From teen dreams to creative inspiration: What Project Runway taught me about creativity

When I was 14, I dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Fueled by enthusiasm, I sketched what I believed were marvelous designs and sent them off to a contest advertised in the back of Teen magazine. I never heard back, and in my youthful disappointment, I decided I must not have any talent. Adding to my doubts, my mom often said she wasn’t creative, so I concluded creativity just didn’t run in our family. I gave up my dreams of fashion and instead pursued a “sensible” degree in Computer Science.

Fast forward 30 years, and here I am, utterly fascinated by Project Runway. This reality TV show showcases fashion designers competing to create incredible outfits under challenging circumstances. I’ve devoured every episode from almost every country (though I had to give up on the Philippines’ version

 

What inspires me most are the episodes where designers craft garments from unconventional materials—think trash, food, or recycled building supplies. Their ability to transform the unexpected into wearable art is pure creative genius.

Carl Rogers, the renowned psychologist, once wrote in On Becoming a Person that a key condition for creativity is “the ability to toy with elements and concepts.” In other words, it’s about playing with ideas, colors, shapes, and relationships—juggling them into “impossible juxtapositions,” crafting “wild hypotheses, expressing the ridiculous.” Making a dress out of chard and cabbage leaves? That’s creativity in action.

Another aspect of Project Runway that inspires me is watching designers take risks. The ones who stay true to their inner visions, even at the expense of approval from the judges, remind me of the courage it takes to create something new. Yes, some risk-takers fall short and get eliminated, but it’s the ones who play it safe who usually go home first. Creativity, by definition, means bringing forth something the world hasn’t seen before—and that can be terrifying. Putting your unique vision out there opens you up to criticism, but it’s the only way to truly create.

On another fashion design reality show, The Fashion Show, finalist James Paul Ancheta said something that has stuck with me:

“You can spend the rest of your life making pretty clothes; you can spend the rest of your life making saleable clothes. But you have one chance to put your voice out there and have it be heard.”

Bravo to that.