Am I innovative or just creative?

If you ask me how do I express my creativity, my answer is through kākahu, makeup and accessories. I use my imagination to think of outfit combinations – whether I pull apart, rip or add pieces to an item to fit a particular look or pair together items that clash but make sense in my head. To me, that’s my way of expressing creativity…. through Fashion.

Creativity through fashion, is having a never ending list of outfit combinations without limitations. It’s hard to measure exactly where I sit on the creativity spectrum but I know that I have an infinite number of ideas that I think are unique and fresh.

But It makes me think……. If I know I’m capable of being creative, how do I then become innovative?

In the 2005 GEM report, the research ranked Māori entrepreneurs as third in the world for early-stage entrepreneurial activity, could I contribute to these statistics?… As I read on further, the report also said that Māori have a very low success rate. Again, will that be me?

How do I turn my creative whakaaro, something that I’m passionate about into a realised concept?. I got it, I’ll be a fashion designer (problem solved) BUT, it’s really not as simple as it sounds. I mean, many Māori entrepreneurs have their own fashion line, so how am I being innovative if there is already something in the market that does the same thing that I want to do?!.

This is another reason why it’s taking so long for me to follow through with my creativity and passion for fashion, because I’m still finding ways that differentiates my kākahu from others. Or is it even the kākahu, maybe it’s the purpose and kaupapa behind why I’m making these kākahu. What can I provide my audience that makes them see the value in what I’m producing?. I don’t have the answer just yet but it’s something that I constantly think about.

So I sit and I think (again), am I innovative or am I just creative? E Aua?