Making Space for Creativity
I recently had the opportunity to exhibit some work that I’d experimented with nearly twenty years ago at the Steel House, a maker’s space that I co-founded in 2014.
There was a time in my life when I was playing around with paint on paper. I had taken a couple of painting classes when I was in college, but painting was never something that I took too seriously.
For me, painting was something that I could do to maintain a sense of play and exploration while I was spending my days doing work that was more structured or out of my control.
The pieces that I displayed in this exhibit represent some distinct periods for me. Some of them were created before, while others were created after I’d returned to Vietnam for the first time in my life since my adoption in 1975. I was in search of (and found) the orphanage where I was left.
In addition to the paintings on display, I included a quilt that my aunt made for me many years after my return to Vietnam. The front side of the quilt was a hand-stitched pattern of geometric shapes. The back side, which would be the side that you’d likely have against your body when using the quilt, had a series of messages that I’d sent home from Vietnam.
As I hung the paintings and the quilt of stories in the gallery space, I made a last minute decision to include the photos that I’d taken on those hot days in Southern Vietnam that inspired my writing and ultimately some of the paintings I’d go on to make.
The quilt my Aunt Debbie that included my emails.
Photographs taken from my first trip to Vietnam in 2004.
As I reflect on the items I put together for this informal display, a few things stand out to me that I thought I’d share.
First, I haven’t painted since many of these were completed (likely in 2005.) I was working as a professional cabinet maker at the time and I would stay up at night to paint as it provided an outlet to do something that I had complete agency over. I was finding ways to maintain something creative in my life and that’s not always easy to do. Life gets busy with work and family, but I need to maintain a creative practice that is purely for my own growth.
Second, writing is so important to make time for. As I re-read the stories that I shared in my exhibition, I realized that I don’t take the time to write like I once did. Granted, the stories I had shared in this particular example were from a time in my life that I’d considered “life changing.” While some life events might have a different intensity or impact, life is always changing - so I shouldn’t just write when I feel like I have something more important to say.
Third, the act of sharing our creative efforts, whether it’s with a small group of peers or a public event for all to see, is a small act of useful courage. It’s too easy for us to talk ourselves out of trying something creative or new for fear of criticism or because we are too busy comparing ourselves to things that we might have seen or experienced before.
An excerpt from an email I wrote to family during my first trip to Vietnam in 2004.
I co-founded the Altimeter Design Group in late 2019 because organizations were reaching out in search of creative approaches for seemingly intractable challenges. I’ve been fortunate to work with an incredible group of fellow designers, illustrators and storytellers. We’ve had the privilege of helping our clients communicate their work through new brand identities, infographics, facilitated events, and more.
One of the most exciting aspects of our work is helping tease out the creativity in our partners that they already have. They often operate in spaces where the stakes are high, expertise is important and the norms aren’t conducive to experimentation.
I’ve been in meetings and workshops where all it took was one person to express an even slightly radical idea or reference a character from a movie that suddenly gives permission to everyone else to do the same.
Finding that useful courage to share a new idea, or better yet to give shape to that idea in even the crudest of forms can be transformative.
A painting I made in 2005 based on my trip to Vietnam.
We’d love to hear how all of you are finding ways to bring creativity into your life at home or at work. Are these acts noticed, or do they simply bring you satisfaction in that quiet, but meaningful way? Just as you might make time each week for an exercise routine, we think there’s great value in developing a creative practice that suits your needs.
Please follow along as our team shares some of our own explorations in the posts to come. We’ll also have some offerings and opportunities for you to try as well.
Till then, try to muster up the courage to sketch out that idea, maybe write a story about it too. Just be sure that you don’t talk yourself out of sharing it with others.