What to Do When You Feel Like Your Art Doesn’t Matter

Some days, it hits like a whisper. Other times, like a brick.

“What’s the point?” “Does anyone even care?” “The world is on fire… and I’m painting? Writing? Recording?”

If you’ve ever questioned the value of your creative work—especially in the face of social injustice, burnout, or silence from the algorithm—you’re not alone. In fact, you’re human.

But just because the doubt is real doesn’t mean the conclusion is true.

Here’s what to do when you feel like your art doesn’t matter.

🎭 Remember: Silence ≠ Irrelevance

Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean your work isn’t landing.

People may not comment. They may not “like” or share. But somewhere, someone:

• Saved your post as a lifeline

• Replayed your song while crying in their car

• Hung your print in their hallway like a prayer

Not everything sacred makes noise.

Your art might be whispering healing into someone’s life right now.

🕯️ Shift the Lens From Validation to Impact

It’s easy to attach your worth to numbers:

• Views

• Sales

• Applause

• Engagement

But impact isn’t always measurable. It can be:

• The feeling your song gave someone after a long day

• The courage your painting stirred in someone to speak out

• The shift your story sparked in someone’s worldview

Ask yourself:

“How does my work want to serve right now?”“If it helped one person breathe easier—would that be enough?”

Spoiler: It already has.

🌱 Reconnect With the Reason You Started

Before the strategy…Before the audience-building…Before the doubt crept in…

Why did you start creating?

To survive? To feel seen? To make sense of the chaos?

Come back to that. Revisit old journals. Play that first demo. Look at your earliest sketches.That spark is still in you.

And even if you’ve evolved, the seed of “why” is still rooted in truth.

🧠 Don’t Trust Your Brain When It’s Tired

Feelings of worthlessness often sneak in when we’re:

• Exhausted

• Overstimulated

• Grieving

• Online too much

• Comparing

Before you overhaul your career or scrap your next release, try:

• Resting

• Eating something nourishing

• Touching grass (literally)

• Turning off social media for 24 hours

Give your nervous system time to breathe before believing its worst thoughts.

🌍 Zoom Out: What If This Is Bigger Than You?

What if your art is part of something larger?

A cultural shift.A healing wave.A memory being preserved.

Maybe your words help someone speak theirs. Maybe your image unlocks someone else’s vision. Maybe your melody carries a movement.

Art doesn’t always need to be “great” to be meaningful. It just needs to be honest.

🧰 Tools for When You Feel Lost

Here are some practical things to do when the doubt starts shouting:

Tool	Why It Helps
Freewrite for 10 minutes	Gets the gunk out of your head and onto paper
Call a creative friend	Reminder: you’re not the only one who feels this way
Make something bad on purpose	Perfectionism feeds paralysis
Revisit a kind review, DM, or comment	Let it remind you someone has cared before
Take a “sacred sabbatical”	Even a week off can reset your joy

✨ You Are Needed

Your art doesn’t need to save the world to matter. It doesn’t need to trend to be transformative. It doesn’t need to be finished to be beautiful.

You matter. Your art matters. Even when the world feels like it’s spinning off its axis. Especially then.

So keep showing up when you can. Rest when you need. And know this:

Someone out there needed exactly what only you can create.

Want support?

Download our free “Creative Self-Worth Check-In Journal” or connect with other artists in the Creating With Impact community by tagging @CreatingWithImpactPod on Instagram & Facebook. Let’s lift each other up—together.