Creativity

Thoughts on creativity - my self-discovery journey.

[Summer, 2012 | Fenghuang, Hunan, China]

Been thinking about creativity lately. I’ve been feeling uninspired for a long time, feel like I’m having ‘designer’s block’, frustrated and don’t want to design anymore.

“Creative entitlement simply means believing that you are allowed to be here, and that - merely by being here - you are allowed to have a voice and a vision of your own." - Elizabeth Gilbert

It’s interesting that I never feel like I’m that creative and yet i’m in design field. I always feel like I’m a puzzle solver rather than over the top designer. So that story I keep telling myself also makes me doubt myself all the time when I am not doing well. I was discussing this topic with my coach last week, and she said, “I think you should redefine what creativity mean to you now.” Then I did some research and thinking back all the creative things I did when I was little, and how much I enjoyed art and craft classes. I always have drawings taped in my room, I loved making newspaper furnitures and using toothpaste box to make fake phones. Why am I so into making things that time in my life? When did I stop doing it?

It’s so sad as we grow up, we stopped being curious, and learned to be more fearful. I think when we are more afraid of failure, we became less creative. I don’t think I thought about how good my drawing going to be when I drew; I didn’t think about how stupid those newspaper furnitures were when I was making them. I just did because I have time and I'm curious.

So now creative to me is to be curious and open. Be open to new ideas, new concept. Be curious, question the norm. Be bored, make sure I have some free time to myself and do nothing. Give myself permission to be imperfect, don’t always chasing the perfect outcome.