Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Children have the benefit of creating without artistic constraint. It’s wonderful gift. Holding on to it when you get older, that’s the trick.

We grow up and doubt enters the picture. Maybe it’s a family member, a teacher, our friends, or perhaps it’s just our own insecurity that introduces the concept. Regardless of the source, doubt becomes the killer of most child artists. The art of play and discovery being replaced by self-doubt, or worse, feelings of inadequacy.

By the time we grow up a little and decide to pursue a career in the arts, we have to undo the damage, drop the baggage, and get back to that state of exploration.

By the time we grow up a little and decide to pursue a career in the arts, we have to undo the damage, drop the baggage, and get back to that state of exploration. This can be a huge challenge depending on just how far you’ve drifted from that little, free wheeling child.

Imagine for a second that you could bypass most of that process. Rather than having to reverse engineer the feelings of doubt and thoughts of how, “I was never very good at art,” you just dropped the baggage and allowed yourself to be that imaginative mind again? What would happen if, starting tomorrow, you let yourself explore the fringes of your imagination regardless of the outcome and free of judgement. Where would you be in one month, one year? What type of designer would you be after a year exploring the art of play?