When Life Hands You Lemons, Just Make Zest
You know the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?”
Well, sometimes life gives you lemons… and then it takes away your pitcher, your sugar, and your ability to stand in the kitchen for more than five minutes.
And in those moments? The best you can do is make zest.
You know what zest is right? It’s those miniscule shavings of just the outer part of the peel, Nothing more. Shavings!
And you know what? That’s enough.
We all hit seasons where life throws curveball after curveball, and the creative energy we want to have just isn’t there. Whether it’s illness, stress, burnout, or just too many responsibilities piling up at once—sometimes we can’t push through at full speed.
But that doesn’t mean creativity has to stop altogether.
Today, we’re talking about the creative reset—how to keep moving forward in tiny, almost microscopic ways, even when you’re running on empty. We’ll talk about micro-tasks that can keep your creativity alive, how to adjust your expectations without guilt, and why doing something—no matter how small—is always better than doing nothing.
So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or just plain stuck, this episode is for you. Let’s make a little creative zest together.
So, here’s the thing about life—it doesn’t always play fair. Sometimes, you can push through the chaos, juggle all the things, and somehow manage to keep everything running. And other times? Life looks you square in the eye, knocks the wind out of you, and says, “Not today.” “Maybe, not this week!
That’s where I am right now.
What started as a bad case of the flu quickly snowballed into a whole list of other issues—ones that won’t be solved with a couple of days of rest. Instead of bouncing back like I thought I would, I’m now facing doctor’s appointments, extra tests, and a long road of figuring things out. And the hardest part? I had plans. Big ones. Podcast episodes to record, projects to move forward, and a whole stack of creative ideas I was ready to dive into.
But life had other plans.
And I’ll be honest—there’s frustration in that. A little bit of guilt, too. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty for needing to slow down, but that little voice in the back of my mind keeps whispering, “You’re falling behind.”
Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’ve had a season where you wanted to be productive, where you wanted to create, but your body, your circumstances, or just the sheer weight of everything said, “Not right now.”
Here’s what I’ve learned—pushing through isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, forcing yourself to keep going at full speed is actually the thing that sets you back the most.
Instead, the real work is learning when to step back.
Not to quit. Not to throw in the towel. But to pause. To reset. To find ways to keep creativity alive in smaller, more manageable ways.
Because even when you can’t make lemonade, you can still make zest. And that’s enough.
And by zest, I mean microtasks.
A micro-task is the absolute smallest possible step forward. It’s not “working on a project.” It’s touching the materials. It’s not “writing a whole blog post.” It’s opening the document and typing a single sentence. It’s not “getting organized.” It’s clearing off a tiny corner of your workspace.
And I know—when you’re used to being productive, used to making progress, these tiny steps can feel almost…pointless. But they aren’t.
Right now, I don’t have the energy to do big creative work. I want to, but my body isn’t cooperating. So instead of diving into a full project, I’ve been touching my materials—literally. Just running my hands over fabrics, flipping through old sketches, gathering small inspirations without the pressure to do something with them. Instead of tackling a big task list, I’ve been breaking things down into bite-sized, manageable steps.
Because here’s the thing—small steps still count AS STEPS.
When you can’t do the big things, the small ones keep you connected. They remind you that you are still creative, even if you’re moving slower than usual. They keep the momentum from completely stalling. And most importantly, they give you permission to honor where you are right now—without guilt.
Creativity isn’t about how much you do. It’s about staying engaged, however you can. And sometimes, that means letting go of grand plans and just making zest.
I know how easy it is to fall into the “I should be doing more” trap. The guilt creeps in. The frustration builds. You look at your to-do list, your unfinished projects, your big creative dreams, and you feel like you’re falling behind.
But here’s what I’ve learned—scaling down doesn’t mean failure. It means adapting.
There are seasons in life where we can go full speed ahead, pushing creative boundaries and chasing big goals. And then there are seasons where the best thing we can do is simply hold steady.
Right now, instead of telling myself, I should be getting more done, I’m shifting my mindset to: This is what’s realistic for me right now. And that’s okay.
Because creativity isn’t something that disappears the moment you take a step back. It doesn’t abandon you because you need to rest. It doesn’t hold a grudge because you’re moving slower than you’d like.
So if you’re in a season where you need to scale down, give yourself permission to do it.
Breathe. Pause. Let go of the pressure to perform.
Your creativity will still be there when you’re ready. And when that time comes, you’ll be stronger, clearer, and more prepared to step back in—without having burned yourself out trying to force it.
Creativity isn’t an all-or-nothing game. Some seasons are for thriving—where ideas flow, projects take shape, and everything feels aligned. And some seasons? They’re for surviving. They’re for holding onto creativity in whatever small way you can manage.
And that’s okay.
If all you can do right now is make zest, that’s enough.
Maybe your micro-task today is just flipping through a fabric swatch book. Maybe it’s sketching a quick idea on a sticky note. Maybe it’s simply reminding yourself that creativity isn’t something you have to prove—it’s something you carry with you, even in the smallest moments.
So here’s my invitation to you: Take a moment today to think about what a micro-task looks like for you. What’s the tiniest, most manageable step you can take—without exhausting yourself?
Let that be enough for today.
And when you’re ready for more? Creativity will be right there waiting for you.
