Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with creating something, and I decided to focus on this “ellen xu” idea. I didn’t really have a super clear plan, but I figured I’d just start and see where it took me.
First, I grabbed my notebook and just started brainstorming. I wrote down anything that came to mind when I thought about “ellen xu”—colors, shapes, feelings, anything at all. It was a total mess, just a bunch of random words and doodles.
Then, I opened up my favorite design program. I usually use this for work stuff, but today I wanted to use it for something a little more…freeform. I created a new file and just stared at the blank canvas for a bit. It’s always a little intimidating, you know?
I started by picking a color palette. Based on my brainstorming, I went with some cool blues and greens, with a pop of bright yellow. I thought that felt right for “ellen xu”—kind of calming but also a little energetic.
- Created Basic Shape: A simple Circle to represent wholeness.
- Added Colors: Blues and Greens, cause they felt good.
- Experimented with Texture: This took forever.
Next, I started playing with shapes. I drew some circles, some squares, some squiggly lines… I really didn’t have a specific goal in mind. I was just trying to see what felt right. I kept adding and deleting, moving things around, changing colors. It was a lot of trial and error.
The Frustrating Part
Honestly, at one point, I almost gave up. I just couldn’t get anything to look the way I wanted it to. It all felt kind of…blah. I took a break, walked away from my computer, and got a glass of water. Sometimes you just need to step away for a minute, right?
When I came back, I tried a different approach. Instead of focusing on making something “perfect,” I just tried to have fun with it. I added some textures, played with the opacity of different layers, and just generally experimented. Slowly but surely, something started to emerge that I actually liked.
It’s definitely not perfect, and it’s probably not what anyone else would have created, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s a visual representation of my “ellen xu” exploration, and that’s all I really wanted.
It is a good day.
