Freedom to create

I grew up in Switzerland, studied visual communication design and fine art,
and worked for more than twenty years in the international creative industry.
At the beginning of the millennium, I commenced my second career
as an academic. For more than eleven years now, I worked as a full-time
lecturer in graphic design for universities in Australia, Malaysia, and England.
A few years before my career transition, I also started developing an
extensive body of artwork, covering a large range of disciplines. Exploring my
freedom, I mixed and merged them into various forms, where I consider
my current art practice as post-disciplinary. You can access my work and also
download a PDF version of this book at http://ralphklewitz.blogspot.com.
Written and self-published by Ralph Klewitz in Bournemouth, England, in 2021.
This book is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License.

In this book, I share a collection of motivating impulses that emerged
from the experience I have accumulated as a designer, artist, and academic
since my childhood drawings until developing my current art practice.
On the following pages, I assembled my reflective thoughts and transformed
them into affirmative prompts that I each dovetailed with three
questions. I intend that self-answering those questions assists you in finding
orientation and motivation in your creative process. Essentially,
this is the primary goal of why I wrote this book.
Being permanently influenced by cultural knowledge and artefacts, I am mindful
that most of the content in this book has been said in one or another
form, by someone, at some time. Instead of proclaiming my ideas are novel, I
thus suggest that the compilation of the prompts and the formulation
of the questions are original. Although, I ordered my insights coherently, the
book’s fragmentary structure encourages you to enter everywhere
and jump between sections. Moreover, the questions are open-ended, sketchy,
and raw, and my own answers are perpetually changing and evolving.
Self-answering my questions also usually trigger new ones, and I anticipate you
will experience the same. Being immersed in this ever-growing inquiry
for many years, I have discovered this process is an open-ended and exciting
quest. Consequently, instead of offering instructions, I consider my writing
to cause fluctuating and inspiring responses and effects.
I have written this book for all you students, amateurs, and professionals
in any form of art, design, and craft-making to empower, inspire,
and support you in striving to embark and embrace your freedom to create.
Regardless of your age, gender, background, and location: stay curious,
question everything, and mostly, enjoy your creative journey!

You 1
Aesthetics 2
Topics 3
Disciplines 4
Theory 5
Events 6
Direction 7
Outcomes 8
Time 9
Space 10
Deadlines 11
Quality 12
Feedback 13
Evaluation 14
Planning 15
Structure 16
Learning 17
Progress 18
Inputs 19
Reading 20
Resources 21
Rules 22
Making 23
Ideas 24
Archiving 25
Amateurism 26
Perfection 27
Tribe 28
Profit 29
Income 30
Process 31
Emotions 32
Workflow 33
Explanations 34
Longevity 35
Qualifications 36
Randomness 37
Boredom 38
Solitude 39
Collaboration 40
Confidence 41
Impact 42
Focus 43
Context 44
Mentor 45
Encouragement 46
Gratitude 47
Trial 48
Error 49
Motivation 50
Continuation 51
Honour 52
Receiver 53
Share 54
Followers 55
Likes 56
Contribution 57
Respect 58
Teach 59

1
How important is it for me
to express my opinion, biography,
background, etc., in my work?
How decisive is a trademark approach
for me, like a style, philosophy,
medium, that my audience can
recognise?
How much do I bring myself
into my work, and how much do I
take myself out of it?
Define how much of yourself do you
want to put into your work.
Ask yourself:

2
What could I add, adapt, develop
to express my voice?
Who are the practitioners* that
are working within my chosen domain?
* includes everyone who makes art,
design, and/or craft
Which aesthetics, genres, philosophies of
art/design/craft am I attracted to?
Explore forms that fascinate you
as you progress through your work.
Ask yourself:
2
2

Do I have educational, political,
aesthetic, practical, decorative, etc.,
intentions?
Are there any specific themes
that I wish to consider in my practice**?
**captures everything that relates to
making art, design, and/or craft
Are my interests situated in the past,
present, or future?
Work on topics that are relevant to you.
Ask yourself:

Do I categorise myself as an artist,
designer, craft maker, or
someone floating across disciplinary
boundaries?
To what materials, techniques,
tools, etc., am I attracted?
What is the relation between the
topics that I work on and the disciplines
that I practice?
Choose, combine, switch, and
merge art, design, and craft as you
develop your process.
Ask yourself:
4

Do I want to learn theory alone or
in a reading/study group?
Do I prefer to attend online or
in-person lectures, or read about topics?
What do I know already, and which
topics do I want to widen or deepen?
Decide which kind of theory is
relevant in your practice and learn it
when you need it.
Ask yourself:
5

