In the winding rhythm of our creative paths, where thoughts evolve, collide, and quietly transform, one question keeps coming back to me: can creativity ever live within absolutes?

About six months ago, I came across a piece by Matthew Inman — the mind behind The Oatmeal. It was a beautifully strange, reflective article that explored how we often force ourselves into binary choices — this or that, right or wrong, success or failure. It made me pause. I had always thought of creativity as something that needed direction, a decision, a plan. But this article gently nudged me to think differently. What if the most honest answer isn’t one or the other — but both, neither, or something completely unexpected?

I remember how freeing that felt at the time. And yet, like many things in life, its meaning deepened when I returned to it recently.

Over the past few months, I’ve gone through moments of uncertainty, transition, and reflection — the kind that quietly stretch you. I found myself revisiting that article not out of nostalgia, but out of necessity. I needed a reminder. A reset. And what I discovered the second time around was something I wasn’t ready for back then: that creativity isn’t just about ideas — it’s about embracing discomfort.

We live in a world that rewards clarity, control, and clean answers. But creativity doesn’t always arrive in such a neat package. It sneaks in during the messy moments. The unresolved ones. The spaces where we’re not sure what comes next. The more I sit with this, the more I believe that creativity isn’t about resolution — it’s about exploration. The willingness to stay curious. To not rush. To let things unfold without forcing them.

Inman’s article features a simple yet powerful visual: the word ERASERS, being gently rubbed away by a pink eraser, with the line, “Erasers are wonderful.” That image stuck with me. Not because it was clever or quirky (though it is), but because it reframed how I see the act of undoing. So often, we treat erasing as failure. As something we do to fix what went wrong. But what if we saw it differently?

What if erasing was part of the process — not just of removing, but of making space? What if revision wasn’t an act of correction, but an act of compassion?

In that light, “Erasers are wonderful” becomes a quiet affirmation. A reminder that creativity isn’t linear. That sometimes, you have to let go of the perfect plan to make room for something better. Something real.

Simplicity, too, has taken on a deeper meaning for me. I used to think simplicity was about minimalism — stripping everything down to its essentials. Now, I see it more as intentional spaciousness. Not emptiness, but openness. A conscious choice to let things breathe, to clear the noise, and to trust that what’s meant to come through will.

Revisiting that article also reminded me how powerful relearning can be. We often think growth comes from finding new information — but sometimes, it’s about returning to something old with new eyes. The insight hadn’t changed. I had. And in that difference, the learning deepened. That’s the beauty of creative growth: it’s never one-and-done. It’s circular, evolving, alive.

So today, I’m reminding myself — and maybe you, too — that the next time things feel unclear, uncertain, or undone… maybe that’s not a problem. Maybe it’s a sign you’re exactly where creativity begins.

If you’re curious to read the article that’s been living rent-free in my head (and heart), here it is: https://lnkd.in/ePwyR9nc Thank you, Matthew Inman, for writing something that continues to meet me in new ways, every time.

#Creativity #Mindset #DesignThinking #Relearning #EmbraceTheUnknown