The pen, a camera, a blog—all our passports to freedom. They are tools for noticing, interpretation, and creative expression. They digest the world only to spit it back out, after a few edits.
In many ways, these items are also tools for self-preservation. The notepad may not make Maslow’s hierarchy of essential needs such as food, water, and shelter, but they are vital nonetheless.
Humans are storytellers, and creativity makes us feel more alive. Writing, painting, and photography not only give us something to do—even luckier if it’s a vocation—but also makes us feel valued.
Above all, there’s no beating being ourselves unmoored from what others wanted from us. There are no other expectations when we are all weird. The world is both a canvass and a cafe, with the urge to prioritize exchange and bounce ideas off the diverse ideas of others.
We are trapped in a tyranny of sameness without our creative passports.