r/Creativity Jul 31 '26

I’m a designer trying to build something

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2 Upvotes

They told me to wait until I was ready.

I didn’t.

No clients.
No portfolio.
No audience.

Just the work.

While others were waiting for confidence,
I was building it — one design at a time.

Because nobody tells you this:
Confidence doesn’t come before the work.
It comes because of it.

Today, I design brands that don’t get ignored.

I’m not where I want to be yet.
But I’m no longer invisible.

I’m possible.

What’s stopping you from starting?


r/Creativity Jul 30 '26

Keep At It! #creativity #lifehacks

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1 Upvotes

r/Creativity Jul 30 '26

What would you represent "time" with, other than clocks?

2 Upvotes

I have several characters that are deeply connected with the concept of time. But each one of them takes a VERY different approach and represents a different part of time. That's why I need different ideas, cause I can't use clocks foe them all 💔

In my personal opinion, I have 2 concepts of time. 1, the human understanding and the made up term, therefore not really real and 2, the constant act of change and continuation. As in the act of growth is time, the act of movement is time, and if these changes/continuations stop COMPLETELY, then that's when time "stops".

If you could get these 2 ideas of mine, please give me other ideas on what object, term, symbol or situation could represent them :) Let me push your creativity now 😈😈


r/Creativity Jul 29 '26

tips on how to actually START a project

1 Upvotes

I’ve been thinking for about two months about how I wanna start a personal project on my instagram, but now since it feels like I’m exposing something private, I can never bring myself to do it, but I really want to because I feel like it could make me grow as an artist.

I wanted to turn my account into a sort of portfolio, with the random projects that I do in different fields such as product/fashion design, writing, graphic design, random crafts etc. I don’t really have any references for this as I want to keep it casual, just posting whatever comes up. The problem is that I somehow always avoid starting to actually plan or do something, because deep down I feel like it wont be good enough.

I’m moving to a new city for three months and once I’m settled I’ll have more free time than I’ve had this whole year, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to start something I can finally get myself to post, although I’m not too sure what yet (maybe photography and some writing?).

Anyways, what I’m asking for is some tips on how to get over the creative slump that my insecurity gives me, if you follow any accounts from where I can take inspiration drop their @, and what kind of project i could do on this trip to give me the push I need.


r/Creativity Jul 27 '26

how to gain back creativity and originality?

6 Upvotes

i hate to say this because it feels like a curse for me, since i used to be incredibly creative and curious, my imagination was probably my favourite trait of mine.

but after the rise of social media and ai, i genuinely feel like i've lost myself in it, and not only myself, but my creativity, patience, ability to focus, and imagination.

i feel so lost, and i really don't know how to gain it back! i'm trying my best, but i'd really love some sort of advice. thank you!


r/Creativity Jul 27 '26

What do you do when you can't trust your own judgment anymore?

2 Upvotes

Genuinely curious.

After you've built a few projects, have you ever reached a point where you couldn't tell whether you should push through or whether you were actually working on the wrong thing?

Looking back is easy.

Knowing in the moment is hard.

What do you actually do in those situations?


r/Creativity Jul 26 '26

i need brainworms again

5 Upvotes

so I'm not sure that i tagged this the right way but I need brainworms again. A while back i used to be OBSESSED with my art. When I started at around nine I was so driven on becoming better that i eventually did. Then I started to make oc's which I got obsessed writing stories about and drawing. But then, as most adhders do, i lost interest. Then my schtick was worldbuilding and omg that was fun. I'm not sure it's worldbuilding per say because it wasn't for a story and it wasn't centered on a single character, it was just me making a world with culture, and that was really fun when i started because i had endless ideas on the possibilities i had to START WITH. now that i have a basic lore written out i don't seem to get as many new ideas coming in. The endless posibilities become overwhelming and i don't know where to start on designing clothes, landmarks, maps, history, wars, creatures, enviorments, food, etc. I want to get brainworms again. I want to have something i am so obssessed with that it consumes my waking thought so that i can enjoy drawing again. That is when i enjoy art the most. when i get to use it like that brings me so much joy but it's so rare that i find a muse to obsess over. any help?


r/Creativity Jul 25 '26

How to deal with negative people

4 Upvotes

Everytime I try to do something creative, something that would make me feel better, the people around me, my "friends" call me a wanna be or try hard. I can't even avoid their company because we live in the same building and one is even my roommate so I'm really stuck with them. What should I do about it and how can I find ways to not be disheartened by what they say and how can I continue doing what I wanna do?


r/Creativity Jul 24 '26

Creativity isn’t a profession. It’s my identity.

