Field Notes: When Creativity Stops Being Comfortable

When Creativity Stops Being Comfortable

There is something I have started to notice about institutions, creativity, and the idea of “supporting artists.”

A lot of organisations speak about rebellion, independent culture, working-class creativity, sustainability, and helping artists grow. They speak about putting people on the map and helping creatives build something meaningful.

But there seems to be a threshold.

A point where the idea of independence becomes too real.

Rambling started in a conservatory. Spray paint outside. Sketchbooks on sofas. Ideas built after shifts and late at night. It slowly became more than artwork on a wall. More than a hobby. More than a concept.

It became a real thing.

A brand.
A business.
A manufacturing process.
A growing audience.
Something people connect with outside of the walls of a gallery or studio building.

And that is where things became interesting.

The same spaces that speak endlessly about empowering artists suddenly become cautious when creativity starts functioning independently. When it starts selling work. When it becomes operational. When it no longer fits neatly inside the category of “emerging creative.”

Over the years I have had disagreements politically with our local MP Robbie Moore. I do not align with his politics, his party, or many of his policies. During COVID I was even blocked from commenting on his social media posts.

But after reaching out to him directly over email regarding Rambling and sustainable manufacturing, he responded.

Not symbolically.
Practically.

Over the last few months there have been introductions, links, advice, manufacturing contacts, and genuine conversations about how a small independent sustainable brand can grow within Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, in rooms filled with people who publicly champion creativity, rebellion, and independent culture, I have often been met with jokes about “your mate Robbie,” despite them knowing full well I do not politically align with him.

What has become difficult to ignore is this:

The people who culturally present themselves as allies to independent creativity have often shown the least practical interest in what Rambling actually is.

While someone I fundamentally disagree with politically has still treated the project seriously enough to offer guidance and support.

This is not a political statement.
It is an observation.

Sometimes people support the aesthetic of rebellion more than the reality of it.

Rambling was never built to comfortably fit inside systems anyway.

It was built in real time, through work shifts, bus journeys, late nights, mistakes, trial and error, and whatever energy was left at the end of the day.

Maybe that is why it continues to grow the way it does.