Learning the art of letting go (in your craft and business)

People accumulate things. That’s what we do. Whether it’s collecting Pokemon cards or books, gathering knowledge or new skills, people tend to add more to what they already have. Even in our craft or hobbies and small business ventures, we accumulate. You buy more materials to craft with, you make more products because you want more sales. More profits, more followers in your brand’s socials, more, more, more.

But as Common Room co-founder Maan Agsalud has seen in their own business and that of other makers, “growth doesn’t always mean adding more.” Sometimes, letting go—of old habits, waste, or even unrealistic goals—is often needed to make more room for what is important to you. We look back at the conversations we’ve had with makers on what they’ve chosen to release and how it has helped them with their craft and business.

1. Unrealistic goals

When a new year starts, we often set lofty goals—a shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-you’ll-land-among-the-stars type. Then, as the year progresses, we see how much we’ve done or haven’t done (hello, year-end anxiety). Setting larger-than-life goals can provide us with an overall purpose, something to aspire for. But if they often leave you burnt out or feeling like you’ve set yourself up for failure one more time, then it’s necessary to let go of unrealistic goals and reassess your objectives.

A lot has been written about making goals “specific, measurable, and attainable,” but it’s also important to have fellow makers, family, or friends to make you accountable the way these three makers do it for each other. As Elly Ang of Danger in Design shares, “It’s so exciting when other people are excited for you. It’s nice to have your own little village, your own support group who will celebrate your successes.”

2. The guilt

When you end up not achieving your goals—whether it’s not being able to create a new collection or join a new pop-up—it’s easy to let the guilt get to you. In an interview with several makers on achieving goals, Danger in Design’s Elly Ang talked about what helps her shake off the guilt. “If I set a goal and I did my best, there’s not going to be any guilt.”

Knowing she put in 100% effort in meeting her goal, Elly prefers to give herself grace than to drown in guilt. “I keep telling people to be kind to themselves,” she adds. Guilt, while normal and can help guide our behavior, can also be unpleasant, affecting our sleep and increasing anxiety. One of the ways to deal with the guilt is to acknowledge it and get to the bottom of why you’re feeling guilty. Once you’re able to answer that honestly, then you can move forward with either making amends or relying on your support group whom you know will offer a more compassionate listening ear.

3. Comparisons

Constantly comparing yourself (or your work) to others is another thing you can let go. Sure, it’s easy to look at what fellow makers or small business owners have achieved and feel like you’re falling behind, but comparison often does more harm than good.

As Elly mentioned, she chooses not to measure her progress against others. “If I see they achieved their goals this year, that’s so amazing, good for them, it doesn’t make me feel bad about my own goals.” Her perspective reminds us that someone else’s success doesn’t diminish our own path.

If you should compare, let it be between who you are now and who you used to be. Focus on your own strengths and growth. Letting go of comparisons creates space for a healthier, more grounded kind of progress.

4. Bad habits

We all have them. Whether it’s a case of procrastination or a tendency to call it quits when things get tough, bad habits work against you. Research shows habits form through repetition and become automatic, sometimes reinforced by the brain’s reward system. You’re getting bored analyzing the numbers of your sales report that will help you with your holiday planning, so you keep putting it off by doing more fun things like watching TikTok videos or planning your next vacation. And then all of a sudden, it’s the end of the year! Because dopamine strengthens routines that feel good, unhelpful habits can become deeply wired, making them difficult to break.

Letting go of bad habits begins with awareness. Identify the routines that distract you from your tasks or your goals, then create ways to counter them. If you reach for your phone every time you get bored with a task, think of replacing that doomscrolling habit with a better one. It can be a chance to take a 10-minute walking break. Replacing harmful habits with healthier ones can help retrain your brain. Plus, with practice and support from friends, letting go of bad habits is not an impossible feat.

5. Doing everything yourself

When you have your own small business that started with only one employee (you!), it’s easy to get used to wearing many hats. But as sisters Jamaica, Janeeva, and Danice Verceles of Paperaica Shop, Dear Self Beauty, and Ciento Cookies, respectively, have realized, growth often requires letting go of that mindset.

In an interview with Common Room, Jamaica shared that the turning point for her came in 2021, three years after she started her sticker and stationery brand, when she hired her first assistant. “The thing with having a business, you need to be consistent and there came a time when I was unable to become consistent,” she said. As an artist, she knew she needed to constantly make art, which she was having a hard time doing. Hiring her first employee helped her to regain her creative consistency.

Her sister Janeeva experienced a similar shift. “With every business, at some point, when you see that you’re no longer efficient with what you have to do as the owner, you have to hire someone to ‘replace’ yourself so you can do more.”

Letting go of doing everything yourself, unrealistic goals, and bad habits doesn’t mean losing control. It means making room for growth, creativity, and sustainability.