A little while ago, I joined an online community of creatives called The Creator Class. It’s an initiative developed by Free Agency in Toronto and in their own words, they are “A channel for Creators, by Creators.” They invite you in to become part of a “Movement in the Making,” through member projects.

WHAT ARE MEMBER PROJECTS?

Member projects transforms us from creepy voyeurs with ergonomic chairs, glowing computer screens and strong wifi connections to active creators! How? Instead of passively watching (see: stalking) others create the work we love, we are challenged to create the art/work we want to see (in the world and on their Instagram feed). The initial project brief serves as your introduction to The Creator Class community: Create a new image that expresses your perspective as a creator. To ensure maximum creeping capabilities, you post your image to Instagram with the hashtag #JOINTHECLASS.

MY (OVERTHOUGHT) THOUGHT PROCESS

I didn’t want to waste my time and energy unless I was going to create something solely for my enjoyment and not for external validation (i.e. making it to their Insta page). My mind kept whirring with questions:

• What did creating mean to me?
• Why did I create at all?
• What was the purpose of creating?

Against my will, an idea took determined residence in a corner of my brain and refused to be evicted until it was manifested.

MY LONGWINDED RATIONALE

Creation is clarity. How you feel, what you think, the experiences you have are articulated in what you create. It is making the intangible, tangible. To create is to take hold of those beautiful, wild, fleeting moments, and turning them into something that can be shared to connect with others. Creating is how I know the world. It’s the full expression of living. It reveals me to myself even as I change from experience to experience, the way clouds change with every gust of wind.

VISUALIZING MY OVERTHINKING

I felt that a static image contradicted my concept so I went with a quick and dirty animated gif, a style I’ve been really interested in lately. I like how motion can add a layer of meaning to a static image. Also, it’s more limited than video, it forces you to be more focused in what you’re trying to communicate.

The clouds passing by me expresses the transitory moments that we live; the people we love; thoughts and ideas…and how we experience them and move on. Creating is a way of holding on. Part of what makes those things so beautiful is that they’re temporary. That way, we can never take it for granted.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

I was happy with what I came up with. I didn’t enjoy getting dolled up on a day I would otherwise be in pyjamas, but it felt like a relief to understand and express why I have an impulse to create, which is a huge part of my identity. I can’t not create (Am I killing the grammar police with the double negative?).

EXTRA CREDIT

Here are some outtakes of photos that I edited for various professional profiles where I managed to coach my face into a reasonably sane/normal expression: