Bringing the Healing Power of Creativity into Your Life
Tears well up when I listen to songs like Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you,” I can lose myself in the color and shapes of a Kandinsky painting, and Alvin Ailey’s “Revelation” will fill me with joy and open my heart. Although I had experienced the power of artistic expression, I had never pondered it as something that could help me live the life I wanted.
I had learned that good things occur only through purposeful linear focus. I had thought that art was a path to life satisfaction for those with talent and I wasn’t an artist. Granted I had danced ballet during high school, but that was over 30 years ago, and my body is very different now.
As a physician, I relied and depended on logic and facts. I had done so for years, decades. I focused my time on doing what was “productive.” It wasn’t until I experienced burnout and started to see the value of slowing down, that I gave myself permission to do things that were seemingly without purpose, that I did for the joy of creation and connection.
Roadblocks to creativity
Roadblocks to creativity include our own definition that we aren’t creative, a false notion of productivity (i.e. we need to be productive all the time and art is not productive), and fear of vulnerability and judgment from others.
Like I did, many people define themselves as being NOT creative. I’ve come to believe that there is no such thing as being NOT creative, it is more about whether we give ourselves permission or not. Most lose creativity somewhere in childhood, when society gets hung up on purpose, productivity, and perfection.
We may think if we aren’t a “good” painter, singer, dancer, etc., there isn’t value in the activity and deem ourselves as not creative. We don’t give ourselves permission to play.
Vulnerability is uncomfortable for many, myself included. Rather than do something that we aren’t good at or we fear will be judged by others, we say “oh, I’m not creative, I can’t do that.”
With this mindset we are living our lives being dictated from the outside by letting our need for validation drive our choices. If we live from the inside out, we let how we feel about our actions guide our decisions. It isn’t about what we make at the end that matters, rather how we feel doing it.
Creating art and being creative can be calming, promote self-acceptance, confidence, and self-work (Fancourt D et al. 2019).
None of these outcomes is dependent on anyone thinking your work is any good.
My creative awakening
After months of slowing down and taking time for myself in the evenings doing things for pleasure rather than work, I longed to do what I had so enjoyed in high school—dance. It is something I had flirted with for years, but never made time to do. It seemed there was always something else that had a higher priority.
With my new interest and perspective, I found a local studio that had an evening adult class and then pulled out my old ballet slippers. The slippers were a bit hard and the leather cracked. I slipped them on and pointed my feet. The stretch felt familiar. Despite my pull to dance and the familiarity of the ballet slippers, it took courage to show up to the class. I was nervous. Although I had taken ballet classes years ago, it was a new place and new people. I didn’t know what I would be able to do. Would it feel good or just hurt? Some of it did hurt, but a lot of it felt great. I settled into moving with the music and feeling the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints that I had forgotten existed.
At the end of it, I felt rejuvenated and reconnected to my body in a way I hadn’t for years. I drove home with the windows down and playing way too loudly “This is Me” from The Greatest Show on Earth. I felt alive.
My second experience that awakened me to the power of creating occurred when I was at a resort for a week vacation. I had been to this resort multiple times and had typically avoided the art classes favoring exercise classes that seemed to be more productive. This time, I signed up for the watercolor class. It was a brief introduction, and the instructor gave us permission to experiment with color and form, both abstract and realistic. I loved this too. I loved watching the paint move, fulfilling its own destiny, me just an observer. I loved the quietness of it. Once home, I purchased a set of brushes, pain, and paper and began to explore the colors watching what unfolds. The process of watercolor painting is meditative in a simple way. Focusing on the colors and patterns that emerge easily leads to a state of flow where time is suspended.
Bringing creativity into your life
Getting started exploring your creativity can feel daunting. If you had a prior creative passion and dropped it because life got busy. I encourage you to make it a priority and spend time with it again. Your sense of well-being will benefit. It is a form of self-care that will reap personal benefits that all of those in your life will enjoy. If you are one that has denied your creativity since a very young age, your preferred creative expression may not be known to you. In which case, you’ll need to try things on and see how they feel. Regardless of your starting place below are some steps to get you going.
Steps to creativity:
Pick something. Either something that you used to enjoy but stopped doing or something that intrigues you now, or just something that seems accessible. It may be hidden in something that you envy others for doing.
Have a commitment to curiosity. If you don’t like the first thing you tried, then try something else.
Decide on a time. It can be as little as you have. Consistency is more important than quantity of time.
Make your creative pursuit a priority. There will always be things that need to be done. You don’t need to get your checklist done before you rest and rejuvenate through your creativity.
Drop your need to do it “right” or have a specific outcome.
Embrace your vulnerability and playfulness. It can be uncomfortable to be vulnerable. Be compassionate with yourself.
By committing to finding and embracing your creativity, slowing down, and creating for the process of creating rather than the outcome, I’m confident something special will happen and you’ll be hooked too.