7 Reasons Why It’s Important To Be Creative

You Need To Know If Creativity Can Lead To A Better Life.

This is a topic that I have wanted to write on for some time but was not sure if it will have the required audience. But as I talk to more and more people, I realized that so many of us had found creativity as a source of healing, especially this year.

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What is Creativity?

Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.

For our purpose, I would like to tweak this a little & give you my definition. For me, Creativity is the process of creating something original or inspired. When we are creating something, all our senses are focused on that process, and we are completely engulfed in that flow.

The output is important but not the sole purpose. It may turn out to be a masterpiece or a good attempt. But the most important thing is that we have a sense of accomplishment once the process is completed.  Being creative is all about what our mind, body and soul go through while indulging in this process.

Now that I have put down my definition of creativity, I also want to link it with our overall wellness.  When we are creating something, we look forward optimistically to the product. There is a sense of excitement & enthusiasm, leading to better mental & physical health. At every step of the process, we are looking at how to do our best.

We try to overcome various negative thoughts and obstacles to achieve what we want to in the end.

Sometimes we do get disappointed if the output is not as per our expectation, but if we enjoyed the process, we would be back at it again with new enthusiasm.  

Similarly, there are many benefits of creativity in business. Coming up with innovative solutions for problems can be your key differentiator at work & is much appreciated. This may not necessarily mean that you have to invent something. Just a different perspective of the same problem can lead to a novel approach.

Therefore, Creativity leads to overall wellness in work & personal life.

Are We Born Creative?

My immediate answer to this has always been Yes. But recently I have come across studies which indicate an interesting point of view.

Tina Seelig, the executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, has written a book, inGENIUS: A Crash Course on Creativity, to explain this point.

Seelig while speaking to Business News Daily, says, “ “We are all naturally creative, and, like every other skill, some people have more natural talent than others. However, everyone can increase his or her [or their] creativity, just as everyone can increase his or her [or their] musical or athletic ability, with appropriate training and focused practice.” Creativity isn’t something you are; it’s a habit—and for a good reason. “The biggest myth about creativity is that it isn’t important and that it can’t be learned. In fact, it is one of the most important skills we can master,” Seelig explained.

This is quite an eye-opener for someone like me, who always thought that I was not creative. Maybe because for me, creativity was only about writing, singing, dancing, playing an instrument or painting.

But one can be creative in any space of life.

You can be creative in the kitchen or managing your wardrobe or your house.

You can also be creative in managing people – whether it’s your colleagues at work, your team or your kids at home.

And I agree with Maya Angelou when she says, “ You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have.”

My Journey of Creative Self-Discovery

I discovered my creative side during the quarantine days and have fallen in love with this new side of me.

It all started with me picking up the paintbrush after 30 years. I did dabble with paints & crafts when I was a kid. But as I moved to higher classes, the only paintings I did was in my Art class. I was not very good at art hence did not pursue it further.

I was re-introduced to painting on canvas by a lady who is now a very good friend.  Her name is Shikha Vijai ( artbyshikhavijai ) & she is an amazing artist. She does this wonderful Art Jam sessions wherein 4-5 of us get together in a room and paint together.

She guides us step-by-step in a very friendly non-competitive & stress-free environment. We moved these sessions on-line during the quarantine and the beauty of these sessions was that they are as effective online as offline.

These sessions made me realise that I do have a few creative bones in my body, and it’s a skill I can work upon. More importantly, I enjoy these sessions, and they make me happy from within.

My other creative outlet has been my blog. Again when I am writing, I get completely immerse in the process of writing. And because it gives me happiness, I go back to it repeatedly.

So what is it about Creativity that makes us go back and repeat our Behaviours?

Read on to find out.

7 Benefits of Creativity

Creativity Makes You A Happier Person

Being creative means that we are working towards creating something. This can be a solution to a problem at work or a new dinner recipe for our family.

All these activities which create a result help activate our brain & senses.

