Discovering Your Why as a Creative
May 08, 2025
Discovering Your Why as a Creative: The First Step Toward a Fulfilling Business
There comes a moment in nearly every creative entrepreneur's journey when things feel misaligned or you start feeling burnout. You're putting in the hours, showing up online, maybe even making decent sales—but underneath it all, there's a quiet question tugging at your heart:
What am I doing this for?
If you've ever asked yourself that, I want you to know: you're not alone. It's not a sign of failure or weakness. It's the beginning of something significant.
Because when you pause to ask that question, you're doing more than checking in. You're starting to listen—to the deeper call of your work, purpose, and what truly brings you alive.
You're searching for your why.
What Is a "Why" and Why Does It Matter?
Your "why" is the beating heart of your creative practice. It's your reason for showing up, even when the algorithm tanks your reach, when a launch flops, when you're exhausted from juggling art and life, and all the in-between.
Your why keeps you rooted when trends change. It helps you make decisions with clarity. Most importantly, it reminds you that your work matters, not because of how much it earns or how many likes it gets, but because of how it makes you feel and what it contributes to the world.
Jessie Chui, Sara Kim, and I created Paper to Profits to help our creative community find this clarity. In Paper to Profits: The Mastermind, we discuss intentional goal setting extensively. We always return to the question: Does this feed or deplete me? That one question alone has changed the trajectory of many projects.
Because the truth is that not all goals are created equal. Some look impressive on paper but leave us drained. Others may seem small, but they're deeply fulfilling. That difference? It's usually your why showing up.
Every once in a while, I will accept a random small job because it allows me to share my joy of paper flowers with another person. It might be a Mother's Day gift or a birthday gift. It's not a big job. Maybe it's just one flower. But it allows me to revisit and improve the flower with all the skills I have picked up recently. Making one flower requires a different mindset from creating a whole arrangement. It makes me slow down and focus on the tiny details to make it the best bloom I have ever created. I discovered the joy of creating a single bloom with my book, The New Art of Paper Flowers. It allowed me to focus on creating that perfect bloom. If you haven't done that yet, I recommend doing this exercise several times yearly.
Goal-Setting Without a Why Feels Empty
Have you ever launched something just because you could?
It could be a new product, a course, or a custom order that looked amazing in your portfolio. You poured your time and energy into it and checked all the boxes, but once YOU did it, you were surprised to feel tired instead of proud.
That's what goal-setting without a why often looks like.
We focus so much on the what—what we're launching, selling, and making—that we forget to ask why we're doing it in the first place.
And without that clarity, it's easy to drift.
Projects become tedious, deadlines become weights, and the joy we once had for our craft gets buried under strategy, comparison, and perfectionism.
What It Feels Like to Work With Intention
Now, let's flip that story.
Imagine you're working on a project that's aligned with your values. You know exactly why it matters to you. You've made space for creativity in your process. You've set goals that reflect your business needs and your energy.
You're not rushing toward an arbitrary finish line but moving with rhythm. With purpose. With clarity.
Sure, the work is still work. But it feels different—more grounded, sustainable, and more you.
That's what it means to move with intention. And it all begins with knowing your why. Toward the end of this post, I'll recommend some books that will walk you through how to narrow down your why. If you need more help, consider joining my Mastermind with Jessie Chui and Sara Kim in our Paper to Profits program. If it starts on May 20, 2025, and ends on June 24, 2025.
How to Discover Your Why as a Creative Entrepreneur
Uncovering your why is a process. It's not something you can force, and it rarely arrives simultaneously.
Here are a few reflection prompts that might help you begin:
1. When do I feel most alive in my creative process?
Pay attention to the moments when time seems to disappear. Is it when you're teaching others, designing new work, writing about your journey, or sharing your work? These pockets of flow are clues to your deeper purpose.
2. What impact do I want to make with my work?
It might be visual, emotional, educational, or social.
Do you want to bring beauty into people's lives?
