Chaos comes in many forms. It can be as small and insignificant as a cluttered bedroom, with clothes strewn around the floor; as inconvenient and annoying as a clouded mind, preoccupied with threads of relentless worries; or as big and scary as the looming reality of a world at war and straining under economic threats, one that is beyond our control. 

Addressing the idea of chaos in 2025 is not very original. With the ongoing climate crisis, the global disordered politics, and issues surrounding AI uncertainty - the future feels so unstable at times it’s practically impossible to imagine, and is obviously something we all talk about one way or another. 

But we’re not here to be the reminders of doom-and-gloom, quite the opposite. Whatever it is that presents itself as the uneven ground of reality you tread on at the moment, we’re here with an invitation to look at the situation from a different perspective. One which shows creativity has the power to not only to act as solace, but to encourage us all to harness the messy parts of our existence to our creativity’s benefit. 

In times like these, when utter confusion seems to seep from wherever we turn our heads to, it can be extra-beneficial to remember the ways in which creativity is here for us:

Flip your labeling 

Mindset is everything. Instead of thinking of chaos as a problem or an obstacle, reframe it as something useful. Times of chaos might be challenging and not very fun to live through, but as we all know - challenge is where growth happens. Think of whatever mess you might experience at the moment as something that is there for a reason, even if that reason is completely unclear yet. It’s easier said than done of course, but as soon as you start to tickle that thought, it can create a transformation in your attitude and open up new avenues for dealing with the situation.  

Let The Undermind take center stage 

As designers, our mind is usually geared towards finding a solution. We are presented with a brief, a project, a task - and we are there to solve it. It’s very tempting to give in to this way of thinking, as it allows us to feel meaningful and productive. But when we encounter chaos—whether that’s in the way the project is presented to us or perhaps that’s how we may respond to it—it can be quite beneficial to drop the ‘fixer’ attitude, at least for a while. 

It doesn't mean that we’re not still working on the issue, but with a different approach. Rather than striving for a concrete solution, we’re instead gathering data, collecting information, asking questions, and just sitting with the mess. This way of thinking, often referred to as The Undermind Thinking Mode (a term coined by cognitive scientist Guy Claxton in his book Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind) is going against the dominating analytical thinking mind we are used to operating in and which favours quick answers and deliberate research. The Undermind asks for patience, time, and an ability to stay with the unknown - the chaos. Only by allowing those, will it produce the more innovative and interesting ideas to consider. 

A beautiful mess 

“I believe that the most underrated characteristic in a good designer is being messy. While it may seem chaotic on the surface, it often indicates a creative and free-thinking mind. In the process of work, there's always an expectation for order and organization, but I think that chaos is an important part of creation, at least for me. If I work in a tidy manner, mistakes may not occur and I believe that sometimes, the greatest magic is found in mistakes, leading us to new directions we hadn't considered before.” 

These wise words by designer Noa Beyo are a great reminder that we need chaos in order to realize the full potential of our creativity. When everything goes according to plan and in an orderly manner, we actually miss out on so many opportunities to expand our ways of thinking and creating. If we embrace chaos - as an idea as much as in practice - we can carve new pathways for ourselves and our expression. 

Trust the process  

In 1926 British psychologist Graham Wallas proposed one of the first complete modules of the creative process - offering the four-stage cycle of preparation, incubation, illumination and verification as the blueprint for the ways creativity emerges and happens. As the creative mind diverges and converges back and forth, it allows for thoughts and information to germinate and later on flourish and surface as creative ideas. The incubation part of the cycle is one which reminds us, yet again, the importance of being able to sit with chaos. In this stage the creative basically “...allows all the information they’ve gathered to simmer and marinate… let it work their magic together and interact with each other’s qualities”.  Similarly to the way the previously mentioned Undermind works, the creative process demands us to give time and patience in order to actually produce something meaningful - all we need to do it trust it.

A balm for the soul 

Lastly, the power dynamics between creativity and chaos is of a reciprocal nature. As much as chaos feeds creativity and allows it to flourish when we let it, creativity has the power to nourish our messy brains and relax us in times when we’re under stress. Even when things feel so out of control, the agency to create is always there. Either by relaxing into calming practices such as mindless doodling or painting for the sheer fun of it, or even by taking the subject matter of our stress and creating around it - the possibilities are there for us. Use whatever it is that’s troubling you - and use it as fuel for creation.