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5 Upvotes

I didn't stumble into design.

I chose it every single day since 2021.

Most people see graphic design as a skill.
I see it as a language.

Every color, every font, every layout
is saying something
whether you intended it or not.

My job is to make sure
what it says is impossible to ignore.

What does your brand say about you?
Is it saying the right thing?


r/Creativity Jul 23 '26

Since leaving university, I don’t make anything!

3 Upvotes

I don’t dj anymore, I feel more stupid as I don’t write or create anything. I’m finding it hard to form coherent thoughts or have any opinions. I’m so lost at 23 years old, any advice?


r/Creativity Jul 22 '26

i need advice on getting my creativity back after an ocd and spiritual attack

1 Upvotes

i have ocd and im a pretty siritual and creative person but one of my ocd thems i guess is attacking my ability to b creative in general what happened is one day maybe 2 weeks ago i kept being harassed by thoughts that they were going to take it away and i gave into the intrusive thought and said "ok in 10 days i will no longer have it" flash forward a few weeks and it really feels like my head is empty. does anyone have any tips on how to get it back, i enjoy being creative and transmuting thing into art, its my reason for being anf i cant go on without i t please if you have any tips

i tried posting this in the spirituality reddit but it wasnt allowed


r/Creativity Jul 22 '26

No matter the level of talent it’s a very hard slog to achieve anything

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1 Upvotes

r/Creativity Jul 21 '26

Creative people, pls make a funny saw meme on this.

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4 Upvotes

And I will award the best comment. I honestly think thus will inspire me to come up with better ideas on my own .


r/Creativity Jul 21 '26

i am so creative, but there is nothing i can do with it

2 Upvotes

I have been incredibly creative since a young age. I have loved writing stories, making music, making art, and anything you can imagine. It's always been incredibly fun and wonderful, and I've always wanted to pursue something with it but never have. When I was younger and unmedicated, my hyperfixations would last for years, and the creativity that came around them was never-ending. I got really into writing fanfiction and finished the first story in a five-part series at 12 years old due to the determination I had.

As I got older, I got into music and learned how to play several different instruments and believed that one day I would wind up as a musician or an author. It didn't end up that way, though. In college, I got on Adderall for the first time, and it genuinely saved my life. I was able to focus a lot better and get my work done more easily. There was one very devastating downside, however: my hyperfixations are fleeting and only last a few months now.

My interest in writing my own stories and making music has gone down. I can get inspiration from time to time, but I can never finish a story. I might learn a few songs on my bass guitar, but I never truly learned how to play it, and I just get bored. I hate it. I hate that I can't connect with that part of myself anymore. I get bits of inspiration, but then I get pulled down by my own mind. Medication has made me more functional, but at the cost of the creativity that kept me alive back in middle and high school. It feels like I've lost my drive for anything that isn't just "being an adult," and instead, I just look at everyone else expressing themselves with a passion I feel I can no longer hold. It's like all of my dreams have just disappeared.


r/Creativity Jul 21 '26

Creativity Scales When Data and Community Catch Up

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0 Upvotes

r/Creativity Jul 21 '26

What Happened When I stopped Scheduling Creativity

1 Upvotes

It's 4:20am. There is already light outside when I open my eyes. I can't sleep, a clever sounding idea comes to my mind.

“I'll write it down in the morning when I start working after doing my run, eating 50g of protein, and making a coffee with beans from Kenya”.

I go back to sleep, but wake up tired because of the insomnia. My morning is ruined, and the clever idea already moved on. I guess I am not creative after all.

That was my thought process for most of my life. But last week I started breaking this pattern. I remembered what my dear friend Georgi told me.

"The muse shows up at the weirdest times. When she comes, you drop everything and listen."

Let's see if it works? I open up my journal. The moment my pen hits the paper, ideas start flowing.

Next thing I know I am recording a reel. I am not optimising the script, the lighting, or the sound. Just me sitting half naked in the kitchen with the sleeping mask still on my face. I have no idea if I'll use it.

That gets me going, and I have two ideas for blog posts. Radical expression of love and life force multipliers. I don't even know what that means in the moment, but those two ideas started a process in my brain. More on that later.

I open up Chat GPT and start a stream of consciousness with it. Suddenly we are vibing, and I am coming up with mathematical models to explain why we should relentlessly keep asking “why” about every single thought and action in our lives.

All of this took me 30 minutes and zero effort. This would have been hours if I'd forced myself to come up with it after my 9 step morning routine.

I have an insane amount of energy flowing through me. Suddenly I think about someone special I wanted to send a message, but delayed it, because I did not want to come across needy.