Events
6
What do I expect to get out of
visiting a particular event?
Do I prefer visiting those events
online or in the physical world?
Is there an exhibition, concert,
workshop, etc., which attracts me?
Visit and participate in events
that fascinate you.
Ask yourself:

7
Do I like to merge interests, or do I
prefer to focus on something specific?
Do I prefer to stick to my directions
for long, or do I like to be flexible?
What are the starting points for
projects that interest me?
Change topics, media, philosophies, etc.,
when it is right for you.
Ask yourself:

8
Do I want to learn or find
something out while making a specific
body of work?
How do I relate my process
to my outcomes?
Do I want to achieve specific outcomes
in a defined timeframe, or do I want
to discover where my process leads me?
Be vague or precise about
the outcomes you to want to achieve.
Ask yourself:

9
How can I best integrate
my creative practice into my life?
Which days of the week
can I allocate?
What time of the day do I
prefer to work?
Manage your time and find structures
that suit your life/work balance.
Ask yourself:

10
Do I prefer my own or a shared space?
How far is this space away from
my home?
How large and high do I want
this space to be?
Identify a specific space and
environment that suits your practice.
Ask yourself:

12
Quality
How can I find out if I reached
my standards?
How important are those, and
do I need them at all?
How do I define quality
standards in my practice?
Set your standards and
evaluate your achievements accordingly.
Ask yourself:

13
What do I do if I have another opinion?
What kind of feedback do I
ask for, and what do I want to do
with it?
Are the people I am asking for feedback
constructive and supportive?
Choose specific people, whose voices
you value, to comment on your work.
Ask yourself:

14
What criteria about my work
could my invited people evaluate?
Are those people that I want
to invite professionals, family members,
friends, or others?
What are the selection criteria
that I apply to identify who to invite to
comment about my work?
Invite those people, whose knowledge
and opinions you appreciate, to evaluate
your work.
Ask yourself:

15
Do I set milestones between the
start and finish lines?
How strictly or vaguely do I stick with
my self-defined schedules?
Why and how is my planning
schedule supportive for my work to
progress?
Use schedules for work phases if they
support your process.
Ask yourself:

17
Are there any specific learning outcomes
that I want to achieve, do I want
to assess those, and if so, what are
my assessment criteria?
What are the topics that I could
include in my learning phases?
How far do I initially plan out
my practice and learning phases: days,
weeks, months, years?
Write your curriculum and change it
when you feel it is needed.
Ask yourself:

18
How can I schedule my optimal learning
and working sessions and map
those with my preferred conditions
and environments?
Do I have short- and long-term
learning goals, and how/when can I
achieve those?
How can I access my learning material,
such as online tutorials, books, etc.,
most efficiently and on time?
Learn on-demand, work when
the time is right for you.
Ask yourself:

inputs inputs
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19
How will the selected course content
contribute to my practice and, or my
personal development?
How can I convince, discipline,
and monitor myself to complete an
online course?
What did I always want to learn and
postponed all the time?
Enrol in online courses to hone a skill
or learn new content that interests you.
Ask yourself:

20
Reading
Ask yourself:
When and how long do I want to read?
What do I want to read, and what
development do I anticipate
after reading a specific book, webpage,
documentary, artist interview, etc.?
How often do I revisit what I have
already read?
Schedule regular reading sessions, alone or in a group, to expand your horizon.

21
How do I order and organise my
physical and digital library?
How can I easily find and
access the highlighted content that
I had previously read?
Which books do I buy or borrow, and
what pages could I scan?
Archive digital and analogue resources
to expand your library.
Ask yourself:

22
Which rules could I modify to fit
my purpose?
Which sets of rules do I consider
relevant to learn and to implement,
to develop my practice?
Besides current trends, what
personally fascinates me at this moment
in time?
Define, follow, adapt, and
change your own rules and trends and
those from others.
Ask yourself:

23
Do I want my process and outcomes
to be inventive or conventional?
Which materials am I attracted to
work with, and which ones
do I want to combine?
Which set of skills do I want to learn
for using a specific tool or a technique?
Use tools, techniques, and
materials conventionally and inventively
as you progress.
Ask yourself:

26
How can I better encourage myself
to make something that I never
did before?
Which skill, method, quality standard
of my work do I want to keep on
a beginner stage, and why is this of
value for me?
How do I use dilettantism and deliberate
ignorance in my process?
Make what you enjoy making at every
skill level in your development.
Ask yourself:

27
What kind of external support
structures do I need to learn a skill,
considering financial resources,
online or in-person learning?
What is the best time/place structure
that efficiently enables me to learn
new content?
What aspects of my practice do I want
to develop, how far do I want to go,
and what are my motivations and goals?
Decide what practical skills
you want to get better in, and plan out
a schedule to achieve these goals.
Ask yourself:

