In conversation with designer Hector MacLean
By Molly Hickey
To me, Hector screamed stardom the moment we met – a symptom of unapologetically, and (his own words) irrationally, leading with the heart. The following outlines some of what we discussed in a conversation regarding the challenges and glory of artist life, and this self-illuminating and puzzling question of why we create, and how to stay true to this while also enjoying food and shelter.
All roads appear to lead back to balance.
It seems the simple answer to ‘why we create’ is love…though what love is is both beautifully simple and not, and thus subject to gross misinterpretation.
This love is described by Hector not as ecstatic, but as subtle fulfilment. A feeling that one’s doing what they’re meant to be, aligning the worlds within and without. Shedding light on imbalance, and addressing (or in Hector’s case, dressing) it.
“Everything I create is for me.”
Hector’s creations play with balance in bringing classic to modern; scraps to high fashion; masculine to feminine and vice versa. This balance of masc and fem seems to be thematic of our era, and essential for creation.
Too great an emphasis on what is referred to as masculine energy can lead to soulless results, exemplified by goal orientated mass production of fast fashion. Creative exploits dominated by feminine energy can lack clarity, distinctive originality, or execution all together, where ideas remain dreams.
Balance of both energies is critical, and perhaps reflecting or tuning this balance is the purpose of art, as an imprint of soul in the material. So when art becomes an industry, there is an opportunity for its contribution to be recognized, shared, and supported within collective society. Though the meeting of art with current philosophies of economy present challenges that seem to either reinforce this balance through necessity or render art unsustainable.
“Make time for wellness or one will be forced to make time for illness.”
Hector MacLean
Judgement is toxic to creativity, and yet creative industries are amongst the most ‘competitive’. This can breed jealousy and ruthlessly unsustainable lifestyles, neglecting the value of affording mistakes and invariably invoking burnout as a reminder of the need for balance. What does judgement do to art? And how can we keep competition in balance so that it promotes the expression of passion, freedom, and love that creative industries are born from?
Hector advises, having gone through the jealousy journey, that “insecurity is the only thing that creates jealousy. Love what you’re doing, ensure you’re passionate about it, then you won’t have that experience of jealousy.”
Where balance is both the reason we create, and the means by which we stay true to the love that gives power and value to these creations, I leave you with some gems shared by Hector on maintaining it, and thereby true to why we create. Sometimes, when it’s what the heart wants, the universe won’t let us do anything else:
- It’s a marathon. Pace yourself and respect your body – without it what’s the point?
- Rejection is redirection
- You won’t reach a ‘level of success’ that you don’t feel jealous, you’ll be successful when you don’t feel jealousy.
- Your mission is going to be very different to someone else’s. Honour what you will achieve, celebrate that, recognize that this will be different for all of us.
- Mistakes allow us to evolve – without them we stagnate
- Create the world you want to see. Stick to your guns. What you give yourself with your art is what you’re going to five others through it.
- And remember, it’s all about love