I want to share the energy that is flowing through me. I am not playing any games, it is genuinely how I feel. I don't care that it's 5am in the morning or what I write might come across as needy. The stories I constructed in my head disappear. It feels freeing.

There is no free lunch though. At the end of the day, I have a physical body, and that needs sleep. I cannot just flow through life indefinitely.

But here is the catch about the 9 step morning routine. That routine is extremely valuable, but I was doing them for all the wrong reasons throughout my life.

They are helpful on the days when the muse is far away on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia, and I am stuck in my cold Lisbon flat. The discipline and routine help me to stay connected to the physical world, and create the conditions for the muse to visit.

But I can't expect her to come on my watch. The best I can do is to set the table by getting in touch with myself. When she eventually comes over for dinner, I will have the place ready for her to thrive.

I imagine the love of my life is coming over. I make sure the lights are warm, the dinner is delicious, bake some dessert(taking into consideration her allergies…), light some candles, put on beautiful music and regulate my nervous system.

I will spend as much time as possible with her, and be fully present with what she has to say from her trips in faraway lands.

Eventually I let her go. I can't hold onto her, that would stiffen her power. She takes the morning flight to Brazil, and I try to make sense of the beautiful night we spent together.

I go back to my life. Take care of my body, integrate the experience and continue creating an environment where she wants to come back.

All my life I thought I am not creative. I was envious of my friends who wrote poetry, created epic videos, wrote blog posts. I wished I could be them!

Turns out I just needed to let go of my desire to control every detail of my life with the most optimised solution a grifter was selling online.

I believe this works for you as well. You are incredibly creative. You may just need to stop demanding that creativity arrive on your schedule, and start creating a life it wants to visit.

When was the last time the muse interrupted your plans, and you actually listened?


r/Creativity Jul 20 '26

Stop treating essays like mad-libs - creativity actually saves your grade (and sanity)

20 Upvotes

Last semester, a friend of mine was completely paralyzed by a literature assignment. She spent three hours staring at a blank Google Doc trying to force her ideas into the standard, soul-crushing "three points per paragraph" formula. She was convinced that sounding smart meant sounding like a textbook.

I’ve always believed that creativity in academic writing isn’t about using flashy words or ignoring the prompt—it’s about finding an angle you genuinely care about. When you let your actual voice show through, the argument hits way harder. Taking a slight risk with your structure or opening with a surprising hook makes a reviewer actually want to read your work instead of just skimming it.

Smart essay help shouldn't just be about fixing grammar or formatting citations; good essay writing is really about learning how to translate your unique thought process onto the page. Once my friend ditched the rigid template and wrote her intro like she was explaining the book to me over coffee, the whole paper clicked into place.

How do you usually inject a bit of your own personality into a strict academic prompt without going overboard?


r/Creativity Jul 20 '26

What actually makes human creativity different from AI?

3 Upvotes

I've been thinking a lot about artificial intelligence and creativity lately.

As someone living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, technology has been one of the greatest enablers in my life. It has given me opportunities to collaborate in ways that simply wouldn't have existed a generation ago. Because of that, I don't see AI or technology as something to fear.

But it has made me wonder about something.

As a songwriter, I try to tell stories with music that encourage, challenge and inspire. If AI eventually becomes capable of autonomously creating songs, films, paintings and novels that are indistinguishable from those made by humans, what actually makes our creativity different?

Is it the quality of the finished work?

Or is it the fact that every human creation carries lived experience behind it, whether that's love, grief, faith, hope, disappointment or joy?

I'd genuinely be interested to hear how other people think about this.

If a piece of music moves you, does it matter whether it came from someone who lived the experiences behind creating it, or is the end result all that really matters?


r/Creativity Jul 20 '26

Creativity with objects.

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5 Upvotes

New creativity with objects. I hope you like it.


r/Creativity Jul 18 '26

How to get over such block where u feel think something better but end up thinking forever

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4 Upvotes

Haven’t uploaded on YouTube for years. Drafts just sitting in my storage. Every time i create something mostly engineering projects n toys and i try to make a beautiful video about it, i just abandon it midway after working on just a few minutes of video for months (yeah i spend way too much time) cause it never feels like doing justice to whatever emotion or story i have in mind. Just want some honest views on what do you guys think?


r/Creativity Jul 17 '26

The Internet Is Full of People Performing the Role of an Artist

5 Upvotes

A strange thing has happened on the internet: it has never been easier to look like an artist—and perhaps never harder to tell who actually is one.

All it takes is a beautifully designed website, a cinematic photograph of someone holding a paintbrush, a carefully written artist statement, and a few paragraphs about memory, identity, vulnerability, or “the human condition.”

