I took this picture in a bonsai garden when I was a senior in college. The night before I’d caught a flight on a whim from Pittsburgh, PA to San Francisco. Graduation was just around the corner and I was deeply questioning my direction. It struck me as ironic that even this exotic garden was telling me to Please Stay On Path. It was my first time in Northern California. In part the trip was for a boy, but in part it was fueled by something more subconscious. It was about something more primal. It stemmed from a deep need to believe that life could contain possibility and that my path could be meaningful.

Over a decade has passed since that spontaneous, late night, cross-country flight and I now live in San Francisco. A lot has changed, but one thing that hasn’t is my thirst for life and my pursuit of discovery. Over the years, I’ve found that this perspective flies in the face of convention. To this day I’m often reminded to please stay on path.

Life doesn’t have to be linear.

There’s this widely held notion of how we’re meant to progress in life. We all know the drill: college, job, promotion, marriage, mortgage, children, repeat, etc. The problem with this cultural narrative, however, is that we’re living in a time where change is both constant and necessary. Staying on path is not particularly authentic anymore. In fact, it’s pretty limiting.

Growth is an inherent part of existence and oftentimes life is not linear. If anything, life is more like the creative process. It entails cycles of divergence and convergence, destruction and creation, discovery and reinvention. It’s flawed, imperfect and uncertain. It can take us on unexpected journeys. It will ask us to bare our souls. Sometimes it gets messy, but messy is human and messy can be beautiful.

Curiosity is what makes life interesting.

The creative process rarely starts by seeking answers. Instead, it begins by asking interesting questions. It’s fueled by sparks of curiosity. As children, we happily let our curiosity guide us. This is how we discovered the world. As adults, we tend to do the exact opposite. We’re taught to define our paths from the onset, even if deep down we’re not so sure we have it figured out. Most of us accept the map, even when a part of us aches to keep on exploring.

In my design research work, I’ve learned how to question my assumptions. I’ve discovered that everyone has a story and that people are rarely what we assume. This has enabled me to see the world in new ways. It’s shown me that even small actions and inconsequential moments can be interesting. It’s taught me that curiosity is powerful. It’s shown me that curiosity can change everything.

Playfulness is what allows us to experiment and explore.

Playfulness allows us to let down our inhibitions. It enables us to approach change with openness and creativity. While applying playfulness to uncertainty may seem counterintuitive, it actually makes it safe to experiment and explore. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the creative process, it’s that possibilities are discovered, not planned. It’s when we become attached to the idea that our paths must be certain and our direction must be right, that we limit our ability to continue growing in new ways.

In my own life I’ve found that when I don’t take things so seriously, most of my challenges become much less daunting. One way I do this is by treating my challenges like little life experiments. I then go into them with a willingness to see what happens and what I can learn. This has taught me that experimentation makes uncertainty a lot less risky. It has shown me that playfulness is the absence of fear.