I had a hard time coming up with a title to capture the essence of my journey so far as a creative. Partly because I'm a perfectionist who can't help but believe that I can do better, but mostly because it hasn't been too long since I have started to unravel the depths of the role that creativity has played in my life. After the initial struggle, I decided to use the name of the song that I had made a music video for in my first filmmaking class at TWU. "Still That Girl" by Britt Nicole has been a tremendous source of comfort for me ever since I first heard it around 8 years ago because it beautifully expresses the beauty of the "golden thread" that is woven into my life:
The never-ending grace...of an Unchanging God... in the unpredictable life... of a fearless girl... who believed that she could change the world.
Change has been a constant in my life. So much so that I didn't even realize it until it was pointed out to me by others. These numbers might paint a clearer picture for you:
- 6 - The number of cities I've lived in.
- 7 - The number of houses I've called home.
- 8 - The number of schools I've been to.
If I had to describe my life in one word, it would be this:
Surprising.
I recently discovered that I am what they call a "Third Culture Kid." I was born in Tamil Nadu, India, but I spent the majority of my life in the Middle East, in a country called Oman. I have now lived in Canada for the past 4 years, and it's safe to say that I never expected any of...this.
Countless people, places, possessions, and memories have made themselves at home in my heart, because it is the only place that I can go back to to find them. After all these years of change, every constant in my life has become so precious a treasure that I fear losing them too. My relationship with God and my love for my family have grown stronger because of this reality: they are the few constants left in my life.
Knowing this, I felt that, instead of describing the role that change has played in my life, it would be more meaningful for me to share the significance behind what has stayed the same. The surprising constants in the creative journey that God has taken me on:
1. Storytelling + Imagination = Empathy
Where do I even begin? I have always had a limitless imagination. From a very young age, I began to see the world through the lens of all that could potentially exist, and not just what already did.
What others read as trees, I saw to be beautiful homes to colonies of magical fairies that resided on their swaying branches. What others thought were leaves, to me looked like injured patients in need of immediate medical care. I would quickly apply creams and ointments to them for their scars to heal. What might have seemed like a pile of sand to others, to me looked like the setting for an adorable neighbourhood that had naturally formed amongst the minute peaks and valleys. When others saw a flight of stairs, I saw a multiple-level residence that a family could live in.
Seeing all of these invisible communities led to me to imagine the interactions of the different characters that existed in the imaginary worlds I created. I ended up loving the experience of sharing the stories that I had created in my head with others just as much as I had enjoyed the process of coming up with them.
I found this email that I had received in 2013, when I was 12 years old, from a then close friend of mine. We knew each other from travelling back and forth between home and school together in the same van. Somehow, I ended up becoming the official storyteller for the kids in the van. The story she is referring to must have been one of the many that I would have told them. Every day, I would either continue where I had left off in a series of episodes or introduce them to a new world of characters on a more challenging quest. They were made on the spot, I’m pretty sure, and they only lasted as long as those drives. She must have sent me this email after she had moved to a different country to hear the end of the last story I had told her. I replied that I would share it with her, but I'm afraid I forgot to follow up on her request. I apologize for the cliffhanger, Harshaa!
Now, if you combine that unhindered imagination with a passionate love for storytelling, what do you think you would get? Storytelling and imagination are core aspects of my creative identity because they blossomed into other passions and strengths that I would have never expected to have, such as public speaking, graphic design, creative writing, songwriting, photography,...and most importantly, empathy.
In a way, empathy is like playing pretend. In that moment, we put ourselves in someone else's shoes and imagine what life would be like if we were them. In other words, we pretend to be what we are not, like a child calming her crying baby doll. But empathy is more than just playing pretend because it dives deeper than the surface level to understand the significance behind and consequences resulting from others' unique experiences. It temporarily lends us a new worldview so that we begin to see strangers as more than just skin, limbs, and muscles...but as profound, priceless creations with unimaginable stories that have shaped them into who they are. We take the time to put ourselves in their stories for just a little while...stories we would have otherwise never had the chance to experience.
2. Originality & Ideation
This has to be my favourite part of the creative process: Ideation. It's what makes me thrive as a creative. I was born with an irresistible desire to come up with the most unique and innovative response to every question...be it through writing, design, or any other form of creative expression.
I'm glad I have this anecdote to prove to you that some things truly never change.
When I was 4 years old, in kindergarten, we were asked to draw a cartoon character for an assignment in art class. My mother, to prepare me for this test, taught me how to draw Noddy, the main character of one of my favourite cartoons at the time. According to my mother, despite having practiced drawing him, I went ahead and did something completely out of my imagination on the day of the test. She said that the teacher called her to ask her what I had drawn, because it definitely wasn't a cartoon character, and my decision to be creative had prevented me from placing first in the class. According to my mother, I had drawn several boxes on the page with little characters in them, and each of the boxes were connected to each other by lines.
