When Roadblocks Become Stepping Stones: Finding Growth in the Unexpected

It's Sunday morning in LA, just after 9 AM, and I'm sitting cross-legged on my apartment floor surrounded by fabric scraps, sketches, and an embarrassingly large coffee. The October sunlight is streaming through my window, casting these dramatic shadows across my half-finished designs that somehow look more artistic than the actual work.

I've been thinking about obstacles lately. Yesterday after writing about how our connections shape us, I hit a major creative block with my midterm project. Like, stared-at-blank-paper-for-three-hours kind of block. The kind where you question every life choice that led you to fashion school and contemplate if it's too late to become a dog walker instead.

But something clicked around midnight (thank you, third cup of coffee). What if obstacles aren't actually roadblocks but redirections? What if they're not saying "stop" but "go another way"?

Looking back at this week's journey – from Monday's camera roll revelation to yesterday's reflection on relationships – I'm starting to see how every obstacle has actually pushed me toward something better than my original plan. Tuesday's design catastrophe forced me to try a technique I'd been too scared to attempt. Professor Chen's unexpected B+ made me reconsider what "success" actually looks like.

Even that terrible fabric I accidentally ordered (who knew "midnight blue" could look so... purple?) led to a color combination I never would have consciously chosen but that somehow works perfectly.

It reminds me of something my mom said over lunch yesterday: "The detours often become the destination." At the time, I thought she was just trying to make me feel better about my third major change in freshman year, but maybe she was dropping some serious wisdom.

There's this strange comfort in realizing that obstacles aren't evidence that I'm on the wrong path but part of the actual journey itself. Like maybe the universe isn't testing me but teaching me. The roadblocks are the education.

So this morning, I'm embracing the mess – both literally (my apartment is a disaster zone of creative chaos) and figuratively. I'm letting go of my carefully plotted design plan and following where the obstacles lead me instead.

Maybe true growth isn't about avoiding the roadblocks but learning to see them as stepping stones. Not about having a perfect path, but about becoming someone who knows how to navigate the unexpected turns.