For many years I spent most of my waking hours in my logical, rational, structured left brain. I didn’t consider myself creative or artistic. It wasn’t until I signed up for a pottery class that my perception changed.
I decided it would be fun to make pottery gifts for friends and family, so I signed up for classes at a local studio. I remember being in awe when the instructor did the demonstration and transformed a ball of clay into a beautiful object within a few moments. When I got my own ball of clay and started to create something on the potter’s wheel, I noticed the chatter leave my head. I got lost in the moment, felt like a child at play and was able to totally focus on what I was creating (otherwise there would have been a blob of clay on my wheel or on the floor!). Several years later I tried water color painting, and experienced a similar sense of fun, focus, and relaxation.
Those experiences “playing” in my right brain encouraged me to learn more about creativity, the arts, health and healing, and to design processes to support others to tap into and express their creative sides.
The arts, health and healing
There is much evidence supporting the value of the arts in promoting health and enhancing healing. Laura Cerwinske in her book Writing as Healing Art (1999) states that “the power of the written word stimulates the flow of emotions and readily opens the door to the subconscious.” She provides a number of processes and “assignments” for using writing as a way to heal ourselves and to tap into our creativity. Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (1992) describes the importance of learning to “recognize, nurture and protect your inner artist (and in so doing)…you will learn ways to recognize and resolve fear, remove emotional scar tissue, and strengthen your confidence.”
The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) was founded by Dr. Eugene Cohen in 2001. The NCCA is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and healthy aging, and to developing programs that build on this understanding. Dr. Cohen’s research demonstrates that creative expression is important for older people of all cultures and backgrounds. The arts can serve as a powerful way to engage elders in a creative and healing process of self-expression, enabling them to create works that honor their life experience. (www.creativeaging.org)
How to Tap into Your Creativity
Shaun McNiff is an artist and art therapist. In his book Art Heals: How Creativity Cures the Soul (2004) he articulates from his experience:
“I have consistently discovered that the core process of healing through art involves the cultivation and release of the creative spirit. If we can liberate the creative process in our lives, it will always find the way to whatever needs attention and transformation. The challenge then is first to free our creativity and then to sustain it as a disciplined practice.”
How can you cultivate and release your creative spirit? Here are some useful processes from my own journey and work with clients.
Sit down in a quiet place, free from distractions. Take a few deep breaths to relax yourself and close your eyes for a couple of minutes if you feel comfortable doing so. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your responses to them. Write down the first thing that comes to mind without judging or editing it.
1. Do you consider yourself a creative person? If yes, why? If not, why not?
2. Are there any creative pursuits you did as a child but haven’t done for years? If so, what are they?
3. Are there some creative or artistic pursuits you would be interested in exploring?/trying out?
4. Commit to either starting to integrate a childhood “passion” into your life or choose a new one such as “learning to play the piano” that perhaps you always wanted to do as a child but never had the opportunity to do. Identify the next steps for taking action to integrate a new or “old” creative or artistic pursuit into your life. It’s helpful to use a two-column table with “activity” heading one column and “timeline” the other.
5. Support is important to many of us when starting something new and continuing with it. Enlist the support of a friend, colleague or family member to encourage and support you in your new endeavor or invite them to join you in doing it.
How can you sustain the practice of integrating creative/artistic pursuits into your life?
1. After you have engaged in a creative/artistic pursuit, go into your body and note how you feel. Does your body feel lighter? Do you have more energy? Is your mind quieter?
2. When you engage in a creative/artistic pursuit over time what changes if any do you notice in your body? Mind? Emotions? Relations? Life in general?
3. If you have been engaging in a creative/artistic pursuit with a friend, colleague or family member what changes if any do you notice in them?
Conclusion
Tapping into and expressing your creative side on a regular basis is vital for optimal health and wellness. I encourage you to try out the various processes and strategies over the next couple of weeks, and notice the ones that resonate with you.
