The One Thing Every Creative Needs In February
It's a beautiful morning here, and I've been thinking about what it really takes to build something from nothing. 🎨
When I was laid off in my late 50s—adrift with no income and no sense of self—I could have been completely overwhelmed by everything I didn't know. I had never built an online business. I had never created a course. I had never designed a single repeat pattern.
But here's what I learned: You don't need to know everything at once. You just need to know the next step.
I took things one at a time. First, I learned about lead magnets. Then I created one. Then I learned about email marketing. Then I set that up. Then I created the first version of my course. Piece by piece, I built something that has now served thousands of creative women over 50.
That's why I chose a very specific book for my Creative Business Mastermind students to read this quarter: The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.
Because even my highest-achieving students—women with big dreams and even bigger talent—struggle with the same thing I did: trying to build twenty things at once instead of focusing on the one domino that makes everything else easier.
Why February Is the Perfect Month for This
January can feel overwhelming. Everyone is talking about big goals, massive transformations, and crushing it in the new year.
But by the time February rolls around, that initial sparkle starts to feel heavy.
You might have noticed that in my January content, I encouraged you to slow down, especially when your tank feels empty. To reflect on what you actually accomplished last year because it’s likely a lot more than you think. I highlighted my student Janet Hild as a great example of how to lean into your wins and build positive momentum instead of comparing yourself to everyone else's highlight reel.
Now in February—a short month, just 28 days—it's time to get laser-focused.
This is the perfect month to check one important thing off your list. Not ten things. One.
The Big Lie: The Multitasking Myth
We've been told for decades that multitasking is a skill. It's not. It's a distraction dressed up as productivity.
For the creative entrepreneur, multitasking usually looks like this: You open Adobe Illustrator to work on a pattern, but then you remember you haven't posted to Instagram yet. You head to Instagram, and instead of posting, you start scrolling. Suddenly you're comparing your work to everyone else's. Then you remember you need to respond to that email. Two hours later, you've lost the creative flow that got you excited about the pattern in the first place, so you decide to fold the laundry instead.
Sound familiar?
In The One Thing, the authors make it clear: "Success is a marathon of focused effort, not a sprint of scattered tasks."
When we try to do everything, we end up doing nothing well. We lose that simple, smart approach that allows us to grow a business without losing our minds—or our joy.
The Question That Changes Everything
There's one question from The One Thing that I want you to write on a sticky note and put on your computer monitor right now:
"What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"
Read that again. Let it sink in.
This question is not about doing more. It's about doing less—but doing it so well that it creates momentum for everything else.
If your goal is to monetize your creativity this year, your "One Thing" isn't learning how to run Facebook ads. It's not building a complicated website with all the bells and whistles. It's not even mastering Instagram Reels.
Your "One Thing" is learning how to create professional repeating patterns that people actually want to buy. Or if you’ve created lots of designs but need to start selling them, your “One Thing” is creating a valuable freebie, also known in the online world as a lead magnet, and publishing it so you can grow your email list.
Why? Because once you master your these skills, you have assets. You have confidence. You have the foundation of a business. Everything else—the marketing, the selling, the scaling—becomes easier because you finally have something real to share.
The Domino Effect: Going Small to Win Big
One of the most powerful concepts in The One Thing is the Domino Effect.
If you line up dominoes correctly, that first small domino—when knocked down—can eventually topple a domino fifty times its size. Scientists have proven this. A small domino, knocked with focus, creates exponential momentum.
The same is true in your creative business.
Most people think success requires doing big things. But the truth? Success comes from doing small things with extraordinary focus.
For me, that first domino was deciding to become excellent at teaching surface pattern design to women over 50. Not trying to teach everyone. Not trying to do every kind of creative business coaching. Just this one thing.
That decision—that focus—made every other decision easier.
For you, that first domino might be mastering your first, or next repeating pattern in Adobe Illustrator. Or completing your first collection of coordinating patterns. Or learning how to properly prepare files for upload to print-on-demand sites.
When you get clear on your "lead domino," everything else starts to fall into place.
Time Blocking: Protecting Your One Thing
Here's another insight from the book that changed how I work: Time blocking.
The most successful people don't just think about their priorities. They schedule them.
If creating patterns is your One Thing right now, when are you actually doing it? Is it penciled into your calendar, or are you hoping to "find time" between everything else?
Here's what I learned: Hope is not a strategy.
If you want to make progress on the thing that matters most, you have to protect that time like it's a doctor's appointment you can't miss.
For me, that means blocking off 2 hours every week day for creative work. It's sacred. It's non-negotiable. And it's when I do my best thinking and creating.
What time block can you claim for your One Thing?
Success Leaves Clues
There's one more concept from The One Thing that I think about often: Success leaves clues.
Successful creative entrepreneurs didn't get there by doing everything at once. They got there by following a proven path. They learned the fundamentals. They built their business one step at a time.
They didn't skip steps. They didn't look for shortcuts that left them confused. They built a strong foundation first, and that foundation allowed them to grow.
That's why I'm such a stickler for teaching the way I teach in my courses. Not because I'm old-fashioned, but because success leaves clues—and the clue is this: Mastery comes from understanding the fundamentals so deeply that you can build anything.
When you follow the clues left by successful creatives, you save yourself years of frustration and false starts.
Your One Thing for February
So here's my challenge for you this month.
Don't try to learn everything at once. Don't get distracted by ten different goals or twenty different techniques.
Just focus on your One Thing.
Maybe it's completing your first professional repeat pattern from start to finish. Maybe it's creating a mini-collection of three coordinating patterns. Maybe it’s creating your first lead magnet and completing the entire funnel around it so you can publish it.
Whatever it is, make that your focus for these next 28 days.
Say no to the shiny objects. Say no to the complexity. Say yes to the one thing that will actually move the needle.
Because here's the truth: I often say that "We can do hard things." But "hard" doesn't have to mean "complex."
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stay focused on the simple, foundational work that actually matters.
A Gentle Reflection
Take a breath with me for a moment.
Look at your desk. Look at your calendar. Look at your to-do list.
Be honest with yourself: Are you hiding from your big creative dream by staying "busy" with small, scattered tasks?
It's a gentle question, I know. But it's one we have to ask ourselves if we want this next chapter to be one of real impact and progress rather than overwhelm and exhaustion.
Where to Begin
If you've been feeling scattered, I want to offer you a way to start.
My From Doodles to Dollars® Workbook is designed to be exactly that: your One Thing. For just $10, you’ll follow the clear steps to create a professional repeat pattern from scratch using Adobe Illustrator. No automated shortcuts that leave you confused. Just the solid foundation you need.
Make this your One Thing for February.
Don't worry about the rest of the year. Just focus on creating that first pattern. Then the next. Then the next.
Because when you line up your dominoes correctly, that first small step creates momentum for everything that follows.
And remember... it's never too late to create, and you truly can do hard things. ✨
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
If you enjoyed this blog please share it with your friends, family and creative colleagues. Check out my favorite resources by clicking the red button below.
The Creative Business Spark Podcast.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Create your very first repeating pattern by following my Three Golden Rules. Grab this downloadable PDF workbook and get started today.
Get started for just $10.00. Click HERE for details.
Up level your surface pattern design skills and learn at your own pace in The Pattern Design Academy® Self-Study Program!
Enjoy working at your own pace? Enroll in the Pattern Design Academy® Self-Study program. Click HERE for details.
The Creative Business Mastermind is my highest level program. Learn how to implement the 6-part framework I used to build my creative business from scratch.
By application only. Click HERE for details.
MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
