SEPTEMBER 22 | Read the full archive of past editions here
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Happy Sunday 🎈 and welcome to another week of Being Right Brained – Inspiration and ideas for designers and creative folks to work, think, and feel better.
It’s been a while since my last newsletter back in April, and I’ve been in a bit of a creative rethink since then. I know the gap’s been noticeable, and it’s because I was experimenting—trying different formats, playing around with how I write, all to get to the heart of what I want to say.
For a while, nothing felt right or authentic, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. But over the last month, things started to make sense. Today I want to take you through this whirlwind of emotions, reflections, and realizations that finally got me to start writing again on a sunny Sunday afternoon!
So here's what happened…
I spent two weeks in Europe at the beginning of this month - and the trip was like an overdose of nature, beauty, and art. I soaked in so much that I think it's enough to last me a year haha!
I spent about four days in Paris, my first time in the city, and while I expected to see some art, I completely underestimated the intensity and diversity of it all. From street art to sculptures, architecture, music, poetry, and even food—everything felt so honest, and beautifully authentic.
The highlight for me was Montmartre. It’s this amazing place where artists like Van Gogh, Monet, and Cézanne used to live, hang out and practice their craft. Now, you walk through the streets, and you’ll find musicians playing, poetry written on walls, writers lost in their notebooks at parks— it’s got this whole vibe.
What stuck with me wasn’t just the amount of art, but how people seemed so in tune with what they were creating without being distracted by money or likes or algorithms—You see just the artist and their act of creating.
Here's a tiny glimpse of what the streets felt like:
What I realized
As I walked through the city, I would bump into art everywhere of some kind – It felt so strange because I was so close to it and yet so far away!
I know I probably sound like a total hippie right now, all "Life is so beautiful, materialism is sh*t!" But honestly, I realized how, over the years, I’ve drifted away from everything that used to feel like meditation for me—writing, illustrating, pottery, painting, sketching. I got so caught up in trying to figure out what the algorithm wants, what the world wants, and how to make money from it all.
I got sucked into the whole game of ‘if you don’t have a personal brand, you won’t make it.’
It hit me hard how much I’d moved away from what used to truly make me feel alive.
How I moved away from being authentic to being 'correct/smart'.
How art was a long-lost part of me...
So now? What next?
I’m thinking of switching things up with how I show up online. The core focus will still be the same—Creative Well-being and everything around that—but I’ll be changing how I write and how often I share.
You’ll also start seeing a lot more art and illustrations from me. In fact, I’m juggling three illustrations as I write this—multitasking at its finest, haha!
I have no idea where this will lead—will you like it or not? more followers, more subscribers? Who knows? But honestly, I’m just here for the process. That’s what I signed up for in the first place when I decided to be a designer!
I’m giving the artist in me another chance while keeping a little bit of practicality in the mix.
and I’m excited to dive into this challenge head-on!
Wrapping up
I want to leave you with a few questions I've been asking myself, that may resonate:
1. Does having an ambition mean losing sight of the things that move you?
2. As creatives, when we move up the career ladder, why do we move away from our craft?
3. Why do we no longer do things for the 'act' of creating?
4. When was the last time you felt creatively satisfied? What triggered it?
Over to you now.
Stay creative,
Apeksha
Thanks for reading. This is an honest, algorithm-free, completely reader-supported publication. If you’d like to support my work, share this with someone who may need it.
