How Creativity Can Help You Psychologically

Nobody can deny that life has been rough - at the least, challenging - since March 11, 2020 when the pandemic started. This blog is about how creativity can help you.

I’m familiar with the daily hovering threats of disease and death after spending many months in hospital with my mother, who died of complications caused by cancer in 2018 after three long years. The short periods in remission were like the short periods of freedom from the lockdown. We tried to get back to normal but the next piece of bad news was waiting around the corner. Finally, there was no normal, only the ability to adapt to the next emergency.

There is a special kind of resilience needed when dealing with medical emergencies which drain you of physical and psychological strength. This resilience stems from our creative centers. Somehow we find ways to create hopeful scenarios to motivate ourselves for the next hospital visit, the next show of strength for our loved one who needs us.

Deep down, there is a drive to stay positive for others. But what about for ourselves? A creative outlet can be incredibly good for the psychology.

Creative stamina

What if this creative stamina can be built upon and become a productive part of our lives? You may not be used to thinking of yourself as an artist but perhaps you have more inner creativity than you think.

The arts have long been linked with therapy. Music is proven to help the psychology. Art therapy is cathartic and so is writing down our emotions. Working with clay, cooking, gardens, mosaics, any craft gives you a productive feeling of satisfaction. You have created something with your hands and your heart.

I believe this is because our souls crave beauty, it’s one of the things that makes life worth living. The values of the arts; creativity, harmony, proportion, perspective and balance all add up to beauty.

Beauty in the form of art supersedes and transcends our daily problems and fears. If we can notice the sky’s beauty even in our worst moments, we can transcend our suffering and find inner peace.

Perhaps we can even realise that we cause our own suffering to a large extent. How far do our egos have to break down before we open up to the Universe’s creative energy?

We’re here for such a brief time, it seems paramount to create beauty as much as possible - for ourselves in the moment and for future generations to enjoy.

How to trigger your creativity

The first question you have may be: how can I trigger my creativity?

Examine what you are thinking right now. What is your mind focused upon? On your fears about COVID-19? On worries about your health and the health of your loved ones?

Making a start with creativity is as simple as writing down those feelings.

Now that they’re written down, you may notice that it is the uncertainty that is frightening - the unknown, the feeling that everything is upside down and unpredictable. Everything is changing.

Change is a creative resource. Uncertainty is another creative resource.

Nobody has all the answers and we’re all doing our best within our capabilities and personal resources. All other things being equal, creativity is what makes the difference in our quality of life.

Having written down our feelings, already we have expressed ourselves. Already we are creative. Already there is the potential to transform our emotions into something beautiful.

Take classes in something creative

There’s nothing like taking classes in something creative to get your energy flowing in the right direction, I can’t recommend it enough. One idea is to think back to what you enjoyed as a kid and find a class for it. These days, there are online classes for so many of the creative arts.

Later on, you never know, it might mean a side business or bring other benefits.

I’ll end this blog with a piece of advice - listen to your inner voice when it tells you to create, you never know where it might lead.

Photo: Flower Power by Sarah Fenwick