Carmen Gowie

Some ideas eventually become work. Others dissolve. But even those leave something behind — a shift in perspective, a deeper understanding of what truly matters to me.

When my creativity feels heavy, I move. Not always far. Not always intentionally. Sometimes it’s just enough to step outside familiar surroundings and let the world interrupt my thinking. Travel resets me because it dissolves expectation. I’m no longer operating inside routines that tell me who I am or how I should behave. I become more observant, less reactive. Ideas surface differently when I’m away. They arrive unpolished. Fragmented. Honest. I don’t force them into shape. I let them sit....

My children do not ask for permission before they begin. They don’t wait for clarity or confidence. They start with instinct — responding to curiosity, boredom, or a sudden idea that feels urgent in the moment. Watching them make things or create has reshaped how I understand creativity. They approach creation without hierarchy. A drawing, a story, a question — all are given equal weight. Nothing has to be exceptional to be worth starting. The act of making is enough. There is no concern for...