Tribe
28
Are there any online/offline events,
meetings or platforms that I can join to
connect with people to share and
exchange, and perhaps to collaborate?
Are these people in or outside my
field to connect with, to encourage
and support each other?
Who made, or makes, work, which is
related to mine, and how can I connect
with these creators?
Connect and exchange with those peers
that you choose.
Ask yourself:

29
When is the right time, and which are
the best channels and strategies
to sell my work?
How can I preserve my freedom
to create when I work for a market
demand?
What do I anticipate if I engage
with the commercial aspect of my work?
Evaluate if, when, and how you
monetise your work.
Ask yourself:

30
What are my anticipations for
separating or combining my income
and my art/design/craft?
Is selling my work an option,
or do I share my work for free?
How can I finance my life whilst living
my passion?
Consider a day job to protect your
ultimate freedom to create.
Ask youself:
30
What are my anticipations for
separating or combining my income
and my art/design/craft?
Is selling my work an option,
or do I share my work for free?
How can I finance my life whilst living
my passion?
Consider a day job to protect your
ultimate freedom to create.
Ask yourself:

31
How can I best balance intuition
and intellect to produce and
communicate my process and works?
When is it adequate and productive
for me to value and apply
my analytical thinking?
When do I consider it is appropriate and
rewarding to use my intuition?
Use both your intuition and intellect to
develop and reflect on your work.
Ask yourself:

32
What kind of emotional reactions do I
anticipate from my audience?
What kind of emotions do I want
to express in my work?
How do my emotions drive and influence
my process?
Consider to let your emotions flow
into your process and your outcomes.
Ask yourself:

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I m m e r s e y o u r s e l f i n 3 3
y o u r p r o c e s s an d
s u r p r i s e y o u r s e l f w i t h
t h e r e s u l t s .
Ask yourself:

34
Why do I want to explain aspects of
my work, and what are my
desired audience responses and effects?
Which aspects do I want to explain
in my work, and to whom?
How open do I want the interpretation
of my work to be?
Determine which aspects of your
process you want to explain and which
are beyond the limits of language.
Ask yourself:

35
Decide if your work could
last temporarily or permanently.

How can I use language to
support my work, e.g. reviews, artist
statements, interviews, etc.?
What do I expect when showcasing
my work, e.g. becoming known, earning
money, advancing my career,
expanding my tribe and network, etc.?
How do I show my work, how often,
to which target audience,
using which media and channels, etc.?
Ask yourself:

37
Which of my spontaneously initiated
processes became great work?
How can I appreciate the potentials
of uncertainties, ambivalence,
and vagueness when engaging in a
new process?
How can I acquire a state of confidence
while starting an open-ended
work process?
Embrace the blank canvas and
see what happens.
Ask yourself:

Boredom
How can I facilitate daydreaming for
stimulating a new process?
Which works did I create in the past
out of sheer boredom?
How can I become more comfortable
and relaxed when being bored?
Ask yourself:
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38
Indulge the moments when you are idle.

39
Where and when can I work best alone?
How do I define the benefits of
working alone?
How comfortable am I to work
by myself, and how can I best organise
lone-time?
Work for and by yourself when
you feel a need for it.
Ask yourself:

Collaboration
Collaborat
Decide which aspects of your work
do you want to develop
with others and which you outsource.
40
Which tasks in my process to I want
to delegaate to others?
For which tasks do I prefer online,
and for which in-person collaborations?
Which collaboratiaon forms suit me,
and with how many people do I want
to work together?
Ask yourself: Which tasks in my process to I want
to delegaate to others?
For which tasks do I prefer online,
and for which in-person collaborations?
Which collaboration forms suit me,
and with how many people do I want
to work together?
Decide which aspects of your work
do you want to develop
with others and which you outsource.
Ask yourself:
40

n
41
What have I already achieved in my
past that makes me happy?
Which aspects of my previous processes
and outcomes make me proud?
How can I build my self-confidence,
despite external circumstances
and people’s comments?
Always be happy and proud of
whatever you produce, despite what
others say about it.
Ask yourself:

42
How can I further develop my empathy
to become more aware and
responsible for the impact and effect of
showcasing my work?
How can I ensure that my work
will be tolerable, despite specific topics
that I cover and aesthetics that
I apply?
How radical and steadfast can I be
with my process and work?
Be bold in your process and empathically
responsible for your outcomes.
Ask yourself:

43
How can I truly make my life worth living,
applying my value system?
What is essential in my practice,
and what is marginal, or even
side-tracking?
How can I efficiently manage my daily
commitments to fully invest my
remaining time into my processes and
works?
You have one shot in life, so maximise it
and get the best out of it.
Ask yourself:

44
What is the larger context and discourse
in which my work situates?
What has related their work
to my work, and what makes my
work different from theirs?
What are past and present works
that relate to my work, and who are the
creators?
Ask yourself:
Learn about past and contemporary
producers and works in your chosen fields.

