What does it really mean to start over?
What does it really mean to start over?
Reflections on diving into a new pond or career and birthing a new identity
👋 Hello, dear creative. How are you doing today?
The moment you discover this new terrain, you drop everything else
I finished the Netflix TV show ''Blown Away''. It is a show I have always loved because of that deep dive into what makes glass a living material. Why am I talking about glassblowing? In season 3, one candidate said something that intrigued me and raised the burning question of starting over. Minhi was a painter. She had painted for years, but the moment she discovered glassblowing, she knew. When she found herself in the hot shop, blowing glass with the magic of sand, sulfur, and fire, she dropped the brushes and never painted.
✦ Could you drop the brushes forever?
We can look at that and say, she was a painter, and now she's a glassblower. Is it that different? Is it a real starting over? It is indeed a new terrain, but if we look at what she used to do and what she is doing now, is there a radical change? For sure, the material is different. It is even more fragile and volatile but also more tangible and mobile. When I observe the process of glassblowers, I see the sketches and ideation step, which is the first jump into the material. The eye for capturing shapes and forms as a result of observation is heightened, especially if the background is painting.
I have had many starting news within my field and despite many of my shifts. I felt a reassuring sense of familiarity I could hold on to. I think it was due to design and art touching so many fields. Even when I started doing audio projects or writing, I felt the lineage and dedication of art tying it all together. Despite my errors, misunderstandings, failures and learnings, I held on to art driving the work.
✦ Starting over within a field: a sense of familiarity
When I transitioned from a graphic designer to a branding designer and strategist, it was a stretch. However, the foundations of graphic design always stayed with me. Understanding order and chaos to spark interest. The balance and gear of colour to craft a vivid story. I must state that illustration gave me that eye! I was not only a graphic designer. I was also an illustrator. I realised I had never let illustration aside: drawing has always been a language to tell.
It was the same when I started writing more often. It was the foundation of my reading, references and inspiration. But also a curiosity for films and characters. I did not learn how to story tell. I observed many storytellers, and I still do. Today, more than ever, every piece is a tour de force to master what it takes to invite a reader into our world.
✦ The creative character
At the end of the day, it's a question for any creative. We are all known to be adaptable and flexible, but no rule states that you have to stick to one field, one medium, or one technique for the rest of your life. The allowing and starting new has always been a part of what we do. Of what we ought to release.
So I have always been open to that. Exploring new ways of telling stories has been infused into my process and thinking. Today, there are things in my field I don't do anymore. It is normal and healthy to focus on what is alignment. I am still on a journey to come back to pilgrim art forms. I have been longing for the material for months and years. Art school frees you from many constraints, then you become a professional and you can lose touch with that playful creative state for the sake of it. I know I want to explore glass blowing because it has always been a huge awe and interest. It may be too late, but there are ways to get closer to the glassblowing art thanks to classes and workshops. I will not quit everything for glass, but I know the material has to get its 1st place back. I paint but what I am seeking is turning my 2D ideas into 3D, that is a growing call for me. Wish me luck in exploring that transition.
The moment you decide that this is it, and all the rest is no more, I feel that is when you really start over. You have a set of references, new eyes and The gear.
When you do something that awakes you in all places of your heart, mind and soul. ''This is it, I will never stop doing it again. All the rest doesn't exist anymore''. For me, that's the signal of you starting over. You may be lucky and find those gems early on and you are paving your path to progress and mastery. It may be many art forms or only one that allows you to explore multiple arts. Whatever the outcome, I believe that sense of flow is a signal of much more. You don't stop exploring but you have a crystal-clear focus that this is your field, your body of arts, your techniques, your language.
✦ Is it purpose, dear creative?
When you are living your purpose, there is no starting over. This is it! You are continuously growing, developing new skills, competencies, and, most importantly, confidence. Your purpose is like a highway that leads to a revelation, giving you immense joy. The question of starting over arises when you are not yet living your purpose. Despite having many skills, you may still be searching for that true resonance of "this is it".
I have questioned my path and what was my part in this world. Younger I asked myself these questions, but today more than ever, I think it is not the right question to focus on.
Purpose is not something you go on a quest for. It stumbles upon you, appears one day in your path, and you must answer the call. Purpose is not a straight line, and it may be a mix of many purposes hidden within the box. Perhaps starting over is now an opportunity to open a new part of the unknown box and discover there is a bigger and more vivid box to experience.
