I Didn’t Think I Was an Artist. Then I Read This Book.

Image credit: Anh Dang via Pexels

On finding your voice, creative or otherwise, and why it’s never too late to begin.

I bought “Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic” by Lisa Congdon at Alt Summit in 2025, where she was a speaker.

One of my Seattle friends had pointed her out to me when I registered for the conference, and I was curious about this artist she raved about. So, when I spotted the little curated bookshop they had at the conference, of course I took a look… and of course I came home with her book. Then it sat on my bookshelf watching me read library book after library book for over a year.

I’ll admit, even though it is a short, digestible read, I was intimidated by it. Do I even need an artistic voice? If I find one, does it even matter? I’m not an artist. I’ve had a very corporate career, not a creative one.

But as soon as I started reading, I felt a kindred spirit. She opens by writing about the tension between fitting in and standing out, and that hit home immediately. Internal conflict has been a constant in my life. I feel like I’ve always been full of contradictions.

It quickly became apparent: this book is not just for artists.

Yes, it starts with the basics… what an artistic voice even is, why it matters, and the foundational elements. But so many of the lessons and advice from Lisa and the artists she interviewed throughout the book are applicable to so much of our lives. Finding our voice, whether we’d consider it artistic or not.

Skill Doesn’t Require a Traditional Path

There’s a section where she breaks down skill as an element of artistic voice and tosses out the notion that artistic skill must come from classical training. I really felt this, both in my creative pursuits (I’ve been diving into crochet and using my quilting skills to teach myself garment making) and in my finance journey.

A while before I moved into finance, I talked with a female finance executive about whether there was space for someone without a traditional background. She was encouraging, but I still never saw how to get there. So I just kept working - on my understanding of data, on how to turn it into reporting that actually meant something, on getting whatever experience I could. I also paid more attention to our financial statements and how what I saw happening in the business manifested in those numbers.

Then, opportunity found me. I was fortunate to have a boss who recognized that to expand my skills I’d need to move into a different part of the business. My time to pivot had arrived. I started focused on what I’d already been doing - reporting, but over time expanded my responsibilities and asked a lot of questions (so many questions), until one day I was doing the work of a financial analyst.

That winding, roundabout path has always made me feel like an outsider in finance, even to this day. But, similar to an artist without classical training, by working at the skill I’m able to execute what I need to do the job. The training doesn’t have to be formal to be real.

When I get frustrated with my crochet or my sewing or my writing, I remind myself of that journey. If I could do that, I can work at this too.

The Beginner Gap is Where Most of Us Stop

Congdon has a name for the place most of us get stuck: the beginner gap, that space between your vision and your current ability to execute it. Historically, this is where I stop. This time feels different though. The older I get, the more I want to do things for myself, and the less I care about anyone who doesn’t like it.

This blog is part of that. I still feel like a fraud every time I write a post or send a newsletter. Who am I to think that what I have to say matters? My story and thoughts aren’t unique or extraordinary. But Lisa Congdon makes a point that really landed for me: your story doesn’t have to matter to everyone… it will matter to someone.

Something about the way she phrases it makes me realize my story does matter. And yours does too. Her non-precious approach to art and creating makes it feel so much more accessible… like it isn’t too late to get started.

Final Thoughts: Artist or Not, Just Start

The time I’ve spent away from full-time corporate life has given me space to get back in touch with my desire to create. I started thinking back, and I used to create a lot more… always amateur, always just for fun, but it happened pretty often. For the past eight-ish years, it had been almost nonexistent. This blog has been a gateway back, and over time it somehow reignited the spark into other creative pursuits, hence the crochet and sewing.

Chapter 6, “Begin Anyhow: Moving Through Fear,” is full of great advice on how to just start. But honestly, the whole book works that way. If you’ve ever felt like art or creative work is something for other people, not for someone like you who lives in spreadsheets or operational thinking, I’d really encourage you to read this.

It’s also graduation season, and I keep thinking about how this book would be such a great gift for anyone just starting out. Not because they need to become artists, but because so many of us spend years believing that certain things - creative pursuits, unconventional paths, doing something just for ourselves - are for other people.

The sooner someone hears that their differences are actually their strength, the better.

If I can relate my journey into finance to a book about finding your artistic voice, there’s value here for everyone.

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About Me

I’m Tara, founder of Alchemy Advising, a consulting practice that helps small and mid-sized businesses grow with clarity, confidence, and a lot less chaos.

This blog is where I share reflections on entrepreneurship, ambition, motherhood, and the magic (and mess) of building something meaningful… one decision at a time.

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