The Four Difficulties of Being a Creative

Growing up in a Haitian household, creativity was never presented as an option.

There were only two acceptable paths: doktè or avoka. Doctor or lawyer. Anything outside of that felt uncertain, unstable, or unrealistic. Art was never dismissed outright—but it was never taken seriously as a future.

So the question becomes:

Where does art come from when it isn’t taught, encouraged, or validated?

1. Creating Without Permission

As a kid, I was always drawing.

If I was in class and had a blank piece of paper, it wouldn’t stay blank for long. I would draw anything—sometimes something recognizable, sometimes nothing at all. At that age, I wasn’t thinking about results. I was letting my hand and my mind move freely, without direction or explanation.

I didn’t always know what I was drawing. And that was the point.

The first difficulty of being a creative is learning to create without permission, especially when no one around you understands why you’re doing it.

2. Loving What You Can’t Explain

I was always drawn to minimal things that stood out.

Clean lines. Strong symbols. Simple ideas with presence.

Growing up in Haiti, one of my biggest inspirations was Barikad Crew (BC). For kids my age, BC wasn’t just a group—it was culture. It was confidence, rebellion, and visibility. I remember trying over and over again to draw the “BC” logo in my own way, studying how something so minimal could carry so much weight.

At that age, I didn’t have the language to explain why I loved it. I just did.

The second difficulty of being a creative is loving things deeply before you know how to justify them.

3. Dreaming Without a Blueprint

I used to dream about having my own movement, even before I understood what that meant.

There was no blueprint for being a creative where I came from. No clear examples. No safe path. Just instinct and imagination. Wanting something that didn’t yet exist—especially when no one around you is doing it—can feel isolating.

The third difficulty of being a creative is dreaming without reference, building something from intuition instead of instruction.

4. Understanding the Past After the Future Begins

Looking back now, I can say this clearly:

The Maison Demar minimalist “MD” logo is a direct reflection of my childhood.

It comes from those early drawings. From my obsession with simple symbols. From trying to recreate the presence of the BC logo without even realizing I was training my eye. What once felt like random childhood habits were actually early expressions of identity.

The fourth difficulty of being a creative is that understanding often comes late. You don’t always know why you’re drawn to something until years later—when it finally makes sense.

Being a creative isn’t just about talent.

It’s about resistance. About continuing to create when it’s not encouraged, not understood, and not guaranteed.

Maison Demar exists because of that tension—between expectation and instinct, culture and individuality, structure and freedom.

And sometimes, the things you draw as a child become the foundation of everything you build as an adult.