In the movie Kiki's Delivery Service, Kiki basically takes a break from doing what she loves best because she lost her "touch" or her ability to fly. (Due to the fact that she didn't enjoy it as much as she used to.) In the end, Kiki eventually is able to use her powers again because she uses it for an emergency and she seems to enjoy her powers again forevermore.
Stop there. What Kiki doesn't show you is that in the Japanese version of the movie, she is still no longer able to talk to her cat (whereas in the English version, she is.) As much as I love the warm, cuddly feeling that we get from the Disney-esque version the English language has converted Kiki's ending to, there's a sense of strength that you get from the Japanese version that I don't think we see enough. Kiki loses her long time friend and is forced to move on from thinking like a child anymore. I think at one point in every designer's life we eventually have a turning point that creates a barrier from enjoying what we once used to. In fact, there might be more than one barrier. And this is tough.
These barriers lead to frustrating attempts at trying to create what we're used to. It tries to stop us from growing and learning. And sticking in a rut is where we actually might find comfort. Some might even grow up.
But I think in the end, we have to see the barriers as detours. Detours to get to a new road, to a new door, and to a new place of imagination and understanding that will allow you to expand your opportunities. By getting stuck in a rut or hitting a barrier, we realize that there are other things out there waiting to be explored. So, in a positive and optimistic "cup is half full" view, the sad feeling that we can't talk to our cat anymore can really make us stronger, and make us realize that there's something new out there that we enjoy.