As we start over again, we must also remember that we take within every new start some gifts from what we learned before. Unlearning becomes a challenge, but we keep some precious wisdom and craft from what we used to do 24/7.
✦ A stacking game
Creatives are multiple in one, despite the labels we choose to harbour. We navigate many skills and have mastery over some of them. Yet we navigate. If the starting over appears in our lives, we take into every new field those gestures, patterns, and ideas. But also skills and qualities to measure into a new version of the creative we can become. It can be daunting to add a new label or throw away what we thought we were. Yet, our creative identity sustains the shift. Perhaps there is a humbling thread to follow.
Despite their specialities, each glass blower excelled in innovation when challenged with newness. All that on the foundation they practised for years. It is remarkable to see artists pour out more of what they thought they had under radical pressure. We witness pieces they could have only birthed within these circumstances. These tests and refining of what they know. And, yet don't know.
✦ What does it mean to excel in one skill? To excel in one multiple?
To tackle glass as a material, you must be physical with the material. It is not only sculpting and mixing colors. You have to actively craft with a living, fragile and fiery beast. Glassblowing is magical. I have immense respect for what glassblowers can achieve under the pressure of the moment.
It is always striking to witness a piece break before their eyes after hours of sweat and effort. It happened, and they hold no grudge against the material. It is part of the game and practice. The character of a maker or artisan is heightened in those moments of tension and decision. In the light of being forced to start over, you do reconsider the concept of ‘‘starting over’’. It becomes a default, like a gear you activate, and then you get back into the dance with the material. I find it so engaging and humbling to pick up the broken pieces and move on.
Starting over is not only as radical as changing a career or field. It is also within a piece we are working on, whatever the format or medium. Sometimes, we ought to start over. And it becomes a beacon of strength and growth. There have been many projects where I have felt it could be better, yet I was content with the result. Others, I knew I must start over because I missed the message. It is never a pleasant action, but it is a part of the character of a builder.
✦ My journey to that resonance
Circumstances may highlight this question in our era. Many art fields are challenged by technology. And some creatives may reconsider this passionate field amid a saturated market. I see many AI-driven job offers that enlarge what it means to create and be creative today. What does starting over mean within rapid shifts? Craft may not be affected by technology as much as we think it will be, but craftsmanship could be in a positive way. We could witness a much higher wave of creatives returning to the material and how to create. Projected into a level of realness, AI cannot yet render because it is data it cannot yet generate. We know 3D printers exist, yet human intervention is not avoidable. Could we witness a massive shift towards artisanry in several parts of the world? For example, those art forms in search and need of diverse hands and talents. I do consider pottery classes and glassblowing workshops for my curiosity about them.
What I hope for myself and many creatives is to get more in touch with art forms that challenge our reality. Glassblowers teach us a level of intention that is enticing and engaging. The feeling of creating with a material that is not digital. One with a complex personality and strength. That is a journey to balance and acceptance that has always been part of the creative identity.
Sending some dancing with material vibes 🎨
💡 It's a Prompt
Light up your creative fire this week • 💎 Prompt of the week
If you could and wanted to start over today in your field or any branch of art, what would it be?
What is one action you can take today to experience that feeling of starting over? A class, a talk with somebody already in that field, or even a movie.
Create a piece! It could be visual, audio, animation, or a written piece. Whatever you feel drawn to picture that ‘‘start over’’.
✅ Do it within 24-48 hours;
✅ Use a maximum of 3 techniques
✅ and reflect on your final piece.
Feel free to share by taking a picture or sharing the final file. Have fun!
Creativity is in every little curious experimentation.
Take good care!
Keva.
Keva- this is an interesting read, thanks for sharing. I think one of the interesting things about 'starting over' or transitioning into something 'different'--is often the realization that certain things could be so different but be so similar at the same time. Most skill sets can be applied to so many different domains with equally positive results. But in each of those domain, interestingly, there will always be one or two skills necessary that weren't needed in the previous domain. And so the evolution and improvement of humanity continues. It can be equally frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. :)
Thank you Thalia 🙏 I am glad you enjoyed it.
True, there is a sense of familiarity that could be surprising. You always have to upgrade your toolkit and sometimes with things you never expected to do or use. It is a mix of many emotions and it is Human.
We are impressive creatures indeed. Never aware of what resides within us as superpowers.
Starting over can be daunting, challenging, and frustrating as you said. It is quite funny how we pivot, once we have some references or experience within this new domain. We gain courage and faith. Confidence comes back and we are ready to go. That is a muscle, a powerful one no matter where we venture with our current skills.