Config 2025: The art of not naming your layers with Inga Hampton | Figma

Summary

In this engaging talk, Ena Hampton shares her creative journey, embracing chaos and imperfection in the design process. She discusses her unconventional approach to design, particularly how she avoids perfect organization in her layers and embraces a messy, organic process in Figma. Ena explores the importance of slowing down, letting go of perfectionism, and rediscovering the joy in creation. Through personal anecdotes, including her childhood and current life on a farm, she emphasizes the value of creative play, experimentation, and confidence, urging others to embrace the chaos in their own creative practices.

Takeaways

• 😀 Embrace the chaos in your creative process – it leads to unexpected and valuable results.
• 😀 Creativity isn’t about perfection or speed, but about enjoying the messy and unstructured process.
• 😀 Modern creative tools can be restrictive – don’t let them limit your exploration and experimentation.
• 😀 The creative process is not about efficiency. It’s about satisfaction and enjoying the journey.
• 😀 Sometimes, embracing imperfections in your work makes it feel more human and authentic.
• 😀 Play is an essential element of creativity – it encourages freedom and confidence in your work.
• 😀 Confidence in creativity comes from experimentation, not from having talent or being perfect.
• 😀 Don’t worry about the end result – the mistakes and chaos along the way are where the magic happens.
• 😀 Creativity should be slow and deliberate. Take your time and don’t rush the process.
• 😀 Step away from the computer and engage in physical activities like gardening or painting to refresh your creative mind.
• 😀 Allow yourself to be bad at something – failure is a key part of creative growth and learning.

Q & A

Why does Ena embrace creative chaos in her design process?

Ena embraces creative chaos as a way to let go of perfectionism, rediscover joy in the creative process, and allow space for experimentation and growth. She believes that creativity isn't about speed or efficiency but about the journey and the mistakes that lead to unexpected results.

What role do layers play in Ena's design process?

In Ena's design process, layers are an essential part of her workflow, though she intentionally avoids naming them for a more relaxed, non-perfectionist approach. Her layers can appear chaotic, but this reflects her creativity and freedom in working without rigid organization, allowing her to explore ideas more freely.

How does Ena use Figma in her design work?

Ena uses Figma primarily for creating illustrations, where she begins with basic shapes and layers, then adds effects like blurs, blend modes, and lighting to craft more organic and dimensional designs. She values blur and grain as key elements to make her work feel more natural and less sterile.

What is Ena's view on efficiency in creativity?

Ena believes that efficiency and perfectionism can limit creativity. She feels that the pressure to work quickly and perfectly is harmful, and creativity should not be about speed. Instead, it should be about satisfaction and the process of exploring and experimenting.

Why does Ena favor a messy creative process?

Ena values the messy process because it allows for more freedom and spontaneity. She compares it to childlike play, where the lack of constraints leads to genuine creativity. For her, it's more important to get lost in the process and enjoy the exploration than to focus on an immaculate end result.

What does Ena mean by 'creative soul'?

Ena refers to 'creative soul' as the essence of creativity that comes from the journey of making something. It’s not just about the final product but about the learning, mistakes, and personal growth that occur throughout the creative process.

How does Ena incorporate the concept of 'play' into her creative work?

Ena integrates play into her work by allowing herself to experiment without pressure or purpose, much like how children explore and create freely. She believes this sense of play helps her lose self-consciousness and immerse herself in the process, which is key to creativity.

Why does Ena not worry about being fast or efficient in her creative process?

Ena rejects the notion that creativity should be fast or efficient. She values the time spent exploring, experimenting, and embracing mistakes, which she feels leads to better and more meaningful results. For her, creativity is about the experience, not the speed of completion.

What childhood experiences shaped Ena's approach to creativity?

Ena’s childhood experiences in an unrestricted creative environment, where her parents were hands-on creators in woodworking and engineering, influenced her approach to creativity. She learned to embrace raw materials and the process of making things from scratch, which shapes how she works today, even in digital spaces like Figma.

How does Ena's approach to creativity relate to the tools available in the industry?

Ena believes that while the tools available for creativity—like AI or design software—are useful, they can also be restrictive if they limit how one can work. She prefers a more freeform approach that allows for experimentation and playing with tools in unexpected ways rather than adhering to a rigid toolset designed for specific tasks.