LASOLA LETTERS // ISSUE 002
By Tessa Stirling

Ironically, working in a creative field can often mean there is little time left for authentic creativity. Creativity with no outcomes attached; no numbers, opinions or purpose.

One of my favourite quotes is
‘the creative adult is the child that survived’.

Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. It requires two steps: thinking and executing. If you don’t execute your ideas, you’re imaginative, not creative.

Children think and execute. They are able to trust their intuition, express oneself authentically, without filtering their ideas through societies expectations or constraints. We are all born this way - creative.

I talk to other creatives often who struggle to execute ideas, complete projects and release their work to the world. I’ve struggled with this myself (and still do), navigating the fear of imperfection and self-doubt, never feeling my work is quite good enough.

When we strip it back to creating with no purpose other than play, everything feels a little lighter. The pressure we put on our creative work to make us an income, be accepted by society or perceived as ‘successful’ simply falls away.

When you start creating solely for yourself, with no audience in mind, the process becomes authentic and liberating.

This is when ideas will start to flow from your mind to your hands. It’s when your work will start to truly aligned with your vision and most importantly when you’ll start to feel proud of the work you’re releasing.

Going into the new year, try creating for yourself a little more, who knows what might come of it.

Here are a few ways I’ve tried to create with no purpose other than play over the past year.

I collected sea glass from Sicily, shells from Wales, and rocks from Turkey during my travels, sending them home in an envelope. When I returned, I went down to my local beach and began spiralling them together—almost a metaphor for how it feels when you come home, and all the memories of your travels merge into one.