There is an inner creative genius in all of us.
Yes, it’s true! Tapping into your own innate creativity can help you get through hard times. Creativity has healing benefits, regardless of your artistic abilities. There are so many forms of creativity -- cooking, gardening, painting, coding, dancing, music or making jewelry. We all have an interest or hobby that can be cultivated with our own unique personal imprint of creativity.
Creativity connects us to beauty and our soul
Like meditation, creativity can bring mindfulness front-and-center, and provide relief from our overactive minds.
You don’t have to search far and wide to find numerous articles in accredited medical journals, mainstream news and specialized media that emphasize the health benefits of creativity. In short, multiple studies have confirmed that being creative can increase positive emotions, decrease depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress and even improve immune system functioning.
In “Windows of the Soul,” author Jean Bolen, MD expresses this thought beautifully:
“I think that whenever soul is present, it’s because what you’re doing, whom you’re
with, where you are, evokes love without your thinking about it. You are totally
absorbed in the place or person or event, without ego and without judgement. You are in what the Greeks call Kairos. When you are in Kairos time, you are totally absorbed in what you are doing; you lose track of time. Whether you are in love with a person or in love with a project, it’s the same quality. Time may expand — you feel that the experience has been happening for hours and it’s really only been 45 minutes. Or maybe you’ve spent hours and it seems that only 45 minutes have gone by. Time is not measured. You are participating in time as you make a connection through the deeper, creative parts of yourself. And that connection nourishes the soul, always.”
Take the Creative Challenge
If you are struggling with negative thinking or just feeling a bit “blue,” you can create a connection with the beauty around you. Taking a moment to “stop and smell the roses” begins with STOPPING what you are doing, and then finding something to FOCUS on. Creativity is the window to the universe’s beauty. Inspiration can be found in nature everyday: the flowers reaching out and exploding with their unique prettiness; feathers of a bird in colors that just seem to pair perfectly; or the sunset with its almost unnatural golden pink colorings. If you are in a place where nature isn’t present, you could use an interesting object or even remember something that made you happy recently (or perhaps when you were young).
Once you have a focal point, simply BREATHE, and focus on your breathing. In and out. In and out. Notice the colors and beauty that surround you to open up your own creativity. See where your thoughts take you. You’ll likely lose yourself, forget the time, and provide a respite for the overactive mind.
Enjoy the experience.