C on n e c t w it h c r e a t o r s
w h o y o u
a dm i r e a n d a s k
t h e m t o b e c o m e yo u r
m e n to r s .
45
What kind of support with a living
‘master’ do I imagine, what can she or
he gain from it, and how can I
introduce my ideas to this person?
How can I connect with a
contemporary practitioner, and which
aspects of my process could he or
she advise and guide me?
How and what can I learn from living or
deceased practitioners in my field?
Ask yourself:

46
How and where can I surround
myself with more supporting and
encouraging people?
How can I better and more
often listen to my people, and how
can I apply their advice more
effectively?
Who are my ‘hard core’ supporters,
how can I bring these people along in my
journey, and what can I give back
to them?
Listen to those voices
that encourage you to keep going.
Ask yourself:

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49
How do I evaluate and compare
my work with those from others?
Which result am I proud of, precisely
because they turned out as a surprise?
Which experiments took me a
step further, regardless of their results?
Every process and each outcome
add to your experience.
Ask yourself:

50
Which activities outside my practice
refresh my drive, like, walking in
nature, going out with friends, playing
sports, etc.?
Which outstanding achievements
from practitioners that I admire power
my motivation?
Which input sources keep me going,
for exaample, videos, books, talking
to friends, etc.?
Frequently feed yourself
with success stories from others.
Ask yourself:

51
How can I constructively
integrate an event out of the blue into
my practice?
How can I build my resilience,
and which strategies can I apply to
energise my process?
How can I rekindle my process
after an erratic event or circumstance
that needed my attention?
Keep going, whatever happens within
or outside your life.
Ask yourself:

52
How much more freedom can I give
in my practice, and how can I do that?
What kind of celebration
rituals can I introduce for myself or in
company with others?
How can I be more conscious of and
self-respect my practice and its results?
Embrace and be proud of the
freedom that you give yourself to create.
Ask yourself:

53
Define if you want to work for
a client or yourself.

Do I prefer someone representing
my work, like a gallery, or decide
to go my ways?
How can I define and find the right
audience for my work?
Ask yourself: Which are the best online and physical
opportunities and media channels,
like open calls for art, event, etc., to reach
out to people who would appreciate
my work the most?

55
How can I build a continuous
momentum to reach out to potential
followers on social media and
in-person?
How can I better share my
achievements and enthusiasm with
like-minded and like-hearted people?
How much do I value my process
and works, and what can I
do to appreciate them even more?
Be your follower first and foremost,
and let others follow you after.
Ask yourself:

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5
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57
How do I identify educational,
inspirational, motivational, enjoyable, or
critical aspects in my works, and
how can I make those best accessible to
an interested audience?
What values does my work
give to culture, society, to for- and, or
non-profit organisations?
How do I balance what my
works mean to me to what my outcomes
mean to others?
Create works that enrich your
life experiences and those of others
in one or another way.
Ask yourself:

58
Respect
How would I react when I encounter
work I show to others?
How respectful towards my audience
am I when concerning the effects
and reactions my work could trigger?
What kind of ethics and ideologies
do I commit myself to in my practice?
Respect and treat your peers
and audience as you do with yourself.
Ask yourself:

My own experiences have been informed by practitioners,
theoreticians, academics, students, philosophers, family members, friends,
mentors, colleagues, and chance encounters, either in person,
via any form of media, or artefacts. They all have continuously co-shaped
my identity and contributed to colouring into who I am today. Being
aware of how these inputs perpetually intermingle, amalgamate, and adapt my
thinking and being, I want to shout out a big Thank You! to everybody
and everything crossing my ways. Essentially, all of these enriching encounters
helped me formulate my thoughts for this book.

I grew up in Switzerland, studied visual communication design and fine art,
and worked for more than twenty years in the international creative industry.
At the beginning of the millennium, I commenced my second career
as an academic. For more than eleven years now, I worked as a full-time
lecturer in graphic design for universities in Australia, Malaysia, and England.
A few years before my career transition, I also started developing an
extensive body of artwork, covering a large range of disciplines. Exploring my
freedom, I mixed and merged them into various forms, where I consider
my current art practice as post-disciplinary. You can access my work and also
download a PDF version of this book at http://ralphklewitz.blogspot.com
A print-on-demand version of this ebook is available at https://www.blurb.co.uk
ISBN 978-1-03-478737-2.
Written and self-published by Ralph Klewitz in Bournemouth, England, in 2021.
This free ebook is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License.

Freedom to create

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