Being touched out is real, exhausting, and rarely talked about in creative spaces. In this episode, Kathleen gets honest about what it's like to maintain a creative practice when you're physically and emotionally depleted—and why creativity might be exactly what you need in those hardest moments.

You'll discover why embroidery can actually help regulate your nervous system when you're overstimulated, what creativity looks like when you're barely holding it together (spoiler: it's messy and imperfect), and how to make creating stupidly easy on your hardest days. This is permission to show up exhausted, to make ugly work, and to believe that three stitches count just as much as a finished masterpiece.

You'll hear about:

1. What being "touched out" really means and why it's so depleting
2. Why creativity matters even more when you're exhausted (it's not what you think)
3. What creativity actually looks like when you're depleted (three stitches, ugly work, giving up halfway)
4. How to make creativity stupidly easy when you have zero energy
5. When you need permission to do nothing instead of forcing creativity
6. What this hard season is teaching you about your creative identity
7. The two-stitch rule and other practical ideas for touched-out mamas

Takeaway: You don't have to create anything today. But if you want to—if somewhere underneath the exhaustion there's a voice saying "I miss making things"—you can. Three messy stitches count. Ugly work counts. You showing up exhausted and trying anyway counts most of all. Your creativity isn't dependent on perfect conditions or finished products. It's part of who you are, even in the hardest seasons.

More from Artsy Lyons

1. Start stitching with the Stitch Deck
2. Free DIY name sweater video tutorial
3. Free Canva templates to create DIY name designs
4. Check out the shop: artsylyons.shop
5. Follow me on Instagram: @artsylyons

Subscribe & Review

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more mamas who need this community.

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to The Artsy Ambition Podcast! See you next week!