The Joy of Creative Side Quests
Reconnecting With My Inner Child Through Claymation
I've been thinking a lot about creativity lately—not the polished, perfect kind, but the messy, curious, childlike kind. The kind that doesn't worry about where it's going, only that it wants to explore.
If you follow my artist journey on my YouTube channel, you'll know that I've been focused on developing my graphite drawing skills for the past year—working on technique, shading, and bringing increasingly complex subjects to life on paper.
On a more personal level, I've recently been working through some old limiting beliefs and fears that had resurfaced. Through that inner work, I noticed how I had been abandoning my inner child by taking my art very seriously and never allowing time for play within my creative practice.
With that new revelation in mind, I decided to embark on a creative side quest: claymation. Stop motion animation is something I dabbled in during my early 20s and found much joy & playfulness in it. I wanted to reconnect to that feeling.
As I created a very short animation of a daffodil blooming, there was something deeply comforting about working with my hands in a new way. The squish of the clay. The awkward, janky movements of my first animation attempt in decades. It felt like I was giving my inner child permission to come out, make a mess, laugh at it, and keep going anyway.
We don't talk enough about how important it is to make things that don't need to be "useful." Side quests like this one remind me that creativity is not always about productivity. Sometimes, it's about remembering who you are.
While my graphite drawing practice has been about growth and improvement—tracking progress, developing techniques, building a portfolio—this claymation adventure has been purely about joy and rediscovery. There's no pressure, no expectations, just exploration.
This detour has been illuminating in ways I didn’t expect. I've come to the following realizations:
The pressure I put on myself to improve my drawing skills was slowly draining some of the joy from creating
Technical skills matter, but so does maintaining that childlike sense of wonder and experimentation
My artistic journey doesn't have to follow a linear path
Sometimes, the best creative breakthroughs happen when you're not trying to break through at all
If you've been feeling stuck or uninspired, maybe this is your permission slip to follow a side quest of your own. Pick up that old instrument. Try a weird art supply. Doodle nonsense in the margins of your planner. Whatever it is—follow the spark. Not for the outcome, but for the joy.
I've attached a short clip of my claymation attempt below. It's imperfect, a bit wobbly, and filled with fingerprints—and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Until next time, be well.
Isabelle
P.S. I'm curious: What creative side quests would reconnect you with your inner child?
P.P.S. While my YouTube channel will continue to document my progress with graphite drawing, keep an eye out for occasional "side quest" within my videos. You can watch my latest vlog here. 🌸🌿