Ben Holliday

Reasons to get up pt1

Learning to live with creativity

“…if I am not creating something, then I am probably actively destroying something (myself, a relationship, or my own peace of mind).”

Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

I like ideas.

I like having them, getting hold of them and working with them.

I enjoy the mystery and unknowns of the creative process. The battle with uncertainty and the knowledge that any amount of evidence is never quite enough.

The thing that gets me up in the morning is the possibility of doing something new. The small sparks that make me feel alive, connected, and open up new things in the world.

As a designer, the goal is always to keep improving on what is already there.

Can we make it better?

Can we make it sing a little louder?

Everything we do is less than perfect. That is, until the next thing. The next step, the next key stoke, brush stroke, pixel, or conversation.

Everything we do is defined by what happens next. Nothing stands alone. The experiences we create are both a gift and they’re capable of stealing something from us. Dealing with the loss and euphoria is all an equal part of the creative process.

Searching for something better is a continual journey of unknowing and (self)discovery.

We learn to live with the knowledge that a part of us is always wrong about something. Call it bias, prejudice, self-interest or just naivety. But creativity is about the willingness to keep doing what we do, so wherever we are there is movement.

Art moves. Even the greatest paintings and statues know how to dance, they’re not static. Creativity is learning to find movement in the impossible. The unmovable. The unchangeable. It’s making things happen. It’s making life happen.

It’s a reason worth getting up for.

This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 18 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky, less frequently now on X (formally Twitter), and on LinkedIn.