Progress Isn’t Linear

Day 29 30-Day Art Challenge October 2025 (Marie-Louise Bahnson)

Some days feel like breakthroughs, others like setbacks, but both matter equally.

Progress rarely moves in a straight line.

There are days when everything clicks, when clarity arrives, confidence lifts, and the work feels expansive. And then there are days that feel like reversals. Uncertain. Heavy. As though you’ve gone backwards.

Both are part of the same process.

The Myth of Constant Growth

We’re often taught to expect steady improvement.

More skill. More certainty. More ease. But creative growth doesn’t follow a predictable upward path. It loops, stalls, accelerates, and retreats. What feels like a setback is often a period of integration where learning settles beneath the surface.

Not all progress is visible.

Breakthroughs Need Grounding

Breakthrough moments are energising.

They open new possibilities and expand what feels achievable. But without quieter periods to absorb them, they remain unstable. Growth needs consolidation, time to test, repeat, and refine what’s been discovered.

The slower days anchor the faster ones.

Setbacks as Signals

Days that feel unproductive often carry important information.

They highlight habits that no longer serve you, assumptions that need questioning, or skills that need strengthening. Resistance can be a sign that you’re on the edge of something new, not that you’re failing.

Listening matters more than judging.

Equal Weight, Shared Purpose

Breakthroughs and setbacks aren’t opposites.

They work together. One stretches you forward; the other deepens your foundation. Each contributes to the overall direction, even when it’s hard to recognise in the moment.

Progress is cumulative, even when it feels uneven.

Staying the Course

The work asks for patience.

It asks you to stay present through fluctuation, to keep showing up without demanding constant proof that it’s working. Over time, patterns emerge. Perspective widens. What once felt chaotic begins to make sense.

So keep going. Through the highs and the lows.

Progress may not be linear, but it is real.