When my husband decided to start a new business, I knew at some point the question would come: “Can you design the logo?”
Now, here’s the thing — I’ve designed plenty of logos in my career. But when you haven’t flexed that particular creative muscle in a while, the software feels clunky, the blank canvas feels extra blank, and suddenly you’re convinced you’ve forgotten everything you ever knew.
So there I was. Staring at my computer. For hours. Clicking, dragging, deleting. Repeat. It felt less like “creative flow” and more like slow torture. By late afternoon I admitted defeat and told my husband, “We should probably just hire a designer.”
Enter my daughter. Kids, as you know, don’t tiptoe around your feelings. She asked what was wrong, so I told her. And without missing a beat, she hit me with this gem:
“Aren’t you a designer?”
“Yes,” I sighed, “among other things. But I feel out of practice.”
She shrugged: “Yeah, but you’re still good at designing. You’ll get it.”
And you know what? She was right. With that little push (and maybe a stubborn streak of my own), I sat back down, gave it another go, and finally cracked it. By evening, a snazzy, polished logo had emerged.
The Lesson in All This
Creativity isn’t a faucet you just turn on. It’s more like a muscle: if you haven’t used it in a while, it feels stiff, clunky, and weak. But here’s the good news — muscle memory is real. Your skills don’t just disappear; they wait for you to dust them off.
And sometimes it takes an outside voice — even if it’s from the backseat of your life — to remind you: “Hey, you’re still good at this.”
Whether it’s design, writing, pitching clients, or giving a presentation, it’s normal to feel rusty when you’re out of practice. That doesn’t mean you’re not capable — it means you’re human. And with a little persistence (and maybe a tiny cheerleader in your corner), you can surprise yourself with just how much you still know.
Why This Matters for Business
This logo saga reminded me of what I tell clients all the time:
- Trust the process. Creative work takes time, and “bad drafts” are part of the journey.
- Get perspective. Sometimes you need someone else (even a 12-year-old) to remind you of your strengths.
- Keep practicing. Even if you’re not “actively” using a skill, don’t abandon it. The more you revisit it, the quicker it comes back.
In the end, my husband got his logo. I got a confidence reboot. And my daughter? She got bragging rights for being my unofficial creative director.