Today, my mom laughs every time she shares this story because she knows that my desire for creative freedom did not end there. I obviously don't remember any of this, but I find it easy to believe that this happened because nothing has changed since then. One of the most common pieces of advice I've heard from my teachers over the years has been to not overthink the assignments I am given because they don't have to be as complicated as I make them out to be. I've been told that things are either "a lot more simple" or "not as serious" as I approach them. After all, they won't even be "worth much" anyway.
(un)Fortunately, I find it physically impossible to "just do what everyone else is doing." It is ingrained in me to resist any temptation or encouragement to join the crowd and take the pre-paved, safer route. Just follow the instructions. Do the bare minimum. I was actually planning on using a different platform for this assignment, but I was reminded of my social media professor's words:
Sometimes, creativity is working within the box.
My tendency towards perfectionism does play a role in my desire to be original...but I can see now that what was once a need to be perfect, and to fulfill self-imposed, unrealistic standards, has bloomed into a desire to always do my best in every opportunity that I have been blessed with, and to keep moving forward with no regrets.
Diligence > Perfection.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people.
Colossians 3:23
The creative process of ideation encourages me to stop letting the world in for just a second, and instead consider what I could pour into it; it leads me to create something new after simply accepting and feeling satisfied with what already exists. It enables me to go back to those younger, freer days...back when anything was possible.
3. Multi-passionism
I found this list on the last page of my diary from when I was 13 years old. I remember creating this list of all the things that I wish I could be if I could be anything I wanted to.
I had a vague memory of what I had written on this page, but when I actually took a look at it after all these years, I was surprised to see what was first on the list:
MULTI-PROFESSIONALIST (#1)
I couldn't have planned this even if I tried.
My handwriting has changed a lot over the years, but what hasn't changed is the fact that I am still a dreamer. Oh, but one thing has changed though. I now live with the freedom that comes from surrendering all of my dreams to the Writer of my story, because what He has written so far in my life is so much better than anything that I could ever imagine (which isn't easy to do considering the imagination that He has blessed me with).
The past 5 years have thrown me into the middle of a whirlwind of dreams. My original "plan" since grade 8 of becoming an astrophysicist flew out of the window in grade 12 after years of focusing on and enjoying the world of science. God had a different plan for me. Not what the world would expect or appreciate, but what was best for me. Since becoming an MCOM student at TWU, every semester, I find myself considering a new career. Biblical Studies. Graphic Design. Linguistics. Social Media. Filmmaking. Game Design. UX Design. The list goes on.
My awareness of my desire to try everything has caused me quite a bit of stress because time is not on my side if I were to try everything. But God is. He knew about my dream of becoming a "Multi-Professionalist" before I did, and placed all these opportunities in my life to reveal to me what I am passionate about. Which is why my new dream is to be a...
A Multi-Passionist!
Here is some of my work from the opportunities that have inspired me to pursue different passions:
"To the dreamers, Wide-eyed believers, Hanging onto hope by a thread. To the soulful, Heart open hopeful: Keep on charging ahead. 'Cause, when you feel it, Once you see it, and you breathe it, It's unforgettable. When you know it, once you know it, And you hold it, It's unforgettable." To the dreamers - For King And Country
The "golden thread"
Remember that "golden thread" I mentioned in the beginning? My grandfather always tells me that there is a "golden thread" that is woven into every page of the Bible...one that connects all the stories to paint a bigger picture of a grander story that is more beautiful than we could ever imagine. I'm happy to say that I have finally started to find that thread in the past few years. But I don't just see it in the Bible. I see it in the world around me, and in every single one of us:
That golden thread of divine design and storytelling.
Finding that golden thread has brought me closer to God and to living out His unique plan and intentional design for my life. Reflecting on this, I've realized the following:
- Empathy is what follows when we recognize that there is a golden thread that connects all of us: we are God's beloved creation.
- Creativity is expressing the beauty behind that golden thread that we find in ourselves and others; sharing the gifts given by the Creator.
- Passion is the little tugs that we feel on that thread that bring us closer to fulfilling God's original design for us and for humanity: to use our talents and skills to bring Him glory and to make His creation flourish.
Yes, I am still that girl. From dancing to singing, creative writing to public speaking, astrophysics to media and communication... I'm still a dreamer who wants to change this world. But I can't do it on my own. So now, I dream with Jesus. Because with God, all things are possible!
"What if the picture is bigger than you see? And God has you right where he wants you to be. Just listen to your heart. He's telling you with every beat. You're still that girl." Britt Nicole
Credits:
Photography by (or of) Candace Genesis