Start conversations?
Empower other artists?
Inspire joy?
Your work has meaning. What's the ripple effect you hope it creates?
3. What does success feel like to me?
It does not look like it, but it feels like it. It could be the quiet joy of a slow morning in the studio, the pride of seeing someone light up during a workshop, or the financial freedom to choose your projects. Define success by your values, not just your numbers. However, I recommend tracking your numbers to see if they increase or decrease.
4. What drains me? What feeds me?
Reflecting on the finished project is so important. Schedule in 15 minutes after you send off a project. Review past projects and ask: which ones left you inspired, and which left you burned out? There's wisdom in both. Your why will often be hiding in the contrast. Journal about the process. What made you feel happy? What did you like about it? Finding joy in what you do will make you repeatedly return to it.
Here's an excerpt from my journal after a project that I just finished this year:
"This project took a lot more, not only time but also my body. It was the first time I had to ask for an extension to deliver everything at the level I wanted. I had to cut over 10,000 petals, glue teeny tiny flowers together, and then put them into a stalk to create more flowers. The highlight was the grace the client gave me in the extension and the joy of seeing their order and knowing their vision was correct in choosing me to make these paper flowers for them. I also knew after this project that I had to take a more extended time to recover my hands and body. It took a toll on me mentally and physically."
5. What did I love creating before the pressure set in?
Sometimes, we lose touch with our original spark because we get swept up in doing what sells. Returning to the beginning, what made you fall in love with your craft? You should constantly ask yourself this question: Has it changed? Has it evolved? What made it change? Finding the root cause will help you define your why even more.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
The world doesn't need more content for the sake of content. It requires clear, grounded, and brave creatives to build businesses on their terms.
That starts with a deep understanding of what drives you—and the courage to protect it.
In Episode 170 of the Paper Talk Podcast, Jessie, Sara, and I discuss why your "why" matters more than ever. From pricing for profit to navigating shifting global tariffs, your purpose becomes the filter through which you make every decision.
A purpose-driven business doesn't just survive; it evolves, inspires, and allows for both profit and peace.
Books to Help You Find Your Why
If you're looking for guidance on this journey, here are a few of my favorite books that explore this idea beautifully:
Each book brings something unique, whether practical frameworks or gentle encouragement, to the conversation. They remind us that purpose is personal and can be actively cultivated.
What Happens When You Know Your Why
When you know your why, everything shifts.
You begin to:
- Filter opportunities based on alignment, not urgency
- Set goals that feel good to pursue
- Speak with confidence about your work
- Build systems that support your well-being
- Create with joy again
You start leading your business—rather than letting it lead you.
If you're anything like the creatives I work with, you begin to believe—deep down—that a sustainable, purpose-driven business is possible—and not just possible—yours.
Ready to Find Your Why and Build a Business That Feeds You?
If this speaks to you, I invite you to join me in Paper to Profits: The Mastermind.
It's a six-week program designed for creative entrepreneurs ready to stop winging it and start building with intention. We meet weekly to discuss pricing, audience-building, marketing, mindset, and, most importantly, your purpose.
You'll get:
- Support from a community that understands the highs and lows of the creative path
- Weekly calls that help you take aligned, confident action
- Guest experts and real talk about what works—and what doesn't
- Accountability and momentum that lasts beyond the course
Whether you're just starting or pivoting toward something new, this is your space to reconnect with the why behind your work and build a business that honors it.
Doors are open—but only for a limited time. We start on May 20, 2025, and end on June 24, 2025.
Join Paper to Profits: The Mastermind now and take the next step toward a business that feels like you.
Your why is not a luxury. It's a necessity.
It's how you avoid burnout.
It's how you attract the right clients.
It's how you keep going, even when things get hard.
So give yourself the gift of asking: Why am I doing this?
Then, give yourself the permission to build around the answer.
Your future creative self will thank you for it.
Coming Soon: My First Book!
How To Make Paper Flowers
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