Creativity Everyday

This is something I'm always parroting on about. Squeaky wheel yes, because it is fueled by passion. Having creative, playful moments in my day keeps me sane. Keeps me alert and thinking. Keeps me moving forward. And importantly it keeps me looking up and around so I notice and connect. When we are broadening our knowledge, trying new things and engaging new perspectives, we are growing our brain and nourishing our soul.

So of course I'm truly passionate about encouraging others to find and harness the power of creativity in their everyday lives too. You do not have to be an artist. You do not have to be a kid without any life responsibilities (although acting childlike every now and then has its pluses). You do not have to be a retiree with time on your hands. This is for everyone.

The link below is to an article that a friend recently shared. (Thank you Alice). And it talks about the benefits of introducing more playful creative moments into your day. Wherever and however we find these pockets, the impact is wider reaching than just the time spent in the moment.

A recent study from the University College of London, commissioned by the UK Government, found that regular engagement in arts and culture was associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, lower mental distress and better mental functioning.

Eve Gordon, performer and director of circus school The Dust Palace, sees creative play as a way of unlocking a different part of the brain in learning. “Humans naturally learn through play. Trying something out, failing at it a bunch of times, and making games out of things is found in all cultures worldwide,” she explains. “[Art] is what makes people think and look at the world around them in different ways. It creates a whole lot of social change.”

In a time when everyday pressures seem to be mounting, mental health concerns and cases as well as fatigue and burnout are on the rise, we owe it to ourselves to take small and immediate steps that are at our finger tips. It doesn't have to cost you anything or demand more of you. This said, there are loads of options for workshops, tuition and collaboration if you want to share the experience or be guided.

I've listed below some simple creative suggestions that you can try today.

• Hand drum a rhythm on the edge of the table or sofa. Or if you have an instrument in the house, give it a try. Last year during one of the Covid-19 lockdowns, I bought a small hand drum from Trade Me for our family. We are not drummers, but it has regularly been used for self expression and random noise making. It feels good.

• Dance to music and try some new interpretive moves (do it in your room with no one watching if you must).

• Trace the outline of your face with finger on the mirror to make a spur of the moment self-portrait.

• Pick up your smart-phone and head outdoors to take a series (maybe 5) of up-close photographs that are linked by a theme (a particular colour or texture, the time of day or season, a person you have in mind or even an emotion you are feeling). Being selective about what you capture will mean you are tuning in and thinking about the relationship from one object/scene to another, and from one image you take to the next.

• Pick up a pencil/pen and paper and start making a collection of random marks anywhere. Over lap them, line them up, arrange them however you feel. There are no rules and you don't need to keep the work or share it with others. This is simply an exercise of being in the moment, spontaneous and expressive.

• Grab a piece of paper (A4 size is fine) - this is your frame or blank canvas. On that paper, set about making an arrangement of random small objects - bottle caps, pegs, pens, playing cards, loose buttons or bread tags - any random bits and bobs. Try a series of assemblages - stacking high or low, overlapping, making a face or an animal shape. Again there are no rules or pressure. This has no permanence, it is simply play.

• Draw line art and pictures in the sand. I'm fortunate to live on the coast and close by to rivers. I also have young kids who will always do beach art with me or stack stones to make cairns. But if you have soil in the garden, draw with a stick in a patch of bare earth. If you have fallen leaves and twigs in your outdoor space or at your nearest park, then try making a nature sculpture. The impermanence is liberating.

If you are interested in learning a language or an instrument - make it happen.

If you are intrigued by what an arts/creativity based workshop will offer - attend one and give it a go.

Get a group of friends or work colleagues to join you if you need moral support - they will thank you for it.

But in whatever ways you can, try to bring creativity into your everyday.

Here is the link I mentioned above: ensemblemagazine.co.nz/articles/creative-wellbeing

Happy creativity everyday folks.

V