How I became a Creator (and almost gave up)
New (vulnerable) personal growth story in "The Creator Path" monthly rubric.
Hello everyone 👋 I’m Kate Syuma, and welcome to Growthmates.news — the newsletter where we explore growth stories to inspire your professional and personal growth. Join the community of 6,900+ Product, Design, and Growth people from companies like Amplitude, Intercom, Miro, Atlassian, Grammarly, Framer, and more.
People often ask me: Kate, you’re doing so many things in parallel — how should we introduce you? After turning 29, that question started hitting differently. The identity crisis felt stronger than ever.
We used to have job titles that were clear and passed down through generations — doctor, teacher, lawyer. But since starting my own path, the things I’m doing don’t fit neatly into any traditional category.
So, my usual answer is: I’m the Founder of Growthmates — my playground for advising, teaching, consulting, creating, and experimenting with different career trajectories.
But there’s another word I’ve been using more often lately: I’m a CREATOR 💫. I’ve shared before, in “The Creator Path” rubric, what it means to be a creator.
Today, I want to treat these next couple of hours as a dialogue with myself. To look back and forward, explore the challenges I’ve faced, and unpack why I’ve chosen to identify as a creator.
This format was inspired by questions from the book, “In the Company of Women”. It’s given me energy countless times when I almost gave up.
Credit for these beautifully designed prompts goes to Grace Bonney — and I hope they spark your own self-reflection, alongside mine.
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Now, let’s dive into today’s story 👇
1. What did you want to be when you were a child?
When I was 6, I wanted to be a beauty specialist, like my mother.
In secondary school, I dreamed of becoming an interior designer — my father was the head of a construction office.
By the time I reached high school, I wanted a high-value specialty, so I decided to study IT & Business Informatics. Any similarities? 😉
It seems I was gradually giving up on my creative identity. When I was studying fine arts, I remember a teacher telling me, “Kate, you’re smart. Choose a job that can pay for your living. And this is NOT drawing pictures.”
That’s how I ended up chasing the dream of becoming an interior designer. It was a painful moment, but also a rational lesson to learn.
And to be honest, I’m still answering this question every single day — with curiosity and energy: “Who do I want to be?”
My answer today: I want to be MANY things at once. I want to turn my diverse interests into different roles, contribute to the world by creating beautiful and ethical experiences that make our human lives better, and carve out space for my creative passions. I want to inspire others through the content I create.
P.S.
shared this beautifully in his recent post, too.2. At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
Today, I’ll answer this from the perspective of being a creator in the broadest sense — writing this newsletter, building a course, hosting a podcast, leading workshops, and running design sprints that inspire teams around the world to think differently about product and professional growth 🌿.
I believe the calling to create is something we’re born with. Most of us recognise it in childhood — and somewhere along the way, we forget.
As
says, “Every human is a creator by nature.”
For me, that calling showed up early:
As a child, I spent hours drawing in my spare time.
As a teenager, I wrote stories, diaries, and essays — and was recognised for them at school.
As an individual contributor, I designed product solutions at Miro used by millions.
As a company leader, I created workshops, processes, and infographics to bring complex ideas to life visually.
Now, I’m creating things thousands of people consume daily. But I almost lost that spark in my leadership role and again when I started my solopreneur journey.
As an advisor, you don’t always produce tangible outcomes — the team executes your ideas. I realised that wasn’t enough for me; I needed to make something myself.
So I made a deliberate choice to protect time for creating, even if it meant saying no to mediocre projects. And I’m glad I did — it brought me back to what I value most: making things that didn’t exist before.
3. What is your favorite thing about your workspace that helps you be creative?
Remember when I said I wanted to be an interior designer? My home has become my main project in keeping that dream alive.
I have around 20 plants in my home, most of them in the room where I work. I’ve surrounded myself with things that reflect my different interests — books on psychology, art posters, work-in-progress paintings, a yoga mat, and candles.
It can look a bit messy sometimes — and I like it that way. My brain is used to keeping everything under control, so now I’m re-training it to embrace the mess 😅 and find some tranquility in chaos.
I love opening the window, letting fresh air in, lighting a candle, and starting my day with an inspiring read.
In the same room, I’ve created three different spots to work from — a desk, a chair, and a cushion by the window. I switch between them throughout the day to keep my thoughts fresh and dynamic.
4. In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I keep reminding myself that uncertainty is the only constant in an ever-changing world. As human beings, we tend to cling to stability, but my current life is anything but stable. Projects change, some things work, others don’t, and it can be tempting to give up.
When I feel truly stuck, I remind myself: it’s all temporary, you’ll figure it out. I also make a conscious effort to notice everything I already have — relationships, community, projects, a safe environment — and express daily gratitude for it.
Even five minutes in the morning can make a difference. Asking myself in my journal, “Who are you grateful for today?” works like magic and instantly calms my nervous system.
5. What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
I’ll keep this part short. I’ve collected many quotes in journals and notes over the years, but the one that has always guided me as a compass is:
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
It comes from Alfred Tennyson’s Ulysses, but I remember it from a different source. My dad said it to me often when I was growing up as a young girl, trying to avigate in this messy world. Since he passed away several years ago, it has become an anchor for me, a way to hold on to his encouragement and belief in me when I was still figuring out who I wanted to be.
Sadly, he can’t see what I’m building today. This phrase remains my compass in the lifelong search for my own path🖤.
6. What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
One simple thing — be in nature 🌿. If I need immediate time with myself, I go to my small garden and work from there for a while. If the energy and inspiration drop feels bigger, I plan a retreat or vacation where I can spend more time alone and draw inspiration from two sources: access to my inner thoughts and the outer world I can observe in silence.
Looking back 👀 These are 10 things that helped me become a Cretator (when I almost gave up)
Reconnecting with my inner child 👧 — holding on to what made me curious and alive.
Saying no to energy drains 🙅♀️ — avoiding clients and projects that don’t align with my values.
Shaping my environment around what I love 🌿 — favourite books, inspiring art, plants, and several spots to sit and think.
Protecting creative time in the calendar ⏳ — treating it as a non-negotiable meeting with myself.
Balancing creating and consuming ⚖️ — limiting endless scrolling and making space for learning or making something new.
Celebrating small wins 🎉 — acknowledging progress instead of waiting for a “big moment.” Like here, I celebrated 18k followers on LinkedIn — for some, it may be small, but it took me 2 years to build that community.
Surrounding myself with brave, creative people ✨ — those who embrace change and inspire me to do the same. This is the purpose of the Growthmates podcast, and I’m silently working on the next season's idea.
Finding stillness in nature 🌳 — even 10 minutes outside clears the mind and sparks ideas.
Embracing the “creative mess” 🎨 — letting my workspace stay alive and imperfect so ideas can flow.
Anchoring with guiding intentions 📜 — words that remind me why I started. Remember? “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Before you go...
Beyond the personal stories I share here, my mission is to help you build and grow meaningful products that delight your users. I know that many product and growth leaders are reading this newsletter, so here are some ways I can be useful:
User-centric Growth Course (August cohort sold out 🏁, next one in October)
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This is all for today, dear readers. If you found this helpful — please share your reaction and leave some comments 💜 It would give a huge support for me to continue creating this!
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With best regards,
Kate Syuma
Wow! 20 plants is a lot — how do you keep them alive? 😁🙈