Pillar Of Health: Creativity

Here are the Pillars of Health as I (and others) see them: 

1. Movement
2. Community & Relationships
3. Mindfulness
4. Environment
5. Food & Nutrition
6. Sleep

and ta dah! Number 7:

CREATIVITY

So...

What is Creativity?

Do you feel you’re creative?

How does creativity effect your health?

Let's dig in shall we? 

photo by davisuko

The word CREATE comes from the Latin word CREARE meaning to make or create.

Here are some slightly varied definitions on that theme:

• To cause to exist; bring into being
• To give rise to; produce
• To produce through artistic or imaginative effort
• The creation of something new that has value (which begs the question - value to whom?)

For me CREATIVITY is a big Pillar of Health because of my past life as a professional dancer as well as my upbringing in which creating something (pretty much out of nothing) was considered normal behaviour.

My mom made all our clothes, still knits and does needlework, and in one famous family story from the 70's started saving the styrofoam clamshells that our McDonalds burgers came in because she thought that surely, in some fashion, they could be re-purposed.

My dad loved art, was involved in community theatre, and took up painting when he retired. 

I have strong memories of creating a map of the southeastern United States with my best friend, Berta C, we were maybe in 6th grade? It must have been a geography assignment.

Our artistic medium?

BEANS of all sorts:

• red kidney beans represented the state capitols
• I remember painstakingly gluing on split green peas and red lentils for the topography
• black beans were the state’s borders

Just imagine how long this took in the days before there was a glue gun in every house 😱

Such dedication and yes, I do recall we both received an A on the project.

photo by Shelley Pauls

For me this was a completely normal way to be in the world but some people have had different experiences.

Do you know people who think they’re not creative? That they “don’t have a creative bone in their body”?

Most people who don’t think they're creative have had a negative experience as a child.

Think of a kid told that they should just mouth the words while singing in choir that then never wants to sing again. Or, someone who was made fun of for something that they did which was slightly off the beaten path.

For example, take my hubby:

While he does remember when he was young pushing a doll in a stroller around the neighbourhood (her name was Alice) and baking cookies with his Swedish Grandma, he thinks that he stopped creative tasks when he moved into adolescence and it became uncool to do these types of things.

Sad!

Some people mistakenly think that creativity is reserved for the chosen few who are born with it but creativity is a hallmark of being human and we’ve been at it for a long, long time.

The oldest figurative cave painting, found in Indonesia in 2017, has been dated to at least 45,500 years old! And in the Kimberley of Western Australia, a rock painting of a kangaroo has been dated to 17,300 years old.

Amazing!

Luckily my hubby has "reclaimed" his creative birthright. Among other things he's gone from someone who had to follow a recipe To. The. Letter. where now, after he's measured, laid out, and tidily arranged all of the ingredients, goes ever so slightly off piste when he cooks.

Baby steps!

photo by Tamanna Rumee

Surprise!

It turns out that creativity can boost our mental and physical health.

Creativity is important not just for the aesthetic pleasure it adds to our lives.

But, how does creativity keep us healthier?

Research has shown that: 

• Expressive writing can help deal with trauma, pain management and also help boost the immune system.
• Making music can better connect both hemispheres of the brain and some research shows that music helps with speech processing and learning in kids with dyslexia.
• Dancing releases endorphins, can improve blood pressure and self esteem, and can lead to improved cognitive brain skills.
• Pottery has been described as meditative and relaxing and can strengthen hands, wrists, and arms.
• One of my favourite discoveries is that doing jigsaw puzzles releases dopamine with every piece you put in. No wonder people get addicted to them, your body wants that happy hormone hit! 

photo by Ryoji Iwata 

Here's come cool info:

Data gathered from a four year project in the UK called Be Creative Be Well, which targeted 20 of the poorest communities in the city of London, found that 48% of participants in the community cultural projects the program was built around felt much more positive. A further 37% felt more positive with 55% reporting healthier eating and 76% increasing their physical activity.

I know that many of my clients and friends have creative outlets (the ones I can think of off the top of my head are: knitting, garden design, playing uke, drums, bass, or piano - not at the same time obviously, photography, and dancing).

There are so many paths to a creative outlet, you just need to find the one, or seven, that light you up.

In short, if you want to be healthier with a more positive state of mind your homework is simply this:

Engage in something creative - just once a day will do the trick🙌🙌

I'm off to work on a jigsaw.

Be Well (& Be creative!),

xBec

I almost forgot to mention that one of my favourite books on creativity is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

The information contained above is provided for informational purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and Rebecca Forde disclaims all liability and responsibility arisiing from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post.

 cover & social photo by Ashkan Forouzani