“To make the flower look more beautiful and natural, try to make it appear half-dried” — My teacher instructed the day before the intermediate drawing examination. While one might associate the drying of a flower, a tree without leaves, the mark on the moon with sadness or deficiency; for an artist these phenomena make the objects look more artistic. Creativity changes your perception towards people, matters, situations, and in broader terms, life, for good. Let’s dive deeper.
Well, ups and downs in life keep you alive (a straight line is the symbol of stopped breathing, of death!). Negative emotions and thoughts can arise when we face challenges and getting engaged in creative activities help to flush out negativity or at least keep some distance from momentary emotions and build a deeper perspective. Mixing fluid paints, playing with pencil strokes, knitting intricate shapes, folding paper, carefully drawing mandala lines can also provide a euphoric experience. Viewing effortfully completed creations can fill oneself with immeasurable joy, a sense of accomplishment, and self-confidence. It instantly improves mood and builds resilience to deal with ups and downs. Art and craft slowly increase the patience levels because almost all kinds of creative activities demand some form of endurance. Needless to say, this also leads to positivity and resilience in the long run.
Here I would like to quote Abe Tannenbaum “The creative person is willing to live with ambiguity. He doesn’t need problems solved immediately and can afford to wait for the right ideas.”
When someone cultivates an interest in creativity, he/she also begins to like to view the works of other such art and craft enthusiasts. One slowly understands each piece of craft is gorgeous in its own way and there is no space for comparisons and judgments. Appreciating different creative pieces makes one humble and free us from toxicity making us see the good in people. Art and creativity also help us in tackling lonelines where with a creative project for company, we can be alone and understand the difference between being alone and being lonely. So, art has the power to convert challenging emotions and difficult experiences into beautiful creations while healing oneself. For this reason, creativity is also used as a therapy and aid in exploring emotions, generating self-awareness and self-expression. Used correctly, creativity can lead the way from a dark gloomy tunnel into the bright world outside.
These are some of the indirect and meaningful ways in which creativity helps in imbibing a stronger and happier self. This reminds me of a quote by Deepak Chopra “What keeps life fascinating is the constant creativity of the soul.” To stay creative is to stay on the brighter side of life.
Cover Photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash