Bianca Pintan — On Cycles, Spark, and Creative Truth

1. How did your creative journey really begin?

I think my creative journey really started in childhood. I loved mixing things, I was into cooking, and whenever we had creative projects at school, especially the collective ones, I would feel completely lit up. There was just something about being part of a creative process that would make me feel alive.

Later, when I discovered clay, something truly shifted. It felt like something sparkled inside of me. I got so excited, and I just kept going.

But calling myself an artist wasn’t an easy process. For a long time, I didn’t feel like I deserved the title. I was already making ceramic work and slowly pivoting into making it my main thing, but it still felt out of reach. Someone once told me, “You just need to call yourself an artist, because you are one,” and I remember thinking, I’m not sure I can.

I imagined artists had big resumes, and I didn’t. That idea feels funny now, but at the time it was real. From that conversation to the moment I actually claimed the word “artist” for myself took nearly a year. It was a whole process of allowing myself to feel worthy of the label.

2. Do you have any rituals, habits, or little things you do that help you drop into your creative flow?

Sometimes I journal before I start. Other times I light incense or put on music. And sometimes, when I’m really excited, I just dive right in. It really depends on what I’m creating and where I’m at.

If I feel a bit lost or unsure where to begin, I’ll look for inspiration in old journals or little notes I’ve written. I also notice that when my studio’s a mess, I’m probably deep in flow but when I’m just starting something new, I love the feeling of a clean space too. My rituals shift depending on the energy I’m in.

3. What does it feel like when you’re in the middle of making something you love?

It feels so good. When I’m creating and feeling completely in tune, it fulfills my soul. I get this sparkle inside and out. There’s a real energy shift, I feel lit up, and I get so energised that I don’t even want to sleep. I just want to keep going.

There’s nothing quite like that feeling of being in flow, loving what you’re creating, and feeling so connected to it. It’s like a conversation between me and something bigger.

4. How do you experience the moment of sharing your work with the world?

It’s getting easier over time, but it still comes with a mix of feelings. When I share something new, I usually take a few deep breaths first.

I’ve noticed that when I truly love what I’ve made, it doesn’t matter as much what the feedback is I’m already fulfilled by the work itself. But when I feel unsure about what I’ve created, the external response can hit differently and affect how I feel.

Sharing is definitely vulnerable and exciting. It’s a practice. The more I do it, the more I understand that my work will resonate with the people who are meant to receive it. And that’s enough.

Letting go of the pressure to please everyone has helped so much. When I focus on creating from an authentic place, it all flows easier.

5. Have you ever felt like your creative cycle went quiet or ended? What helped you find your way back — or forward?

Yes, I actually went through this not long ago. I spent almost a year processing the end of a cycle, and it wasn’t easy. It was the first time I truly felt uninspired. I’d go into the studio and leave things unfinished. I tried other materials, other mediums, but nothing flowed. I felt lost.

Eventually, I gave myself space. I stopped forcing it. I listened to what was calling me from the inside and let go of the need to make the same kind of work or come up with a new version of what I’d done before.

Instead, I waited for what wanted to come through, and when it did, it became my most powerful work yet.

Now that I’ve moved through it, I can see the beauty of the whole cycle. But while I was in it, it was really hard.

What helped me most was releasing the pressure to bounce back quickly. I started seeing myself as part of nature, moving through seasons, through winters and summers, just like everything else. Honouring that rhythm changed everything.

I feel more connected than ever now, and the work that came out of that quiet, uncomfortable season is some of my favourite work I’ve ever made.

6. What helps you move through fear, doubt, or that voice that says “not good enough”?

Those voices still show up sometimes. I think they cycle in and out depending on what’s happening in life. But practice really helps.

Mindset work, journaling, meditation… anything that brings me back to myself is helpful. And more than anything, being in touch with who I really am and expressing that truthfully in my work has been so liberating.

When I’m creating from my authentic voice, the fear softens. I’m not trying to impress or perform. I’m just being me. And if people connect with that, with me then that feels powerful.

I also remind myself of what I’ve already created, and of how much is still to come. That reminder, plus the act of just making, just being in the process again, helps me move forward.

7. If someone out there is feeling stuck, unsure, or like it’s too late to start, what would you want them to hear from you?

We’ve all been there. It’s never too late to start.

If you’re not sure where to begin, go to an art store and let yourself be drawn to whatever calls you, new materials, new textures, colours.

Approach it like a child. Kids don’t wait for instructions before they start playing. If you put clay or paint or pencils in front of a kid, they just go for it. That’s the energy to bring in. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about exploring, enjoying, letting yourself play.

Start small. Set aside one hour, one afternoon, one day, whatever you can to try something new. Keep an artist’s journal if that helps. And just know that there’s no wrong way to do it. The world needs your expression, not your perfection.

8. If your creative work could leave one message or feeling with someone, what would that be?

Be who you really are. Do what you love.

Be bold if bold is in you. Be unapologetic about your expression. We only get one life, so why not live it as ourselves?

Enjoy the ride, make the mistakes, go big, go weird, go soft. It’s all allowed. We’re always evolving, always changing. Let your creativity change with you.