The Freedom of Creating Without Purpose
I want to tell you a story. It might seem very simple, but it became a huge turning point in my creative journey.
Three years ago, I felt completely stuck. I was in the middle of a project, hyperfocused on the outcome, lost in my own expectations. I was paralyzed by overthinking and frustration. So I asked my partner, Mami, what he thought I should do. He said:
“Well… maybe just follow your intuition.”
And so I did.
Following Intuition
My intuition told me to put the project aside and move to something completely different. I sat down with my watercolors for the first time in years.
A friend had just given me a tarot deck, and I felt called to draw a card, literally. And for the first time since childhood, I created something without a purpose. I let the pen and the watercolors move on the paper, being one with the material, without analyzing or thinking about the outcome.
Freedom in Creation
And something strange happened.
In this freedom, I noticed how much I was constantly judging myself. Old thought patterns began to rise. Voices saying:
“This is really cringe.
“It’s bad taste.”
“No one would ever hang this on the wall.”
“What if anyone from my old school saw it? How embarrassing.”
But in this moment, something shifted.
Those voices, that were usually so loud, faded into the background. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t care.
The joy of simply creating was bigger than any fear of judgment.
I was creating without purpose.
And it felt like freedom.
Breaking Through Blockages
In that moment, a big blockage broke. And ever since then, my way of being and creating has grown in completely new ways.
The reason I share this is that maybe someone reading this is stuck too. Held back by judgment. Feeling useless if what you create doesn’t have a purpose.
But let me ask you:
What if creation comes first,
and purpose after?
Letting Creativity Flow
All I know is that creativity wants to flow, and purpose might be something that reveals itself along the way.
So maybe we don’t need to know the outcome?
If you are experiencing perfectionism or self-judgment holding you back, I invite you to pause. To put down your project and allow yourself to create freely without a purpose - whatever calls to you in this moment.
Doodle with what’s at hand
Film a ray of light dancing in a glass of water
Journal with words that doesn’t need a meaning
Let it be an exploration through curiosity…
The Joy of Exploration
If you notice any judgment or shame arise, just know that that is completely okay. That is simply our conditioned mind and it is most likely not yours to carry. Simply notice it and give your attention to the joy of creating what you are creating.
The sensations of touching the paper
The satisfying feeling of watching light play with water
The words flowing freely without the need of meaning
Allow yourself to explore, express, and create without purpose.
And who knows … maybe, one day, it reveals a purpose?
… But it doesn’t have to
