By Lynn Marlow
Sometimes people ask me why I make such a big deal about creativity. It’s true that not everyone is, or wants to be, an artist. We so often associate creativity with the fine arts — painting, drawing, sculpture, writing — that we forget how much creativity enters into every aspect of life. Creativity isn’t just about the production of works of art. It is even more powerful as a means to trust, access, and express your intuition and your inspiration..
Here are ten of the most significant benefits you get from allowing your creative energy to flow. The list is truly endless, and, from this humble beginning, you may be able to see countless more. As you begin to see creativity as this powerful and natural flow of energy, you’ll see what a creative spirit you can be. Creativity is within all of us, ready to enrich our lives when we open ourselves to it.
1 — Creative endeavors are relaxing and restorative. As opposed to shadow comforts, like television and hot fudge brownies, creative endeavors focus your attention and connect you with what you feel inside. Activities that you feel deeply connected to are much better stress relievers than activities that numb you.
2 — Creativity teaches you to accept imperfection. Artistic endeavors come from a part of your brain that is intuitive, sometimes disorganized, and extremely subjective. By allowing your creative spirit to play, you accept that some things you do will be better than others, and that some things will end up in the trash. But other things you create will startle you with their beauty and power.
3 — Creativity calls on you to take risks. When you’re creating for your own pleasure, and don’t have to worry about judgment, you can try new things. You can scribble or write gibberish. You can play around with new techniques, or conduct grand experiments. You can put your vision onto the canvas or the page, and if it doesn’t work out the way you planned, who cares? Letting your creativity flow may not feel safe and familiar, but it is exhilarating.
4 — Creative work teaches patience. If you try to rush art work, to meet a deadline or because Nightline is coming on, you lose your creative flow. Creating from the heart takes time: time to listen, and time to let the work evolve. I’ve allowed some pretty impressive art work to be ruined because I was in a hurry. Without patience, you lose respect for your creative process, and for the work you are creating, and that work almost never ends up being something you truly love.
5 — Creative endeavors teach you that you can’t please everybody, so why try? The creative flow demands that you do what feels right to you, no matter what others might think. Everyone’s taste is different. You learn to trust your own instincts, and ignore the opinions of others. Not everyone is going to love what you create, and that’s perfectly alright. Work that is made to please everyone isn’t art.
6 — Creativity helps you find your own vision and your own voice. As you learn to follow your inspiration, you allow yourself access to your essential truth. You express things that you might never before have expressed to another person, and, over time, you develop a clearer sense of yourself. Art can give you the courage to speak out, be bold, and shake things up. And when you respect your own opinions, others will, too.
7 — Creative work keeps you young. When you’re immersed in a creative project, your brain is humming and your juices are flowing. You’re exercising your brain and increasing the chemicals in your body that calm and heal you. Just like stress can age you, by creating wear and tear on your system, being involved in creative work that you love can relax your body and heal the damage.
8 — Creativity connects you with others. When you do choose to share your creative work with others, they receive the gift of knowing you just a little big better. And connecting to your own creative flow allows you to appreciate more deeply the creative inspiration of others. Knowing yourself better brings you to seek out other people with whom you really click, and with whom a deep connection is possible. And spending time with other creative people—in classes, at galleries, at craft shows—brings out your own creative flow even more.
9 — Creative energy makes you better at everything you do. Regardless of the job in front of you, having access to your creative energy enables you to think outside the box. At work, you can trust your expertise and instincts, working more efficiently and effectively. At home, you can use your insight and wisdom to deepen your relationships. You can make sound decisions by following your gut. And you have the courage to become more involved in activities that have deep meaning for you, Whether you choose to invest energy in a hobby, a class, spiritual matters, or political activism, you have the ability to be more vibrant and more invested.
10 — Creative work is a way to happiness. You’ve probably lived long enough to know that happiness doesn’t come from big houses or fast cars or the latest gadget. Happiness doesn’t even come from other people. Happiness rises from inside of you when you are feeling integrated and connected with your surroundings and activities. Happiness comes along with the creative flow. In fact, when it comes to creative activity, if it doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. There are too many things in the world that you can and do love for you to waste time on those that you don’t.
Lynn Marlow is a psychologist and life coach who loves to work with women at midlife who want to reconnect with their passions, trust in what they know and believe, and find the courage to express themselves in their work, their art, and their lives. Learn more at creativityunbound.com.