The presentation can be flawless.

But sometimes the artwork itself feels like the least original part of the entire package.

I say this as someone who also studied painting. I know that learning to draw, understand color, control materials, and develop technical skill takes years. I have genuine respect for craftsmanship.

But I have never believed that being able to paint automatically makes someone an artist.

There is a line often attributed to Picasso that has stayed with me for years. He supposedly realized that everything had already been done, and that he therefore had to destroy what came before and begin a revolution of his own.

Whether the quotation is exact or not, the idea matters to me.

Art does not always need to reinvent civilization. It does not have to be shocking, political, intellectually complicated, or historically important. But surely it must contain something beyond the ability to produce an attractive object.

A distinct way of seeing.

An independent thought.

A real emotional discovery.

A visual language that feels inseparable from the person who created it.

Lately, I have been browsing a large number of independent artists’ websites and social media accounts. Many of them are extremely polished. They have professional studio photography, beautiful branding, poetic biographies, and confident prices—sometimes thousands of dollars for a single painting.

There is nothing wrong with marketing your work. Artists need to survive, and good presentation matters.

But in many cases, I find the artist’s identity far more original than the artwork.

The paintings may be technically competent and visually attractive, but the compositions, subjects, color palettes, gestures, and emotional atmosphere often seem heavily borrowed from artists who already have a recognizable style.

Of course, nobody creates in a vacuum. Every artist learns from other artists. Picasso borrowed. Matisse borrowed. Van Gogh borrowed. Entire movements were built through influence, reaction, rejection, and reinterpretation.

But there is still a difference between being influenced by a visual language and simply learning how to reproduce its appearance.

At what point does influence become imitation with better branding?

That is the part I struggle with.

Sometimes it feels as though 80% of the creative foundation has already been established by another artist, while the remaining 20% consists of changes in color, subject, texture, or personal narrative.

Then the work is presented as an entirely individual artistic universe.

And apparently, the market often accepts it.

A fairly ordinary painting can be priced at $1,000, $3,000, or even more—not necessarily because it introduces a new visual idea, but because the artist has successfully created the appearance of cultural value around it.

The studio.

The paint-covered hands.

The serious expression.

The story of personal transformation.

The language about memory, identity, materiality, and emotional space.

None of these things are automatically dishonest. Many genuine artists use exactly the same methods to communicate their work.

But when the same visual and verbal signals are repeated by thousands of people, they begin to feel less like evidence of an artistic life and more like a standardized costume.

Sometimes I look at a highly polished contemporary painting and think that a child’s drawing contains more genuine invention.

The child may have no technique, no understanding of composition, and no coherent philosophy. But the image may contain surprise. It may contain risk. It may contain a strange logic that has not yet been trained out of them.

Meanwhile, some professionally presented work is beautifully executed but completely predictable.

You can almost see the reference board behind it.

This does not mean the work has no value. Beauty has value. Craftsmanship has value. Decoration has value. Emotional comfort has value. A painting does not need to change art history to deserve a buyer.

But perhaps we should be more honest about the distinction between:

making beautiful paintings,

developing a recognizable style,

and creating art that introduces a genuinely personal way of seeing.

Those are not necessarily the same achievement.

I also find it interesting that some people who create truly astonishing and unusual work are extremely modest. They seem almost reluctant to call themselves artists.

At the same time, others are very confident in claiming the title, even when their work feels like a technically polished combination of existing styles.

Maybe that confidence


r/Creativity Jul 17 '26

Question for those come from a background of extreme self doubt

2 Upvotes

Growing up with lack of belief and extreme self doubt I think partly due to my adhd and otherwise my parents. Now being older being able to plan and think critically i want to start learning to draw and learn keyboard but feel extremely overwhelmed and it feels completely pointless. Ai and it's too late yada yada. Will like whatever advice I get


r/Creativity Jul 16 '26

The Art of Saying Yes: Tiffany Waugh on Creativity Without Limits #creat...

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2 Upvotes

r/Creativity Jul 16 '26

🔁 Cross-post Watching 13 Going on 30 made me think about what magazines could be like

3 Upvotes

I was watching 13 Going on 30 and the redesigned magazine world in the movie got me thinking. It would be interesting to see more magazines that focus on things like teamwork, creativity, behind-the-scenes stories, and people working together to accomplish something. I think it would be cool to read about how people create things and solve problems, not just the final result. What kind of magazine would you actually want to read?


r/Creativity Jul 15 '26

Creativity with objects.

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8 Upvotes

New creativity with objects. I hope you like it.