Follow excitement

Have you ever noticed the difference between an activity that feels like flow and one that feels like pure drain?

Flow feels energizing. The more you're in it, the more ideas arrive. You finish feeling inspired, fulfilled, and somehow closer to your goals.

Drain feels different.

Ironically, when we're in flow, we often take it for granted. We think it's because we slept well, had a good day, or happened to be in a great mood.

But when something drains us, we often tell ourselves:

"If I push harder..."
"If I practice more..."
"If I give it one more month..."

THEN it will finally feel right.

Today, I want to challenge that idea.

Happy Sunday from my desk! Well... not exactly my desk. I'm actually writing this newsletter while walking :D This June, I have more than 30 interior design drawings for clients on my agenda. Tight deadlines, baby! I genuinely enjoy seeing beautiful designs come to life through my artistic hand on the iPad.

In fact, this newsletter exists because an idea appeared during my walk and I felt an irresistible urge to turn it into something tangible. So here we are.

For me, flow usually starts with curiosity. Not certainty… CURIOSITY. It often feels challenging at first.

"What if it's bad?"
"What if it takes longer than expected?"
"What if nobody likes it?"

But despite all those doubts, there's a quiet excitement pulling me toward it.

Eventually I start. And then… I can't stop. Parts of it are terrible. Parts of it are frustrating. But then comes the first breakthrough!

"Oh!!! What if I try this?"

Then another. And another. Until eventually you create something. Maybe not your best work. BUT work you're proud of. And somehow the rest of the day feels meaningful.

Now let's talk about dread.

Dread usually starts long before the activity itself. Hours before. Days before. Sometimes weeks before. You feel the countdown. One week until the thing. One day until the thing. Then the activity arrives. An hour passes and you're exhausted. It feels endless.

You know that whatever you're doing isn't bringing you closer to the life you ACTUALLY want.

I first noticed this during my interior design studies. Becoming an interior designer was my dream. Yet I struggled through endless renders, technical drawings, execution details, and assignments that left me completely drained.

So… I started sketching. Not strategically. Not because someone told me to. Just because I wanted to. Intuitively.

Chair concepts. Spaces. Pop-up stores. Graphic experiments.

Everything became a sketch!

I wasn't thinking. I was simply… drawing. And the funny thing is that flow followed me everywhere! I worked part-time in a hotel and sketched between shifts. One day the owner noticed the drawings and asked whether I could create artwork for the hotel. Those sketches eventually turned into large printed pieces!

THAT’S flow.

Ten years later, I still sketch with exactly the same enthusiasm. Ask my students! They'll tell you that after every drawing I'm still as excited as a child showing off a new toy :D :D

Does that mean interior design was the wrong choice? Not at all! I can't imagine my life without design. I still design every day.

BUT my path looks different from what I was taught in school. Drawing became my way of designing. My bridge between imagination and reality.

And if I hadn't followed that excitement, I might have lost my passion completely because I would have assumed the traditional path was the only path.

Funny enough, you're witnessing flow in action right now. When I started writing this newsletter, all I had was one sentence: "Follow excitement."

That was it. No outline. No plan. No idea where this would go. One sentence became another. And another. And now I'm standing by the river because I refuse to interrupt this writing flow! Photo here:

So here's your challenge for next week:

Create two lists:

Flow | Dread.

Write down moments from your week that belong in each category. Then look for patterns. You might discover clues about your strengths, passions, and the direction you're meant to move toward.

Because as I finish writing this, I feel incredibly energized. I want to create something else immediately and I don't even know what… But that feeling is unmistakable.

THAT’S FLOW.

P.S. Another flow-related dilemma: I currently want pizza and Ben & Jerry's ice cream BUT I also have an early-morning workout tomorrow sooo… should I follow that excitement too? :D

With big drawing energy,
Anna at @andshedrawsbig

..20 minutes later...

Ah, OF COURSE I followed that excitement too!! so tomorrow, someone is going to have a very productive workout ;)