Hey hey, welcome to The Groovy Creative, the show where we toss glitter on self-doubt, boogie with big ideas, and get real about what it means to live and breathe creativity. I’m your host, James Price, fellow artist, creative soul, and firm believer that the best art is sometimes a glorious mess.

Today, we’re kicking off our A–Z adventure with the letter A, and a little love note to the not-so-pretty parts of the creative life. This one’s called: “Art Ain’t Always Pretty” Because let’s be real: sometimes your masterpiece looks like a toddler had a tantrum with a box of crayons. And you know what? That might just be exactly what the world needs.

I know we have briefly talked about this before, but I am a big believer in it, so we’ll expand on it today, and here goes… Something we don’t often admit out loud: a lot of people think that for art to matter, it has to be polished. Precise. Flawless. Museum-ready. Social-media-worthy. We live in a culture that LOVES pretty. Pretty sells. Pretty gets likes. Pretty gets put on a pedestal.

But let me ask you: have you ever stood in front of a raw, jagged piece of art — one that’s unfinished, imperfect, maybe even uncomfortable — and felt something in your bones? Because I have. And I’d take that feeling over pristine perfection any day. We’ve been sold the idea that perfection is the goal. But in creativity? I feel perfection is a brick wall. It’s a creativity killer wearing big boots and a fake smile.

Some of the most powerful creative works in the world are not pretty. They’re raw. They’re full of grief, rage, chaos, confusion, longing — things that aren’t tidy or marketable. Think about Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits. Baas kee a’s graffiti-inspired chaos. Van Gogh’s swirling, tortured landscapes. These pieces bleed. They hurt. They confuse. And they connect. Because at the core of real art is honesty. Vulnerability. Humanity.And guess what? Humans are not always pretty.

There’s beauty in that realness. In the crack of the voice. The uneven brushstroke. The first draft full of typos but soaked in truth. Let me take you into the studio for a second — not mine, necessarily, but any space where creativity happens. It’s not always zen music and candles and aesthetic vibes. Sometimes it’s coffee stains, torn paper, frantic scribbles at 2 a.m., and muttered curse words. That is the art!

The act of wrestling with your own thoughts. Of being unsure, and creating anyway. That moment when something ugly on the page suddenly flickers with meaning — that’s magic, baby. We need to normalize this part of the process. The mess. The struggle. The not knowing. Because the moment you embrace the mess? You unlock creative freedom. You give yourself permission to play. To feel. To fail forward.

Let’s get spicy for a sec. “Pretty” isn’t just a style — it’s often a performance. A trap. A brand. And while there’s nothing wrong with polished, clean, minimal work — we have to ask: is it true, or is it safe? Are you sanding down your edges to be more palatable? Or are you letting your voice — your full, messy, unfiltered voice — come through? Art that pushes buttons, makes us uncomfortable, or challenges norms — it’s not always “pretty.” But it is powerful. It’s real.

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So here’s the takeaway, my groovy friend: Art doesn’t have to be pretty to be powerful. Your mess holds meaning. Your job is not to polish yourself into something acceptable, it’s to express what’s real. So the next time you’re staring at your work thinking, “Ugh, this is ugly,” I want you to ask: “But is it honest?” Because that might be where the gold is.

That’s it for today’s ride on The Groovy Creative. If this episode made you think, feel, or fist-pump the air, I’d love if you’d share it with a fellow creative — and don’t forget to leave a review wherever you’re listening. It helps more groovy people find us.