I have been weighed down by an inner creative block for a while now. I enrolled in this project to see if it could help me get "unstuck". I needed to find my "must".

My favorite exercise was talking to my mom. I felt like she sparked a fire in me. She reminded me that I've had this inner artist all along. "It all makes sense" is the last thing I said before getting off the phone with her.

I started out chunking my notes by exercise (Who do I follow on Instagram? What quotes resonate with me? What does my mom remember about me when I was young? What inspires me?) Then I organized my wall into themes. Everything seemed to fit into one of the four themes below. It was important to have this up on the wall in my bedroom. It was a good reminder each day that I was working toward something, even though I didn't know exactly what that was.

Finding my own "must" - image 1 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 2 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 3 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 4 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 5 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 6 - student project

It was pretty obvious that group 1 ("Born to create") was the most robust group on my wall. I'm a graphic designer and a third generation artist. I have been working full-time as a mobile app designer and art director for almost 10 years now. But something has been missing in my creative toolkit. I was hoping this project could help me to find what that was. Did "Born to create" mean that having a creative job was enough?

When it was time to find my "North Star", I went to one of my favorite art stores, Two Hands Paperie in Boulder, CO. I looked at stationary. I paged through art books. I looked at handmade paper and ribbons and markers and notebooks. I was in awe at the abundance of beautiful things created by artists for sale in this store. And then I felt my creative block move. It was like a little "scoot" inside of me. I want to create beautiful things that I can share with others. I need a creative outlet outside of my "job".

Finding my own "must" - image 7 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 8 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 9 - student project

I have spent the last few weeks learning calligraphy, sketching, taking photos, and creating new designs for my...Etsy store. I'm relieved that I found something at the end of this treasure hunt that will better me as an artist and make me happier as a person. I've been yearning for something new and I think I found it. Thank you Elle, for your encouragement and inspiration. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Finding my own "must" - image 10 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 11 - student project

Finding my own "must" - image 12 - student project

Check out my shop :) It's a work in progress but I'm really excited about it!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/KateHansonCreative

Kate Hanson

UX/UI Designer in Denver

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