Reflections On Creativity

Sometimes, it's like the tickle of tall grass at your ankles. Like a soft whisper. A gentle feeling that you must be quiet enough to receive. Otherwise, you might not hear it, and it slips away, traveling to other ears.

Other times, it's like when your hair is blown into your face by a powerful gust of wind that's impossible to ignore. Or like being tumbled by a wave in the sea, where the only way to breathe again is to see the vision manifested into reality.

When I'm in creative flow, I'm overcome by a constant compulsion to make things. Ideas come in an almost frantic manner that makes my arms tingle and my heart race. I am a vessel through which creativity manifests. I nurture this relationship, just as it nurtures me.

I find my artistic "style" in my own perspective, choices of subject matter, use of color, sense of fluidity—rather than a particular "look." I used to let this limit me, but now it sets me free. I no longer want to restrict myself to one medium or style. My creativity cannot be so contained!

My art process has become both a spontaneous act and a cultivated practice. I keep my sketchbook with me at all times and treat it like a little safe space for whatever wants to be created. It’s full of perfectly imperfect drawings, not controlled by the boundaries of aesthetics. Creativity is like a muscle that needs to be exercised, and my sketchbook is where I train it. I try to draw in it every day, even when I’m not feeling particularly inspired. However, over time, I have noticed that it has become easier and easier to tap into my flow state because of this practice. It is ironic, but my artistic spontaneity comes from the structure of creating something every day, no matter how big or small.

I owe much of these views on creativity to the book, “Big Magic”, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The author suggests that inspiration and ideas are floating around in our collective consciousness, rather than being the source of any one individual’s talent or genius. We can therefore remove our own ego from the equation, which relieves us from self-doubt and the pressure to live up to any expectations. All we have to do is create a lifestyle and mindset focused on being receptive to inspiration whenever it hits us. This theory has given me freedom to not take it all so seriously, and instead approach both art and my life through the lens of curiosity.

Art is where I lose myself and find myself all at once. I shed my external layers, revealing the truest, most present version of me. I lose track of time. I find meaning. I channel the spirit of creativity. I am no longer "Kylie"—I am merely a vessel through which the art flows into existence. The more I feed my inspiration, the easier it becomes to tap into. The act of creating matters more than the final result.