From Cringe to Confidence: Measuring My Creative Journey with “The Gap and The Gain”

A transformational mindset learned

May 23, 2025

A few days ago, Facebook sent me a memory: two watercolor paintings I shared about four years ago—when I first started to learn watercolor. At first, I cringed at the artwork. Then, I smiled and couldn’t help thinking, wow, how far I’ve come on this creative journey!

I picked up watercolor for the first time right after I had my second baby. It was during COVID, and I just needed a new creative outlet—a break from cooking, cleaning, and nursing. I signed up for a beginner’s watercolor course and never looked back.

My earliest floral paintings

I painted and painted, learning from YouTube, online courses, practice, and mistakes. I fell in love with the medium. One year later, because of my husband’s job change, our family moved internationally—from Geneva to Abu Dhabi. From Europe to the Middle East.

With a family of four transitioning to a new culture, I had so much to adapt to and learn, from where to grocery shop to how to get my UAE driver’s license. In the midst of all that change, I found I could always return to my paintbrush and colors. With a piece of paper and a jar of water, I was ready to reset and reconnect with myself.

Discovering Surface Design

In the spring of 2022, I took a surface design course right after I first heard about the concept. Back in Geneva, I had been telling my friends that putting my artwork on products was something I wanted to pursue. I even had one of my paintings printed on a mug and a pillow—and sold them!

👆My first surface design in 2021

I loved learning about surface design and all the tools involved: Procreate, Adobe apps, and more. I opened my Spoonflower shop and started making sales. I began licensing my patterns and working with local clients. Slowly but surely, I’ve been making progress since picking up my brush for the first time four years ago.

Am I where I want to be today?

No, not yet.
Are you where you want to be in your creative journey or business today?
I bet you’ll say the same thing.

Last year, I read a book called The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan, a strategic coach. It’s a mindset framework that helps high achievers avoid burnout and dissatisfaction by changing how they measure progress.

Here’s the core idea:

The Gap

Focusing on the distance between where you are now and your ideal (future goal or perfect vision).
🌀 Effect: Creates feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and failure—because you’re always chasing an ever-moving target.
📉 Example: You set a goal to earn $1,000 but only made $600. Focusing on the missing $400 makes you feel unsuccessful, even though you've made solid progress.

The Gain

Focusing on how far you’ve come from where you started—measuring backward instead of forward.
🌿 Effect: Builds motivation, confidence, gratitude, and a sense of achievement.
📈 Example: Instead of lamenting the $400 shortfall, you recognize that you grew from $0 to $600—a big win!

I often reflect on this concept, and it helps me shift from a scarcity mindset to a growth mindset. It encourages continual improvement without emotional burnout—and grounds my motivation in progress, not perfection.

How I Apply “The Gain” in My Creative Business

🔹 Step 1: Identify My “Gap Thinking”

I could easily focus on the gap. For example:

“I haven’t reached $___ in income yet.”
“I don’t have as many licensing deals as I want.”
“My following isn’t big enough to land dream brand collabs.”

These thoughts are rooted in future ideals—which constantly move as our standards grow.

🔹 Step 2: Shift to “Gain Thinking”

Now, I measure my progress from the past, not from the ideal. I ask:

Where was I 6–12 months ago?
I hadn’t sold as many prints on Spoonflower or grown my email list.

What skills have I learned?
I’ve mastered SEO-rich descriptions, grown my Instagram, refined pitch emails, and created marketable collections.

What wins can I count today?
Licensing deals, client work, a growing portfolio, freebie systems, audience growth—and I made it to the top 10 in Loomwell’s wallpaper art call (yay!).

🔹 Step 3: Build a “Gain Habit”

Here are a few ways I stay grounded in the gain:

📝 Weekly Reflection

What 3 things did I make progress on?
What am I proud of this week?
What would the version of me 1 year ago be amazed by?

📒 Gain Journal
Track:

Projects completed
Clients landed
Skills learned

🔄 “Past Me vs. Now Me”
When I feel stuck, I ask:
“What did past-me not know or have that present-me does?”

🙏 Give thanks
I keep a gratitude journal. For me, I give praise to God for any progress I make.

Your Turn

Dear creative friend, I hope you’ll try using this framework to write your own Gap and Gain.
Take time to reflect, and learn to focus on and build from your progress. Please let me know in the comment how it goes for you or what you learned from the process!

📖 Remember this phrase from the book:

“I measure success by how far I’ve come, not how far I have to go.”

This Month’s Freebie 🎁

I’m offering a Hollyhock watercolor art print + a watercolor paper texture PNG overlay—free for my subscribers! If you have already subscribed, just access your digital handbag to enjoy the freebie! 💜