For years, thinking outside the box was the ultimate creative instruction. A phrase that promised freedom and originality. It suggested that creativity should live somewhere beyond familiarity, outside what was already known. But where are we now?

Disclaimer: This material was first published in the special print issue of The Sandy Times Newspaper, created for House of Porsche. This digital version has been adapted for online publication.

Dubai-based creative Lea Hadidian says:

Instead of pushing outward, Lea talks about going inward. About paying attention not to trends, references, or what has already been validated, but to what actually feels true.

“For me, ‘outside’ isn’t the right direction. Real originality doesn’t come from the “outside”. It comes from going inward. From understanding your perspective, your taste, your rhythm. That’s how identity is built”, says Lea.

When everything is visible, searchable, and endlessly recycled, novelty alone stops meaning much. Most aesthetics already exist. Most ideas have been explored. When you chase differences externally, you often end up in the same place — just rearranged.

Lea shares: “The interesting thing is… you can’t truly be different if you’re constantly looking outside yourself. If you’re always outsourcing inspiration or looking for what feels new somewhere else, you end up bringing back ideas that already exist.

Everything has already been done in some way. What hasn’t been done is you doing it.”

That is where originality starts to look like identity. But the problem is that identity takes time. And time doesn’t fit neatly into the current rhythm.

“We live in a very distracted time. A lot of people move quickly, consume quickly, react quickly. Sitting with your thoughts or emotions isn’t always the norm. So when you’re comfortable going inward or expressing something more layered, it can sometimes feel unfamiliar to others.

I don’t see it as better or worse… It’s just different rhythms. I’ve learned to be okay with that. Not everyone has to understand your depth for it to be valid.”

Some ideas are made to move fast. Others take time. And that is fine.

“Thinking differently doesn’t always get noticed right away. Depth isn’t the loudest thing in the room. It is usually quieter. It usually connects with a smaller, more intentional audience, and that kind of growth takes time.”

And Lea is firmly on the side of that kind of depth: “I create for myself first. External opinions don’t really change how I move.”

There is something steady about that approach: letting work exist without constantly asking it to prove itself, and trusting your own pace instead of measuring it against someone else’s.

“Being true to myself has shaped my work, my friendships, my relationships. I try every single day to be more aware, more honest, more aligned with who I really am. That consistency has built a strong foundation in my life.

When something isn’t aligned, I lose time and energy. When I stay within my boundaries, there’s less comparison. Less pressure to prove something.”

So maybe the question isn’t whether we still need to think outside the box. Maybe the real question is whether we are moving in a way that actually makes sense for us.

“Whether you’re inside or outside the box doesn’t really matter if you don’t know yourself.”

There is a lot happening outside. But most of the work starts inside.