In an evening summer writing course, Roshan Akbari appreciated a lesson she has known since childhood: relaxation is the main door to creativity. Roshan explains: When you are stressed or tired or don’t believe in yourself, walls begin to form between you and your work. The more stressed you are, the thicker and stronger the walls become. Yet, when you relax, you can reach inside yourself, find your idea and nurture it. No matter what you do—solve mathematical problems, create a painting, or design a dress—you have it inside yourself to do the work. You need to ask yourself: What do I see? There is a shift that happens with this question. You no longer approach a design because you want to be the next Chanel designer. Now you create a design because you are living with the texture and the fabric. You are able to say to yourself: This is what I see. This is my positive energy at work.
Mentor Sondra Grace
Roshan Akbari reveals the journey that commences with leaving her homeland and finding herself needing to adjust and embrace a new state of being. It is a point in the road where many lament the loss of familiarity along with the challenge of how they are being perceived in a different culture. Roshan’s words show the ways she set a path to travel through the uncertainties and thrive in creativity. Designers constantly seek inspiration that will spark and energize processes to formulate an idea, develop thoughts, and build bodies of work. While Roshan created fashions and composed writings, she also was gifted to recognize that one of her best manifestations of expression is to just relax.
Opportunity
We may be tempted to accept easy answers when we face the unknown, thus missing the opportunity to apply our own understandings to our journey. Roshan shows us why relaxation is important for encounters with uncertainty. By having the courage to quiet our fears, we create the possibility to listen for what we need: Is it time for reflection or time for creative action? Roshan encourages us to stay connected to our inner wisdom and to follow our unique growth curve.
Roshan Akbari, Designer, 2015 Participant
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