I’ve always enjoyed doing something creative, and I constantly have a lot of creative ideas that I never do anything with, much to my dismay. Thus, I thought I’d use my love of being creative to write an article on the subject, and maybe this will inspire some of you to be more creative as well. Go embrace your inner artist and reap the benefits of your creativity.
What Does It Mean To Engage In Creativity?
Creativity can be conceptualised as the ability to create something original and adaptive, but it’s also regarded as existing on a continuum, covering four levels. These levels are the personal level of creativity, everyday creativity, professional creativity, and eminent creativity (Tan, Chuah, Lee, and Tan, 2021). This is better known as the Four C Model of creativity.
Our creativity can take many forms, from the more traditional arts such as drawing, photography, music, theatre, and dance (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2023) to new scientific and philosophic hypotheses. Even in the sciences and mathematics, creativity can play an important role. But the one form that most gets overlooked is how we use creativity to overcome day-to-day challenges through problem-solving.
Benefits Of Artistic Creativity
Emotional release
A study by Genuth and Drake (2021) sought to evaluate the benefits of drawing to regulate sadness versus anger. This study found that drawing to distract or to express emotions decreased emotional arousal for both sadness and anger. They also found that drawing to distract from sadness and anger was a good strategy that allowed for flow states and enjoyment, mirroring other studies. Therefore, engaging in our creativity provides a safe and non-judgmental outlet to express our positive and negative emotions.
Stress reduction
Engaging in artistic creativity-based activities can lower stress levels and promote relaxation (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2023). Therefore, we can all benefit from having a creative hobby in our lives as a way to manage stress and avoid burnout.
Self-awareness
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2023), engaging in creativity can be a useful way to explore the inner self. Thus, exploring emotions through our creativity can lead to greater self-understanding and insight.
Enhanced creativity
Enjoying the arts and being creative encourages innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, which leads to more creativity, creating a cycle.
Happiness
Engaging in creativity, such as the arts, has been proven time and again to be good for our wellbeing and good for making us happier (Tan, Chuah, Lee, and Tan, 2021).
Improved focus
Concentrating on a creative task can improve focus and attention span, so why not improve your focus by enjoying something creative at the same time?
Improved mood
The act of being creative can boost our mood and increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction. It may not be the cure-all we need, but its benefits to our mood and helping us get through difficult times are nonetheless amazing, working as something that nurtures our mind (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2023).
This is supported by Drake (2021) who found that drawing to distract in children led to them entering flow states and enjoying themselves more, than drawing to express themselves. They added that children’s preference for drawing to distract themselves wasn’t about avoiding their feelings, but rather engaging in something to help them adjust their feelings. This is believed to be because the primary method for children to regulate their emotions is through behavioural distractions. This is also supported by Genuth and Drake’s (2021).
Boosted memory
When using our recall to remember a previous event to do something creative with, it can improve said recall (Jolley and Rose, 2023). The act of creating and recalling memories can strengthen cognitive function.
Self-expression
Sometimes it can be difficult to put things into words, especially if it’s a child or someone with a learning disability. Thus, engaging in creativity by engaging in the arts can help us be self-expressive (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2023). This was supported by Johnson et al. (2023) who stated that art facilitates the expression of complex inner experiences and personal stories.
Improved communication
Engaging in creativity and the arts can be a great way to facilitate communication and connection with others, either through the shared experience of the arts or in artistic activities. For example, in children, drawing allows them to express themselves and communicate with others (Jolley and Rose, 2023).
Increased self-esteem
Creating something beautiful can boost self-confidence and self-worth. For example, in my ‘Warhammer 40K: A Grimdark Positive Perspective On Wellbeing‘ article, I talked about how a mother’s autistic son grew in confidence as their painting and motor skills improved. This resulted in a boost to their son’s self-esteem because of their development and achievements (Phipps, 2021).
Achievement
Just like completing a task or finishing an exam can give us a sense of achievement, so can engaging in creativity (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2023; and Weigand, n.d.). Whether it’s finishing that Warhammer miniature you started weeks ago or completing the earrings you made in your jewellery class, it’s still an achievement.
Relationships
Engaging in group creative experiences can deepen bonds with others or build new bonds with new people. For example, you may sign up to go to an art class with your partner and end up making friends who other art students on the same course. Thus, expanding your social support network.
