Creativity and Wellness
There’s the old fallacy that the best writers are angry, the best artists are starving, and the best comedians are as depressed as the day is long. Those are a series of myths designed to make people feel bad about holding day jobs and seeing therapists, and to justify people paying a pittance for hard work. In fact, some of us are at our most creative when we are feeling our best personally. From the other end of it, it is also true that creativity has the ability to increase our well-being. Here are some ideas for using your creativity to feel better, and vice versa.
Use Your Writers Block
Most writers procrastinate heavily as part of the writing process, so look at your writers block as an opportunity to not feel bad about the fact that you don’t have any ideas, but feel good about the fact that once you do have an idea, you have a place to put it down. Get up and actively procrastinate, and you’ll find soon enough those endorphins are making you think about all kinds of things – eventually your mind will find its way back to where you were, and you’ll have gotten some exercise in.
Blank Canvassing
Feeling good but not creative? Put out a blank canvas or sheet of paper or block of clay or even a big skein of yarn. Let it sit somewhere where you’ll notice it whenever you pass it. If you’re feeling good, and you’re up and about, eventually that blank canvas is going to call to you, and you’ll have an idea.
Alternatively, draw a line on the canvas or write a word on the page whenever you pass by, slowly making it into something. Eventually, you’ll realize you’ve started a brand new piece, and you’ll be inspired, increasing your creative and overall wellness.
Freeform Brainstorm
Sometimes the problem with brainstorming is that you can get too bogged down in what you’re supposed to be concentrating on. If you’re a super creative, you might have too many ideas about too many things. One fun solution is to take a walk and just start thinking about projects you’re working or have been wanting to start, and letting the ideas wash over you without writing them down. These can eventually coalesce into something to be creative with. If you’re afraid of letting ideas go, record a voice memo from your front pocket and just pretend like you’re on a phone call.
Draw it Out
Feeling creative but low on the wellness side? Draw or write out your fantasy. What do you wish would happen today? It can be as realistic as a home cooked meal or as fantastic as winning the lottery. You can find some peace of mind by living these things out in your brain, and for practical things, you might find that writing or drawing them out is a way to understand the steps to get there, or at least get a nice rush from your strong imagination.
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