Sometimes people ask me why I make such a big deal about creativity. It’s true that not everyone is, or wants to be, an artist. We so often associate creativity with the fine arts — painting, drawing, sculpture, writing — that we forget how much creativity enters into every aspect of life. Creativity isn’t just about the production of works of art. It is even more powerful as a means to trust, access, and express your intuition and your inspiration..
Here are ten of the most significant benefits you get from allowing your creative energy to flow. The list is truly endless, and, from this humble beginning, you may be able to see countless more. As you begin to see creativity as this powerful and natural flow of energy, you’ll see what a creative spirit you can be. Creativity is within all of us, ready to enrich our lives when we open ourselves to it.
1 — Creative endeavors are relaxing and restorative. As opposed to shadow comforts, like television and hot fudge brownies, creative endeavors focus your attention and connect you with what you feel inside. Activities that you feel deeply connected to are much better stress relievers than activities that numb you.
2 — Creativity teaches you to accept imperfection. Artistic endeavors come from a part of your brain that is intuitive, sometimes disorganized, and extremely subjective. By allowing your creative spirit to play, you accept that some things you do will be better than others, and that some things will end up in the trash. But other things you create will startle you with their beauty and power.
3 — Creativity calls on you to take risks. When you’re creating for your own pleasure, and don’t have to worry about judgment, you can try new things. You can scribble or write gibberish. You can play around with new techniques, or conduct grand experiments. You can put your vision onto the canvas or the page, and if it doesn’t work out the way you planned, who cares? Letting your creativity flow may not feel safe and familiar, but it is exhilarating.
4 — Creative work teaches patience. If you try to rush art work, to meet a deadline or because Nightline is coming on, you lose your creative flow. Creating from the heart takes time: time to listen, and time to let the work evolve. I’ve allowed some pretty impressive art work to be ruined because I was in a hurry. Without patience, you lose respect for your creative process, and for the work you are creating, and that work almost never ends up being something you truly love.
5 — Creative endeavors teach you that you can’t please everybody, so why try? The creative flow demands that you do what feels right to you, no matter what others might think. Everyone’s taste is different. You learn to trust your own instincts, and ignore the opinions of others. Not everyone is going to love what you create, and that’s perfectly alright. Work that is made to please everyone isn’t art.
6 — Creativity helps you find your own vision and your own voice. As you learn to follow your inspiration, you allow yourself access to your essential truth. You express things that you might never before have expressed to another person, and, over time, you develop a clearer sense of yourself. Art can give you the courage to speak out, be bold, and shake things up. And when you respect your own opinions, others will, too.
7 — Creative work keeps you young. When you’re immersed in a creative project, your brain is humming and your juices are flowing. You’re exercising your brain and increasing the chemicals in your body that calm and heal you. Just like stress can age you, by creating wear and tear on your system, being involved in creative work that you love can relax your body and heal the damage.
8 — Creativity connects you with others. When you do choose to share your creative work with others, they receive the gift of knowing you just a little big better. And connecting to your own creative flow allows you to appreciate more deeply the creative inspiration of others. Knowing yourself better brings you to seek out other people with whom you really click, and with whom a deep connection is possible. And spending time with other creative people—in classes, at galleries, at craft shows—brings out your own creative flow even more.
9 — Creative energy makes you better at everything you do. Regardless of the job in front of you, having access to your creative energy enables you to think outside the box. At work, you can trust your expertise and instincts, working more efficiently and effectively. At home, you can use your insight and wisdom to deepen your relationships. You can make sound decisions by following your gut. And you have the courage to become more involved in activities that have deep meaning for you, Whether you choose to invest energy in a hobby, a class, spiritual matters, or political activism, you have the ability to be more vibrant and more invested.
10 — Creative work is a way to happiness. You’ve probably lived long enough to know that happiness doesn’t come from big houses or fast cars or the latest gadget. Happiness doesn’t even come from other people. Happiness rises from inside of you when you are feeling integrated and connected with your surroundings and activities. Happiness comes along with the creative flow. In fact, when it comes to creative activity, if it doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. There are too many things in the world that you can and do love for you to waste time on those that you don’t.
Lynn Marlow is a psychologist and life coach who loves to work with women at midlife who want to reconnect with their passions, trust in what they know and believe, and find the courage to express themselves in their work, their art, and their lives. Learn more at creativityunbound.com.
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