Creativity is Movement into What We Cannot Yet See

Artist Scott Lea at work in The Art Factory located in Wagga Wagga, Australia.

Creativity is more than making things—it’s a strategy for moving through the unknown. 

It’s a practice that helps build confidence not just in outcomes, but in the act of engaging, exploring, and choosing—even when the results aren’t yet clear.

This is especially important in supported studio settings, where the role of the facilitator isn’t simply to offer materials or instruction, but to help build a person's relationship to their own decisions. A creative practice can become a space where someone begins to feel the quiet excitement of possibility—not because they know exactly where a path will lead, but because they trust that following their instincts and interests will open up something new.

This kind of confidence is generative. It gathers strength not from certainty, but from curiosity. 

It’s the confidence to act without needing all the answers. And that’s a skill that translates far beyond the studio.

Whether making a mark, placing a shape, trying a new tool, or approaching a social interaction from a slightly different angle—creative engagement offers a safe and meaningful way to experience ambiguity. 

It teaches that something unexpected can still be valuable, that mistakes can lead to discovery, and that confidence can come from doing, not just from knowing.

For many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, daily life can be filled with pre-set decisions and systems. A facilitated creative space, by contrast, offers an opportunity to experience the world on one's own terms. When someone begins to see that their actions lead to new, meaningful outcomes—ones that they brought into being—that’s when confidence begins to deepen.

And from that confidence comes motion—motion that is self-directed, that builds on itself, that carries energy forward. It becomes momentum toward something new. Toward possibilities not yet seen, but ready to be discovered.

Facilitating creativity, then, becomes less about leading someone toward a known destination, and more about helping them feel excited about the steps they choose to take—even (and especially) when the outcome is not yet visible.

This is how creativity becomes a practice of personal power. A tool for navigating ambiguity. And a way of walking into the unknown with trust.