Rachael Taylor is an award-winning art director, creative mentor, and print and pattern designer. As cofounder of Make It In Design, Rachael has developed a groundbreaking educational online platform and taught more than 25,000 students across 100 countries. Rachael is also the author behind Power Up Your Creativity. We asked her a few questions about her creative process.

Quarto Creates: How did you first become interested in design?

Rachael Taylor: Ever since I was little, I have always been a person who is constantly bursting with ideas and looking for new avenues through which I can express myself. As a child, I loved drama, dance, and art, and it was apparent from an early age that I loved to create and that I did not like to sit still. Back then, I shied away from routine, and even as an adult, I still describe myself as a genuine fidget. I love being surrounded by creative clutter. My creativity as a child led me to pursue an artistic path in high school, and along with a truly inspirational teacher, Ali—aka Miss McWatt, who saw the potential in me—my creativity saw me through some extreme episodes of bullying at crucial times in my education. I even had to change schools. Her faith in me and tireless support helped nurture my talent and bring my confidence and grades back up, and I left high school feeling recharged and ready to show the world what I was made of. Looking back, I do try to carry the lessons and encouragement she showed me into my own business ethics and teachings for Make It In Design, an online design school that I cofounded. My education platform is really all about showing people that they can create—that they can be successful, regardless of what they’ve been through. Yes, that means you too!

QC: Has being an artist and designer changed the way you view the world?

RT: Yes definitely, I see beauty in almost everything along with inspiration and creative opportunity. Something that might seem mundane to most can spark lots of joy and excitement in me. I’m like a sponge constantly absorbing everything around me. It makes me feel like I have a superpower at times as my senses are often intensified. Everywhere I go feels like a creative adventure.

QC: Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

RT: Part of the gift of creativity is that we can see inspiration all around us when we open our eyes, minds, and souls to it.

One thing I have learned from my teaching and creative experiences is that you do need to let yourself feel all the feels to be able to find inspiration, whether it’s happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, boredom, or excitement. This is human nature, and our feelings need to be expressed to be our true creative selves.

When I think about what inspires me creatively, five things come to mind:

• Family
• Friends
• Nature
• Travel
• Music

These are the ingredients that keep me cooking and keep up my creative energy, and I often come back to this list when I’m stuck and wonder how I can implement these in my life more.

QC: Have your finished projects ever turned out different than your expectation, and how do you deal with that?

RT: Absolutely. Knowing when to pull the plug on things, especially on something you thought was a great idea, can be hard. Things do not always go to plan, and that’s okay. We can change, refine, improve, and analyze, but most of all we need to be honest with ourselves about what we really want and see the meaning in a failure. As important as it is to celebrate, it’s just as important to acknowledge failure and disappointment—things we don’t need to view in a negative light. Lessons can be learned and if every day were always perfect, we wouldn’t appreciate our success. The tough times make the good times taste that much sweeter. So many people go through many of the same failures and disappointments.

QC: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from creating?

RT: I would say it’s hard to name just one. In fact, in my book Power Up Your Creativity I’ve actually identified ten key themes or lessons I’ve learned about creativity. I found that no matter where they may be in their career or background they’re from, many creatives were coming across the same stumbling blocks. Power Up Your Creativity helps address these obstacles, motivating and encouraging them to embrace their creative power.

Learn more about Rachael's work here:
Instagram: @rachaeltaylor_    @rachaeltstudio    @makeitindesign
Twitter: @rachael_taylor_    @RachaelTStudio    @makeitindesign
Facebook: rachaeltaylordesigns    makeitindesign
Website: rachaeltaylordesigns.com    makeitindesign.com