We’re all a product of our environments. From our family units to our friendships to the surroundings we encounter each day, pretty much everything we’ve been told about “how the world works” and our position in it forms most of the decisions we make—and, more importantly, what we believe is possible, both for ourselves and for others. We grow up with biases around money, power, success, race, politics, and religion that are as invisible as the air we breathe—that is, until we realize we have the agency to challenge the worldview we’ve been raised in.

Today we have a new kind of invisible bubble forming our perspectives—one made up of echo chambers and algorithms designed to show us a world that reflects ourselves and our viewpoints back to us. 

We see a world that reflects only what we already think to be true.

When we’re bombarded with sameness, we become immune to the power and pleasure of new discoveries and lessons. We move on before we are able to process and appreciate the newness in our change of perspective.

When we’re bombarded with sameness, we become immune to the power and pleasure of new discoveries and lessons. We move on before we are able to process and appreciate the newness in our change of perspective.

The most pivotal and important moments in my life have come from a person or event that cracked the foundation of what I thought was true about myself and the world around me; that opened up chasms which challenged the way I saw the future, what was within my reach, and how I could show up in the world. 

This month, we’ll be talking about what it means to actively break out of our own boxes. To find the humility to listen; to wait before we shout; to let the discomfort of discourse be less about the negative reflection it shows of ourselves, and more about the possibility of a new way of considering a truth you’ve always held as self-evident.  

This theme is about breaking out of existing algorithms and actively bringing in new information and outlooks. It’s also about breaking out of the boxes and confines we’ve created for ourselves. It’s about ridding ourselves of the self-imposed (or societally imposed) restrictions we tend to place on our relationships, our careers, our senses of style, our aesthetics in design.

What if we ignored the pressures we feel from ourselves and others in order to pursue the lives we actually want to live? What if we applied for jobs for which we aren’t “perfectly” qualified on paper? What if we pursued a new hobby, asked someone out on a date, wore something entirely out of the box, despite the fear of what someone else might think of our decision?

What if we learned to disregard the voices in our heads that tell us we aren’t good enough? What would our lives look like then?

The most pivotal and important moments in my life have come from a person or event that cracked the foundation of what I thought was true about myself and the world around me.

This month, our contributors will be exploring the benefits of getting creative, for the delight of no one else but ourselves. They’ll be writing about convincing ways to apply for a job, even when you’re not qualified, and how you can infuse joy into your home through decor. I’ll be sharing how we can break out of boxes in our daily lives, along with design tips and so much more. We can’t wait to share it all with you in the coming weeks!

In the month ahead (and beyond), let’s ask ourselves: How can breaking out of our boxes not only make us better consumers of information but also bring back inspiration, uniqueness, and the joy of seeing the world outside our collective consensus? 

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.