those relationships?

Even without a robust personal network we can stay informed about how other creatives are managing similar challenges. There are many supportive online communities, blogs, and podcasts where you can learn from others facing the same uncertainties. Two that I personally find helpful include:

CreativeMornings – Live and recorded online events involving a global community of creatives and produced by local hubs around the world.
CreativeBoom – A UK based Art and Design online magazine with artist profiles, interviews, and a podcast covering topics and issues relevant to a broad range of creatives even outside of art and design.

Our connections and creative communities offer us a sense of belonging, access to important information, advice, resources, fresh perspectives and new inspiration. All things we creatives can benefit from in uncertain times.

Final thoughts...

Uncertainty isn't going away, but neither is our capacity to meet it with creativity, intention, and care. As artists and creative professionals, we are uniquely equipped to navigate ambiguity with imagination, resilience, and community. By cultivating awareness, taking small intentional actions, and leaning into support systems, we can stay connected to what matters most in our work and lives. This moment however uncertain, is still full of possibility. May we continue to create, to care for ourselves and one another, and to move forward with purpose, one intentional step at a time.

What are one or two simple things you could do

to help you feel more grounded, focused and hopeful?

Image Credit: Selfie in Multiple Shadow House, Olafur Eliasson, Musee Art Contemporain, Montreal

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