BeCre8tive – But How?

Last updated on August 25, 2023

I give all my customers the same advice before we even begin to plan a project. “Be brave, be courageous, be creative. I am just the laborer, you are the designer,” and with that, I often leave them overwhelmed.

I work on furniture. With either stain, paint or fabric, or a combination of all, I bring old pieces back to a hopefully long life. Sometimes I drag old family heirlooms into the 21st century, or I restore them back to their old glory.

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I want my customers to think ‘outside the box’. I wanted them to forget what they see in the furniture store -the products there are all designed to please the masses. The stores don’t take risks if you want to please millions of customers, you play it safe.

Be the designer! It sounds so easy but the truth is, it’s not easy at all. Just look around, most so-called designers are copying a trend, and very seldom do you find someone who is ahead of our time.

The last five or six years were tone-in-tone. Off-white or gray, light colored and cream colors, a modern country living, seen in magazines and on TV. White houses, with white furniture. If celebrities can do it, let’s copy them, after all, they have the money to hire interior decorators.

But what if the interior decorator doesn’t know you or just follows the trend? What if you end up having a living room that is stylish but not at all you?

I joked and told my husband that I would close my little workroom if one more customer would ask me to reupholster a chair or couch in gray. Of course, I didn’t, but fulfilled my customer’s wishes, and the craziness in my head, and the longing for bright colors and dramatic effects grew in me.

Yes, I have craziness in my system, and ideas in my head but somehow I couldn’t transform them into reality. Perhaps it was never ‘craziness’ but rather my style and one day it didn’t want to stay hidden any longer?

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Be creative!

According to a widespread belief, the key to creativity lies in the absence of boundaries, but I believe in reality, the exact opposite is true.

Unlimited freedom causes you to overwhelm yourself with creative energy and you exhaust yourself before a significant breakthrough can occur. The right way, in my opinion, is to limit yourself to more structured thinking.

Take Pablo Picasso for example. His early works are masterpieces of precision, very detailed paintings, perfect in color and lighting, yet he became famous for his modern and abstract pictures.

Try to set certain limits for yourself. Start by picking a part of a bigger problem and focus all your creative energy on that one small aspect.

If you want a gray chair because it’s in, go for it, but how about a small colorful detail that makes it yours?

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Put your toe in the water and don’t make a head dive. Start small. Take one piece in your house or one wall, or one room, and make it yours.

I will never forget Donna, a middle-aged, fun lady. Her husband had gifted her my beginner upholstery class for Christmas. She was thrilled. She came to my workroom with a simple chair. She had had a roll of a very light lilac velvet in her hands, and a furniture catalog under her arm.

“Look,” she said, “Aren’t those pretty, I can’t afford any of the pieces but I love them,” and she showed me pictures of very expensive designer chairs. When I looked at the chairs in the magazine I got an idea. She liked mix-and-match fabrics.

“Why don’t we create a similar piece?” I asked and she thought about it.
“I don’t think my husband would like it,” she finally informed me and it all went from there.

We bought fun fabric remnants -I had some laying around as well- and we puzzled it all together. The chair is now the conversation piece in her living room and matches perfectly with the black leather couch.

One of the biggest hurdles of creative thinking is the fear that someone might reject your idea. What if my family doesn’t like it? This inner fear fuels many of our insecurities and often leads us to steer clear of crazy ideas.

Make sure you have enough artistic freedom to express even completely crazy thoughts freely and with a good feeling. You’re not able to produce anything good if you’re constantly wondering what others will think about it.

I think the most important thing is to not be afraid of crazy ideas. Let your creative thoughts run completely free.

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Creativity does not arise in a vacuum. To be creative, you need to create an environment that fosters creative thinking. Figure out what you need to get yourself into a creative flow. For some, it’s the undisturbed solo work in the middle of the night with a glass of wine in hand, others need an audience or work better in a group.

Make one small corner in your house or your basement yours. Create a space where you can paint, dream and design.

There are no rules but one. In general, a positive mood helps to solve problems in a creative way. Dark thoughts create darkness.

Why not show off Grandma’s old dining chairs?

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The truth is that there aren’t really any original ideas –if you’re lucky, you might stumble upon an original combination of ideas. Copy some but not all. Put your own spin on it. Find out what brings you joy.

But how?

How do you envision a new color? Throw old towels or t-shirts over your furniture, and cover your couch in a fun blanket. Step back and look at it? Photoshop a picture of your kitchen. Who would have thought that dark purple might look good in your dining room.

I use websites for interior and exterior paint and redesigned my workroom. Yes, purple is good!

Where do you find inspiration? Chances are, there’s already a website for any topics you want to tackle.

Remember, though, there’s a fine line between inspiration and imitation. When you look at other people’s projects, don’t forget that they want to solve a very different problem than you do. In the end, this part of the process should is only ‘window shopping’.

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Grab a pen and a piece of paper (yes, old school) and write your goals in capital letters on the first line. This way, you can continue to focus on what’s important. Then start putting your ideas on paper on the topic. Remember, creativity needs boundaries.

After you’ve written down your first thought, assume it’s not good enough. Come up with 20 additional ideas. Identify the ones you liked, and then take a closer look at them.

Don’t evaluate your ideas directly while you’re writing everything down, and don’t formulate complete sentences –this will only slow down the process. Let your writing, within your self-formulated framework, become the stream of your creative consciousness.

Start small!

Alright! How about a little bit of creativity?

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I am no expert, but I believe creativity requires permission to be open and fearless –not only that of others but also your own. Once you allow yourself to have crazy trains of thought, there are no limits to your imagination.

Self-confidence is the key to creativity. Perhaps that’s why many of us get braver with age?

Avoid thoughts that limit you, such as what is allowed and what is not. Will your spouse like it? What will your neighbors think? Ultimately, you should choose an idea that is outside your comfort zone.

Your most outlandish ideas are usually your best ideas. Even if it doesn’t work out the first time, make sure you continue to push yourself to come up with borderline concepts. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be trained –just like many other skills.

Work it! Work your creativity!

Don’t always play it safe and don’t worry if your idea doesn’t hit like a bomb and if others don’t understand them right away.

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Don’t be afraid of your inner misfit.

If you follow everyone’s standards, you don’t break norms. Creativity comes from those who don’t go with the flow, those who break the rules.

Here we go! Set out to break a few rules. It doesn’t mean your whole house needs to be ‘crazy’ or your complete wardrobe has to be extravagant and silly.

Baby steps!

I believe every home needs an eye-cacher or a conversation piece.

Follow your instinct.

Becre8tive