Fine motor skills
Engaging in creativity, such as drawing and painting Warhammer miniatures, can help improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Summary
Creativity offers us a unique way to express our emotions, process thoughts, and improve overall wellbeing. It can also provide us with several cognitive and social benefits as well, so what are you waiting for? Go do something creative!
If you’re interested in exploring the mental health benefits of art therapy, consider seeking guidance from a qualified art therapist. They can provide a supportive environment and help you harness the power of creativity for your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Art therapy uses art as the primary mode of expression, alongside talking with an art therapist. It aims to reduce distress and improve social, emotional and mental health by promoting insight, self-compassion and a sense of agency and self-worth.
Therefore, during art therapy, you’ll be supported by an art therapist to help you use art to express and articulate complex thoughts and feelings (The British Association Of Art Therapists, 2024). This can be a useful approach after a difficult or traumatic experience that’s hard to talk about.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with creativity in the comments section below. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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References
Drake, J. E. (2021). How drawing to distract improves mood in children. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 622927. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.622927/full.
Genuth, A., & Drake, J. E. (2021). The benefits of drawing to regulate sadness and anger: Distraction versus expression. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(1), 91. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jennifer-Drake-4/publication/349547820_The_benefits_of_drawing_to_regulate_sadness_and_anger_Distraction_versus_expression/links/61687a0466e6b95f07cb606f/The-Benefits-of-Drawing-to-Regulate-Sadness-and-Anger-Distraction-Versus-Expression.pdf.
Johnson, M. I., Chazot, P., Cole, F., Cruickshank, R., Fuller, D., Keyse, C., Singh, B., Strickson, A. J., Tabasam, G., Tregidden, E., Thompson, K., & Woodall, J. (2023). Pain through the perspective of art and creativity: insights from the Unmasking Pain project. Frontiers in Pain Research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 4, 1179116. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2023.1179116 and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10267741.
Jolley, R. & Rose, S. (2023, April). Drawing pictures is great for children’s development – here’s how parents can help. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/drawing-pictures-is-great-for-childrens-development-heres-how-parents-can-help-202650.
Phipps, A. (2021, February). Warhammer & autism: building resilience, friendships, & fine motor skills. Autism Families. Retrieved from https://www.autismfamilies.co.uk/post/warhammer-autism-building-resilience-friendships-fine-motor-skills.
Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2023, October). The arts and art therapy – not a cure-all but its benefits cannot be overlooked. Royal College of Psychiatrists. Retrieved from https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/blogs/detail/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-blog/2023/10/01/arts-and-art-therapy—not-a-cure-all-but-its-benefits-cannot-be-overlooked.
Tan, C. Y., Chuah, C. Q., Lee, S. T., & Tan, C. S. (2021). Being creative makes you happier: The positive effect of creativity on subjective well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7244. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7244 and https://www.mdpi.com/1179106.
The British Association Of Art Therapists. (2024, November). What is art therapy?. The British Association of Art Therapists. Retrieved from https://baat.org/art-therapy/what-is-art-therapy.
Weigand, B. (n.d.). The healing power of creativity. RUSH. Retrieved from https://www.rush.edu/news/healing-power-creativity.
Yeay!!! I love being creative and artistic. It does help me to improve my mental health. It also makes me able to express myself and get to know myself better. I love writing, drawing, and now crafting.
I love being creative too. Thanks for commenting
I’d often look at Creativity in the simple terms of ‘self-expression’ but it isn’t, is it? Its a gateway. A gateway to endless and mindless possibilities of which the benefits are as you noted.
Exactly. Thanks for commenting
Totally agree with this! Art and creativity are such important creative outlets for our emotions this is a good reminder.. I have so many creative hobbies it’s been hard to find the time honestly! great post thanks for sharing.
Modern life doesn’t make it easy for hobbies as adults. Thanks for commenting
My form of creative expression is singing. I was in a choir for a while and being part of a group as well as practicing singing was very beneficial in fighting off the blues. To this day, every time I sing is a pleasant moment when I forget everything else, even if I don’t sing as well as I used to. Thanks for sharing.
Corinne | My Quality of Life
I wish I had the talent to sing. Not that I allow this to stop me when I’m alone