Why do I Create? (Why do I breathe?)
I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. It’s not something I ever sat down and decided to do, it’s something that’s always lived inside me. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always there.
Whether it’s creating a pair of earrings with vintage buttons, pearls, gemstones, or writing about the beautiful world of colour in my new book “Watermelon Blue”, https://www.reneeblackwelldesign.com/product/just-released-my-new-book-watermelon-blue-re-thinking-your-relationship-with-colour-wb500-copy-2/ creating is how I make sense of the world. It’s how I express joy, curiosity, and sometimes even courage. Even at this stage of my creative journey, it still sometimes takes a great deal of courage.
There’s a kind of quiet thrill in seeing something take shape, from raw silver and stone into a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery, or from scattered thoughts and half-formed ideas into pages of a finished book. That transformation never stops fascinating me. And with every piece I make or page I write, there’s this little voice that whispers, “What else is possible?” That’s what keeps me going, the curiosity, the hunger to try something new, the quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) call to stretch a little further.
Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage,” and I couldn’t agree more. Creating isn’t always easy. There’s risk involved, of showing a piece of yourself and inviting others to see it. Watermelon Blue was exactly that. A bold, deeply personal project that asked me to be brave in a different way, to trust that what I have to share matters. In the process, I discovered something even deeper, the joy of stepping into new creative territory.
Creating is simply how I move through the world, it’s both instinct and expression. It’s how I connect with others, and it’s how I connect with myself. Whether it’s a unique new earring design or a bright splash of colour on the page, each creation is a connection, an invitation to see the world through my eyes.
At the end of the day, I create because I love it and because I can’t imagine doing anything else and because there’s something extraordinary about bringing into the world something that didn’t exist before. Whether it’s jewellery, writing, or exploring colour in new ways, it’s my passion and my way of sharing a little beauty with the world.
