Love and creativity

Creative projects are like relationships.

Sometimes we fall in love too quickly and place unrealistic timelines and expectations on the creative relationship and end up getting our hearts broken.

That was me earlier this year with a different creative project. I was convinced we would take the world by storm and it would become my forever creative project. It had only been a few weeks, but I was ready to commit to her for life. So I got on one knee and proposed and things moved really fast from there.

I hiring a world class wedding planner (i.e. project manager).

We had a big wedding (i.e. project launch).

I had excel sheets coming out of my yin yang, planning every detail of what was going to happen and how fast our creative family would grow.

I spend over $50,000 because I was 1000% sure this was my person (aka project).

6 months later that project fizzled out and I was left burnt out, in debt, and terrified of ever meeting another creative project again.

I had decided to give up on creative dating. It’s easier to be on my own.

Then, when I wasn’t looking, she showed up in my life. Her name was NoStrangers and initially I wanted nothing to do with her.

Yes, she was very cute and very artistic and there was definitely an attraction. But I was so unsure of myself and really scared. I didn’t want to get hurt again. So I ignored her at all costs.

But here’s the thing, she kept showing up in my life. Smiling at me in my dreams and meditations.

Then one day I decided to go on a date with her. That’s it. One date! Nothing more.

No expectations. No timelines. I wasn’t going to take her anywhere fancy. I wasn’t even going to wear my nice shirt. I wanted to keep it casual.

That first date we walked the streets of Toronto and I took my first photo and video of a stranger. I was so nervous and awkward. I fumbled a few times, but even in the awkwardness I could feel sprinkles of kismet and magic. It was super subtle, but enough to get me on a second date a few days later.

In the next few months my entire life would be transformed.

This creative relationship that I was not looking for and was not ready for became something much bigger than me. Millions of views, over 100,000 new followers, 100s of DMs and dozens of invitations to travel and bring this project across the planet.

One of my favourite things so far to come from this project is watching other artists take my art and make their own. Rómulo is an artist from Angola and he’s taken several of my photos of strangers and made them into beautiful paintings. I am blown away by his talent.

I had no idea this seemingly simple project would grow so quickly and inspire so many others.

It’s becoming the thing I am most known for and I wonder if it’s connected to my life’s legacy. I am no expert, but I think Love and Legacy are very similar. If you overthink and over plan for them, they have a way of slipping through your hands.

Love,

D