Susan's Own https://susansown.com/ Stories, Art & Life — Unfiltered by Susan en Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:55:07 GMT The Graveyard of Good Ideas: What My Abandoned Projects Actually Taught Me https://susansown.com/abandoned-projects-what-they-taught-me/ https://susansown.com/abandoned-projects-what-they-taught-me/ Not everything I've started has made it to the finish line — not even close. For a long time, I treated those unfinished projects like evidence of some fundamental flaw. Turns out, they were some of my most valuable teachers. Here's what the failures I'm not proud of gave me that my successes never could. Susan's Own Personal Essays Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:55:07 GMT Every 'No' You Give Is a 'Yes' to Something That Actually Matters https://susansown.com/every-no-is-a-yes-creative-boundaries/ https://susansown.com/every-no-is-a-yes-creative-boundaries/ Turning down opportunities feels counterintuitive when you're building something from scratch. But the creators who protect their energy fiercely aren't being precious — they're being strategic. Here's what it actually looks like to draw lines that hold. Susan's Own Creator Culture Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:55:07 GMT The Quiet Collapse: What Burnout Really Looks Like for Independent Creators https://susansown.com/indie-creator-burnout-warning-signs/ https://susansown.com/indie-creator-burnout-warning-signs/ Burnout among independent artists and creators isn't dramatic — it doesn't announce itself with a breakdown or a viral post. It creeps in quietly, disguised as productivity, until one day the thing you loved most feels like a job you can't quit. Here's what's actually happening behind the highlight reels, and what you can do before you hit the wall. Susan's Own Creator Culture Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:25:10 GMT Learning to Say the Most Powerful Word in My Creative Vocabulary https://susansown.com/learning-to-say-no-creative-boundaries/ https://susansown.com/learning-to-say-no-creative-boundaries/ For years, I said yes to everything — every collab request, every last-minute favor, every project that made my stomach drop the moment I agreed to it. It took a string of creative disasters and one really ugly cry in my car to finally understand that 'no' isn't a rejection of others. It's an act of devotion to yourself. Susan's Own Personal Essays Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:25:10 GMT