“Freedom to express” strikes me as the creative person’s raison d’etre. I think of creatives as being extra close and sensitive to the ups and downs of life, requiring channels and mediums through which to express feelings, perspectives, experiences, hopefully in ways that connect with audiences. One way to visually illustrate this concept might be a painted silhouette of a person in black, with arms outstretched in a sort of “y” position, with a vast, vivid array of colors and imagery exploding outwards and upwards.

“Freedom to Explore,” then, has a couple of meanings, to me. It implies both the desire to explore new mediums through which to express oneself, as well as the need to return to sources of inspiration when the creative well runs dry. There is no meaningful art without that periodic return to source.

Lastly, “Freedom from Expectation” seems like the ultimate goal of artists, musicians, and creatives. Once your creative voice is established, hopefully you can find ways to honor that voice, no matter what, staying true to your unique perspective on life, across mediums and types of work. This could perhaps be depicted visually by that same person’s silhouette, this time filled with vivid color and imagery, breaking the shackles that hold us back.

These concepts came together for me, particularly, in the antiwar poster project we did for Brit’s class. See below: