Create for creation's sake.

In a world where creation is so heavily commoditised, I dare you to create something purely for yourself.

When was the last time you made something for yourself?

Not for work, grades, likes, praise or approval, just for you.

In the depths of last winter, I found myself in what could only be described as a serious rut. I was cold, had watched one too many euro-summer TikToks and was frankly bored of same routine every day. In my state of utter boredom one night, I started scratching through my desk drawers in hopes of finding an old journal or frankly, anything mildly entertaining. In the depths of my desk drawers, I stumbled upon my stash of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines. In a matter of minutes, I was plucking my favourite images from their glossy binding and rearranging them on my bedroom floor to create the first of many mood boards. The uncomplicated activity of cutting and positioning each image was meditative and unbelievably satisfactory. There was no pressure to be perfect, it was for me and me only.

Creating something for myself was something I hadn’t done in years. I grew up in ‘project’ household between my mum and dad, there was always some creative project on the go. From creating an indigenous garden to 70 family photo albums (and counting), there was always a creative project underway. This mood board was all it took to remind me how wonderful it is to create something. Not for work, grades, or likes but just for me.

The end result still hangs on my bedroom wall and I enjoy it every day.

Now, this mood board is nothing special but it started something inside of me; creating for creation’s sake. The process of making this mood board was calming and immensely satisfactory. It left me wanting more.

I soon found myself in the aisles of art stores buying pencils and watercolours. I spent Sunday mornings sketching and experimenting with colour. None of the ‘artworks’ were anything great, but the experience of getting to create something, good or bad, made it worthwhile. I lost any need to share any results and the need for external validation to affirm that the time I had spent had not been wasted.

In recent years, creation has become commoditised to the point where the act of creating has lost its shine. The first thing which crosses our minds when we create can often range from ‘I wonder if people will like this?’ to ‘will this go viral?’. Online, I have seen everything from the re-creation of video formats to exact mimics of viral videos. It seems that a lot of these creations are made with audience approval front of mind. When it comes to the physical world, I mostly hear of people attending paint and sip classes or clay classes which are a fun social event but the main activity is actually following a set of rules rather than letting your creative mind run free (speaking from my own personal experience here). In these classes you will hear more statements of ‘this looks so bad’ than ‘this is so fun’.

With this, I fear that an invisible pressure to create things that people will love and admire is blocking us from the fun of creating. We seem to have forgotten that creating is deeply embedded in the human experience. It’s not the outcome which is so important, but rather the channel which it provides to express ourselves. These creative expressions have helped us evolve, push boundaries, make new discoveries and process the world around us. Without this, the modern world as we know it would simply not exist.

To overcome this desire to seek external validation or pressure to create something which would be loved en masse, I encourage you to find a creative process which you enjoy, rather than a creative outcome which you would like to make. Enjoying the creative process will take away any invisible pressure to make something ‘great’ and likely make your outcome ten times more wonderful.

So, let's bring back the act of creating—not for likes or praise, but for you and you alone. The benefits of engaging in creative activities are endless. From stress management to cognitive function, there are no shortage of reasons to shift our focus from the end result to the act.

Whenever I think of the concept of creating for the process rather than the outcome, I think of my mum. For the majority of my childhood, the dining room table was littered with her many projects. She is a master of the creative activities from scrapbooking to quilting to sewing. There is no creative hobby which she can’t master.

In recent years, she has become particularly attached to crocheting blankets. It’s not the outcome which she loves, but rather the process. Anyone she can make a crocheted blanket for, she will. This is true to the point where even our family dog has a crocheted blanket, and anytime she hears whispers of a pregnant friend of family member she heads straight to the wool shop. At the same time as this, the knitted sweater which I was promised seven years ago still sits unmade. For my mum, knitting is an unappealing activity when placed next to crocheting (if you couldn’t tell).

As much as my mum loves making things for others, she really prioritises enjoying the process and does it for herself, first and foremost. That, in my opinion, makes the end result so much more beautiful. So, while I wait in vain for my knitted sweater, evidence of her enjoying the process of creation decorates my apartment. From my couch to my bed, tokens of her time creating for creation’s sake is all around.

So, I dare you to create for creation’s sake. Do it for the process and, most importantly, yourself.

You never know what simple, spontaneous activity could bring you peace or offer you a lifeline when things get mundane. Start small and prioritise yourself and the process. Don’t worry about what you create.

Make something you will shove in your drawer and never show anyone.

Scribble a poem on a napkin which you will throw away.

Choreograph a dance to your favourite song which you will never perform.

Find anything that you enjoy the process of, and the result will have no weight to you.

Create for creation’s sake.

As Always,

Jules