Boston based designer urges people to use simple habits to build creative confidence and personal clarity
CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE / ACCESS Newswire / December 1, 2025 / Graphic designer and studio owner Aileen Wisell is calling for greater public awareness around the power of everyday creativity and how small, steady habits can improve focus, confidence, and emotional health. Drawing on her own routines and the lessons she learned growing up in Maine, Wisell says that creativity is not a gift reserved for artists. It is a skill anyone can build with just a few minutes a day.
“Creativity doesn’t need a perfect studio or a big idea,” she says. “It starts in small moments. Watching light change on the rocks at Kettle Cove taught me more about design than any textbook.”
Her message comes at a time when studies show many adults are struggling with creative burnout. According to the American Psychological Association, more than 70 percent of adults say they feel too busy or distracted to do creative work. Research from Stanford also shows that short, low pressure creative tasks produce more consistent long term results than high pressure bursts.
Wisell believes this gap can be closed with accessible daily habits. She points to her own routines as examples others can follow. “I sketch by hand before I ever touch a computer,” she explains. “Ten minutes with a pencil can change the direction of an entire project.” She also keeps a bullet journal, takes photos during walks in Boston, and pulls colors from real life places like Acadia, Portland Head Light, and Sebago Lake. “Nature does the hard part,” she says. “You just have to pay attention.”
Her advocacy also comes from her work mentoring others. Through InnerCity Weightlifting, she helps formerly incarcerated individuals build visual identities for their new businesses. “Design should give people a path forward,” she says. “Even small brands deserve clarity. Everyone deserves a voice.”
Wisell argues that personal creative routines are not just helpful for designers. They are essential tools for anyone trying to build confidence, process stress, or express ideas. She points out that even her earliest work in high school, from yearbook layouts to the award winning poster Drift, came from using simple tools and quiet moments. “One sketch changed my direction,” she says. “You never know which one will change yours.”
She also notes how her career shift to independence was built on the same habits. When she launched Wisell Creative in 2020, she relied on her sketchbooks, moodboards, and personal photo archive to shape her first projects. “Good design isn’t decoration,” she says. “It’s a tool that makes choices easier. And that applies to more than design. Small daily actions make bigger life choices easier too.”
Why the message matters
Research shows that small creative practices can:
Lower stress by up to 60 percent, according to a Drexel University study on art making.
Improve problem solving skills more effectively than traditional brainstorming.
Strengthen memory and emotional regulation.
Increase motivation in other areas of life.
Wisell says the numbers simply confirm what she has lived. “When I take even a few minutes to sketch, journal, or go outside, everything else becomes clearer. Clarity is its own kind of success.”
Start with five minutes
Wisell encourages people to begin with something simple and personal.
“You don’t need special tools,” she says. “Take one photo. Sketch one shape. Write one sentence. Pay attention to one color. Five minutes can shift your whole day.”
She hopes more people will see creativity as a practice that belongs to them. “Everyone has access to small moments,” she says. “Use them. They add up.”
About Aileen Wisell
Aileen Wisell is a Boston based graphic designer and founder of Wisell Creative. Raised in Lexington, Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, she brings New England influences into her branding and identity work. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from MassArt and has worked with clients across wellness, lifestyle, and nonprofit sectors. She is also an active mentor with InnerCity Weightlifting, helping individuals build branding for new ventures.
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Aileen Wisell
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SOURCE: Aileen Wisell
