Curated Creative
Finding Balance In Life to Find Balance in Creative Ideas
Finding balance between the different priorities in our lives is essential for keeping our creativity flowing—it’s all connected.
This week in our Curated Creative feature, we’re diving into conversations and ideas on how to bring more balance to our everyday lives, helping us achieve it in our creative work, too.
PODCAST | Scratching the Surface : Taylor Levy & Che Wei Wang of CW&T
This week, I'm excited to share a fascinating conversation with Tylor Levy and Che-Wei Wang from the multidisciplinary design studio CW&T. Known for their dedication to designing unique, beautiful, durable, and functional products, Tylor and Che-Wei not only offer insights into their creative process but also openly discuss the challenges every creative faces in balancing a larger vision with the practical demands of sustainability.
The discussion explores the tension between purely creative ideas versus the constraints of commercial clients, as well as the the balance of finding time for inspiration and execution. Perhaps the most intriguing part is understanding their mantra never giving up but also knowing when to quit.
It’s a great listen with valuable insights for any creative!
PRACTICE + PROCESS | Find Balance and Meaning
Like most things in life and work finding balance is a process, one that can be particularly fraught with confusion and frustration. Similar to the creative process, there is no one size fits all approach to find it, the journey is different for everyone, but I discovered a few working tools anyone can use to analyze how their daily survival needs match up against their need for fulfillment.
The first activity is one I recently tried out in a creative workshop led by Kate Sullivan of Kate Sullivan Creative (who also has a fantastic newsletter for creatives!). It’s a simple chart designed to help you map out parts of your life and creative practice, categorizing them from ease and satisfaction to challenge and frustration.
Here's how it works: on an X/Y axis, you list tasks and responsibilities across your life, business, and creative work. This gives you a clear picture of what energizes you and what might drain you, while also taking into account your strengths and areas for growth. It’s tempting to stick to what we’re good at to avoid burnout, but remember—the goal isn’t to stay safely in the top-left corner of that chart! Real growth happens when we step into the uncomfortable zones, explore new ideas, and push our boundaries. After all, getting good at something usually means being not-so-great at it first, maybe even a lot.
Next up is a process that’s been around for nearly 800 years, yet feels incredibly relevant today: Ikigai. Originating in Japan, "Ikigai" loosely translates to "a reason for being" or "a reason to live." This philosophy goes deeper than other approaches, guiding us to connect with our personal values and the meaning we find in our work.
Ikigai has gained popularity recently, thanks to the bestselling book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. In it, author Héctor García shares insights from a village in Japan renowned for its longevity and happiness. If you want to dive into Ikigai, I’d recommend checking out the book, or for a quicker intro, you might enjoy this YouTube summary or this interview with the author.
