Making Space for Creativity
In an age of social media, fast food, Netflix, and our ridiculously fast-paced lives, it’s becoming ever more important to take care of ourselves. That includes nourishing our physical, emotional, and mental health, and I feel like we all have one of those that we’re better at doing than others. Some people enjoy taking care of their bodies, being active, and loving anything they do that involves movement. My younger brother, for example, can’t go a day without working out; he feels off if he’s not able to exercise, and working out is something that he really, truly enjoys. But as maybe the most un-athletically-coordinated person you will ever meet, exercise has always been something I have to force myself to do because I know it’s good for me. I’m much better at taking care of my brain. I have to be constantly intellectually stimulated, or I feel off, like my brother does if he misses a day at the gym. This is easy when school is in session, but even during the summer, I’m always reading something (the rate at which I’ve torn through books this summer is actually kind of embarrassing). But I’ve found that taking care of my brain is twofold: it’s important to stimulate the intellectual side of my brain, but stimulating the creative side is even more important for my personal mental health. If I’m not consistently taking time to be creative, I begin to feel restless and crabby, and I’m not a delightful person to be around. Taking small moments out of my day or week to stimulate creativity has become just as important to my health as exercising consistently or eating nutritious foods, and in a time where doom-scrolling, scientism, and efficiency are real threats to our capacity for creativity, being creative is so, so important. So while I may not be able to suggest a workout regimen, I can talk about 5 of my favorite ways to be creative. Consider this a workout regimen for your artistic side. (:
Me “writing”… credits to my friend Liz who was working on a photo project for a class
1. Poetry and Stories
Yes, I had to talk about writing first. Writing is my primary creative outlet, but even within that, I have to make space for my creative brain to breathe. I’m always working on a novel or a longer project, but I also try to have other outlets that let me be however messy or unserious or self-indulgent as I want to be. To be honest, that’s partly why I started this blog. Because I have no intentions of being an influencer or having a highly successful blog, the pressure comes off, and I can ramble about whatever I want and let the writing be raw and unpolished. I do the same with poems: the perfectionism comes off, and I just let myself be creative and write. I’ll have a spark of inspiration for a short story, and while I tend to take short stories more seriously than poems or blog posts, it’s refreshing to have the instant gratification of finishing something; a short story can take me a week to write, while a novel can take years. If you’re looking for a simple way to be creative, write a goofy poem. Write a story for a friend. Rewrite a fairytale or a myth, or rewrite your favorite story from a different character’s point of view. The final product may be messy, but the process will be delightful. And first drafts can always be fixed. But if you don’t want anyone else to ever see it and you don’t feel like fixing it, don’t. No one is making you.
2. Painting
Let me just get it out of the way and say that I am a terrible artist. I can doodle flowers, and that’s about it. But I find the act of painting incredibly satisfying. Which is why I turn to watercolor tutorials and paint-by-number kits. It might not be as creatively stimulating as painting for real, and kudos to you if you have any shred more of artistic talent than I do. But painting while listening to music or an audiobook definitely satisfies my creative itch. Sometimes, I really am grateful that we live in the age of YouTube, where I can follow a simple tutorial. And you can literally go to Target and get a paint-by-number kit for like ten bucks. Writing about it literally makes me want to go paint right now. Sadly, there is not enough room in my college dorm for my paint-by-number madness.
Playing piano at a little music shop in Edinburgh, Scotland
3. Music
I’ve been playing piano since I was six years old. I used to be a lot better at it, but in high school, I made the conscious decision that piano was just going to be a hobby for me, not a pursuit. I focused more on writing and theater, but music was always there to help me release stress (my mom jokes that she can tell how my day was based on how loud the piano is). I also took up ukulele at one point, and I tried guitar, but I’m not convinced that my fingers can bend that way. Anyway, putting my Spotify playlist on shuffle and playing along is one of the main ways I release stress. Maybe someone should research if playing piano releases endorphins like sweating does, because there might be something to that (during finals week, I was in Wheaton’s music building pretty much every day, and I felt so much better). If you’ve never played a musical instrument, I highly suggest the ukulele. It’s cheap, it’s super easy to pick up, and there are endless tutorials online (again, praise YouTube!). Once you get past the initial frustration of learning an instrument, you’ll be amazed at how relaxing playing music can be. And if instruments don’t sound appealing, singing in the car is just as cathartic. My Honda has witnessed many a private concert.
4. Cooking and Baking
It may not seem like something super creative, but making food is still making something. It’s still doing something with your hands, and when you’re not scrambling to prepare a meal for your family in time for dinner, it can also be creatively fulfilling. I love following a recipe, and I love munching on scraps of cookie dough while having Gilmore Girls on the TV. If you have a quieter night or a Saturday afternoon, scroll through Pinterest and find a new recipe to try out. Even my mom, who has been cooking family dinners for nineteen years, will get a creative buzz when she finds a new recipe. And of course, the best thing about cooking and baking is that you get rewarded with food.
Random page of my junk journal
5. Scrapbooking
This one is a little quirky, but I’ve been scrapbooking since middle school (even though my middle-school scrapbooks are horrendous). I take a lot of pictures, so scrapbooking has both been a great creative outlet and a way to clear up photo storage on my phone. And another similar thing that I’ve experimented with is junk journaling. Basically, you get a blank notebook and start sticking whatever you feel like to the pages. This is another great way of turning my perfectionist brain off, because God knows I need it. Use paper, stickers, ticket stubs, colorful tape, stamps, anything. Don’t think, just stick. The final product is kind of useless, but it looks cool. And making a mess of paper on your bedroom floor while listening to music can be a surprisingly fun way to spend an afternoon.
I hope something in this inspired you to take time to be a little more creative. Even with a busy schedule, I’ve found that prioritizing time for creativity makes me a happier and healthier person, and being creative doesn’t have to be anything extremely time-consuming or daunting. Here’s to fueling your inner artist.