Ugly is important.

Every new beginning has an ugly phase that should not be skipped.
As I worked on this painting, I was reminded of that truth again and again. For most of the process, the strokes were unsure, the colours felt off, the shapes were clumsy. Every instinct screamed, “give up.”

The trick is to keep going and trust the process. At some stage, usually towards the end, ugly becomes less ugly.

Whether it is a business idea, a new role, learning a skill, or building a brand, progress is never a smooth gradient. It is smudges, corrections, and stubborn repetition.

If you are in the ugly phase right now, good news.
You are not failing.
You are simply doing the work that beautiful outcomes demand.

Keep going.
Ugly is inevitable. Ugly is necessary.