Cultivating Creativity
As adults, we tend to lose our creative spirit as we continue to age. With each passing birthday, there seems to be a less creative edge in the year ahead and instead an increased focus on work, school, jobs, and day-to-day chores. You pile on financial responsibilities, the desire for career growth, maintaining friendships and taking care of family, and there really is not much time left in the day. I want to talk about creativity today because it is a big missing piece in adulthood.
Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives that may be useful in solving problems, or the use of imagination to produce artistic work. Take some time to really think about it—how often do you let your imagination run wild? Or engage in something that brings you joy by simply creating it?
The Value Creativity Provides
Finding joy in a creative process will add so much to your life—it can increase happiness, health, and actually make you smarter in the process. Being totally immersed in an activity that sparks creativity can place you in a state of flow. In a flow state, we are the perfect balance of relaxed, but also challenged—totally engulfed by what we are engaging in. Also, once you complete a creative project there is a large amount of pride associated with this—which gives your brain a nice hit of dopamine.
Engaging in a creative process also works wonders for your health. One study that evaluated creativity in dementia patients found that creative / art therapy sharpened the ability of these patients to act more like themselves. A valuable lesson can be learned from this study that shows that regardless of age creativity plays a role in our mental health. The journal of positive psychology also states that spending time on creative goals works to elevate mood.
Author of Hyperfocus, Chris Bailey discusses our brain’s most creative mode and terms it scatterfocus. He defines scatterfocus as the ability to turn our attention inward and allows us to solve problems, think creatively, brainstorm, and recharge. This method of creativity is essentially intentional inattention. Letting your mind wander and be creative is an opportunity. Bailey discusses that scatterfocus can help identify/accomplish goals, replenish energy, and think of great ideas.
Where to Start —Getting Vulnerable
Letting your imagination and creativity run wild like it did when you were a child relies on a degree of vulnerability. It can feel uncomfortable and odd to engage in activities that as adults we perceive no value in—but I promise there is so much getting creative will add to your life. Brene Brown the author of Big Magic, dives into vulnerability and the role it plays in our creative side. One of my favorite quotes is “Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcome, and fear hates uncertain outcome.” Really let that one sink in.
Ways to Enhance Creativity
So, where to start? There are numerous ways to enhance creativity in your life through your environment, actions, and activities.
change your surroundings—add interior decor that is a bit eccentric for you
visit a new small town or restaurant
journal
paint, draw, sculpt, try pottery
go walking on a new hiking trail
drive without music and see where your mind wanders
read different types of books outside your typical genre
take a class
join an online group for a hobby you enjoy
carry around a notebook and write down any ideas as they spark
sources
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2018/07/25/heres-how-creativity-actually-improves-your-health/?sh=587a254713a6
Bailey, C. (2019). Hyperfocus. Penguin USA.
Gilbert, E. (2015). Big magic: creative living beyond fear. Unabridged. [Westminster, MD], Books on Tape.