A growing body of research suggests that creativity – from music to art, drama to film, reading to storytelling, pottery to baking and gardening – is good for our health.
Creativity can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, it can give our brains space away from worries and from the stresses of life, it can be a strategy for mindfulness and meditation. It can also activate the many different parts of our brains involved in memory, focus and concentration, as well as improving co-ordination. We get an extra layer of benefit if we practise creative activities with other people, because we can also reduce loneliness and isolation and foster a sense of community.
So why don’t we, on the whole, value creativity as a viable strategy for our well-being? There are many reasons – societal, system-based and attitudinal, but on an individual level, one reason why we may not use it as a day-to-day strategy is the word itself.
Many of us have a conditioned idea about what creativity means and what it looks like. We often get labelled when we are young as either being creative or not creative, and we believe that label and we let it dictate what we are open to or what we try in the future.
I believe very strongly that all of us are creative beings – human nature, by definition, has creativity as a common thread. We have evolved to adapt, to come up with new ways of navigating life, and to create. So, I wanted to break open some myths about what creativity actually is, to support all of us to find that creative element within us, and then to use it to support how we feel.
Creativity has many faces
Creativity is not just an artwork hanging in a gallery or an amazing piece of music. It can be all kinds of things and manifest in all kinds of ways. The word itself means to make something new. That might be problem-solving and finding a way around a really tricky issue in life, it might be working towards opening up a new job opportunity, it might be finding a different way to deliver a lecture, speech or workshop you have been giving for years. It may also be finding new ways of communicating with someone you love and creating a new way of being in your relationship. Many people divide science from art, but both are creative and explore new things. What we produce doesn’t have to be visual to be creative – coding a computer game, gaming itself or designing a new way to organise your computer files in your desktop can be creative. So, if you think you aren’t creative, think again.
Creativity comes and goes
When life is hard and things get tough, we may find it harder to feel or be creative. And there is a good reason for that. Sometimes there are periods of life when we just need to survive and get through the basics. We have to knuckle down and we don’t have the energy necessary to create anything new. This can be frustrating if we are naturally creative, but we need to accept that there are times for expansion and for the new in life, and there are times for consolidation and for rest and recovery. Identify these times, accept them and wait for them to pass, because they always do. Creativity never disappears and it is not finite.
Creativity changes
We may have formed an identity for ourselves that is in a particular area – for example, we may be a good baker, an excellent singer, or someone who loves their garden. It can be easy to stay set in this one area – but remember: creativity and the type of area you are being creative in can change, too, and sometimes that’s very healthy. Get creative in how you are being creative – take opportunities to learn new things, to experience different stuff and to meet new people. This keeps our desire and skill set alive and resilient. So try new things, keep changing and keep using creativity to help you feel good.