Studies show that during the process, our brain is flooded with dopamine, a feel-good chemical that helps motivate us. We may or may not be aware of our increased happiness state then, but it certainly influences us to repeat this behaviour.

This explains why we tend to go back to writing or cooking or painting whenever we feel stressed. That’s our route to happiness.

Creativity Makes You Live In The NOW

On a normal day, there are zillion thoughts going through my mind. But during my painting session, I am only thinking about the painting and how the various colours are coming alive on the canvas. I am truly living and enjoying these moments without bothering about what is going to happen next in my life.

Isn’t that’s what we want to achieve in our lives ultimately? Creativity allows us to achieve this even if in small doses. And this one addiction has no side effects.

Do you agree with me? Wait there is more to come.

Creativity Teaches You To Respect Different Perspectives

When we do our painting sessions, we are a group of four or five. All of us paint the same thing, and surprisingly all the final paintings come out so beautiful. They are not exactly similar to each one of us has our individual style of holding the brush or making a stroke. And if I make a mistake which I have done quite a few time, I can improvise on it and give a slightly different perspective to the painting.

This is so similar to life. Each on of us has a different canvas to paint on. And our experiences are the strokes. These experiences make us think differently and have different perspectives even if we started our journey together.

But each life is still beautiful in its own way.

More importantly, if you made mistakes on the way, you still have an opportunity to make amends. The final output may not be exactly what you wanted but it does not mean it cannot be made beautiful & meaningful.

Creativity Helps You Discover Yourself

For me, this entire quarantine period has been a journey of creative self-discovery. Along with painting, I started writing & sharing my life experiences with the audience like you. Writing is another form of creativity which I never knew existed in me.

When we discover new things about ourselves, it gives us immense self-confidence. For me, this self-confidence came at a time when all other doors seem to have shut.

This self- confidence helps you make inroads into new fields which you may not have explored before and helps you Embrace Change in your Life.

Creativity Heals

I think by far this is the most important aspect of creativity and we have enough examples around us to prove this.

When we put in all your energy in doing any activity that you love, we temporary forget your pain, emotional or physical. Our only focus is the output we are working towards. Therefore there is a respite from all the frustration or discomfort that pain may be causing. And if we repeat this behaviour, we will train our mind to ignore or put the pain behind us while we create.

Our medium may be any- Art, Music, Dance, Cooking or Cleaning up our house. For starters, we need to find your MOJO for Happiness. And continue to nurture it regularly.

A quick validation of my point above – In Singapore, there was a shortage of baking products, during the quarantine days, any guesses why? Because people were baking at home. Indulging in creating these baking products with their family was healing for them.

Similarly, some sizes of canvases went out of stock as people were busy healing themselves at home by indulging in art.

We all have heard of Art therapy which is used extensively for treatment of dementia, stress, grief and anxiety. Art as a healing tool is well known and widely used.

Creativity Helps You Bond

Whatever your brand of creativity, you will always find your tribe. And this tribe will be your motivator, influencer & support group.  I have an amazing tribe of my painting friends and my blogging community who are a constant source of encouragement & positive reinforcements.

It also helps you adjust to a new place like it did for me. You immediately connect with people who have similar tastes and is a start point of a new relationship.

Creativity Has No Age Limit

I am at my creative best at the age of 40+. Not that I am too old, but I am not too young either. Therefore creativity has no age limit and let your age not be a limiting factor.

I know of people who have taken up singing as a hobby rather late in life, but they are enjoying themselves and are happy. Any time is the right time for being creative. As a matter of fact, being creative is more important than ever now with all that is happening around us.

If you do not want to go to any classes , you can simply use any of the DIY creative options.

Creativity is nothing but a natural extension of our enthusiasm .. don’t let it die within you. All of us our creative within, we just need to discover it. Creativity and well-being go hand-in-hand and its a great stress-buster.

If you have reached till here, it means that you do agree with what I am saying. Please do share with your friends and encourage them to take up something creative.

If you would like to be a part of my tribe, please do subscribe to my Newsletter.

Creativity leads to a better life. Now You Know 7 Reasons Why.

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