Wednesday, October 12, 2011

KSA on Creative Outlets

I used to really hate labels. They can be confusing when the neat description of what is inside is a poor match for the actual contents. Being referred to as an “Interior Designer” perhaps is the most efficient way to convey what I do professionally to the average person but I find it so misleading sometimes.


I suppose while trying to label myself, or to fit my creativity into an appropriate category, I have always felt very non-committal to the club. There always seemed to be too many assumptions made or formulas to follow. My art foundation professor would get frustrated with me because she said I made everything look too pretty and commercial. I was not avant garde enough. Similarly, when I finally chose a major my mother commented, “So you want to be an interior designer? Didn’t your room in high school have a plastic fountain, holiday lights and tacky plastic beaded curtains throughout?”


With no single label to contain my creative passions, I assumed many. Here is a short list of the many creative labels assigned to me over my lifetime:

Cartoonist

Artist

Musician

Songwriter

Singer

Sara Doodles (this was a nickname given to me in high school)

Fine Arts Major

Interior Design Student

Gamer

Digital Artist

Animator

Game Artist

Dungeon Master (This may be too much dork for most to handle!)

Space Planner

Campus Planner

Move Coordinator

Interior Designer

Environmental Graphic Designer

Graphics Chair

Project Manager

Senior Designer

Entrepreneur

Plush Designer

I suppose to look at all of those titles one would think that either I am a renaissance woman (I have been known to sew up some garb and attend renaissance fairs!) or that I have creative ADD. But actually I have finally realized that I just needed to have a variety of creative outlets. These are simply the many roles I have assumed & labels I have adorned in an effort to help a restless mind focus.

Many may ask, “Don’t you already have a creative career into which you can push all of your creative energy?” Well yes, of course, but not all of my creative passions can be fulfilled by a singular outlet.



Thankfully, I am not alone in this urge for multiple creative outlets. Many of my colleagues share this need as well. I have seen amazing handmade jewelry, read inspirational blogs, listened to original musical compositions and recordings and much more. Having many creative passions and not neatly fitting within someone else’s prescribed limitations is a good thing. I am proud to wear many labels. They allow me to give birth to a world of fresh ideas and creations. Each new idea made better and stronger by the many divergent inspirations that came before it.
So the question is how many labels do you wear?

Sara Lasseter, CID, SEGD, ASID, LEED AP