How do we fold our creative ideas into our everyday lives?
One common but often overlooked example is the clothing that we place upon our bodies. What socks? What top? What combination of colours? What layering of fabrics? And for what purpose? What am I trying to say here?
These are creative decisions we make at the beginning of every single day, and they stem from our own unique taste, from our inner artistic voice, whether we are conscious of this fact or not.
Many people work in places that require certain dress codes; strict rules that are imposed upon their creative freedom five days out of seven. But it could be said that this reality is no different to the restrictions that all artists face, in any medium. The challenge is seemingly always the same: How do I express myself within these confines?
Getting dressed is a creative process. It is problem solving. The goal is self-expression under oppression, any form of oppression, whether that be work, money, weather — There’s always some stern factor that guides our decision.
The navigation process through this problem is an artistic one. And yet, there are a multitude of non-naked people walking around who claim they haven’t got a creative bone in their body. But this is a misunderstanding of creativity.
Even if we feel as though we are simply reacting to trends, following our friend’s style, choosing between the same three t-shirts, or forced to wear whatever our girlfriend buys us, we are nonetheless involved in a creative practice, we are plugging into an internal space of judgement every morning, we are listening to our intuition, allowing it to lead us toward an answer, an answer that we then must wear and publicly showcase for twelve hours.
Look at the people who surround you everyday. Really focus on their clothing for a moment, in a non-creepy way, strangers, friends, family members. And now think of it all as a decision of self-expression by the being. Who is this character, and how does their clothing reflect their soul? Because this is what clothing can be; a quiet art piece exhibited by every single person you pass.
I always wonder, why don’t we see more people in the exact same clothing more often? It happens sometimes, but not enough. When we go into shops, there are racks upon racks of the same jacket, over and over again, and yet, I don’t think I’ve ever had the experience of being out in public and noticing two strangers wearing the exact same outfit. Even as a child, this didn’t really happen. Perhaps this is because, like any art form, the end product can’t help but be unique because it’s coming from a different voice, a single perspective.
The catalogue of clothing designs above is an attempt to briefly analyse this form of everyday creativity, place it under a microscope, exaggerate it using the styles of vintage fashion sketches and technical flats.
This is all quite obvious, that clothing is a form of self-expression, but I think what we forget is how ubiquitous that expression is. It’s not just the beings in leather pants and flashing headbands that are trying to say something with their clothing. It’s also the teacher in a blue shirt, the banker in a pink tie, the Dad in corduroy slacks. Everyone’s clothing is an idea, their own idea of who they are, who they’ve been, who they love, who they admire, who they want to be.
