Creativity is like food.
We need it to survive – both personally and in business. Let me explain.
I truly believe that creativity is a vital key to unlock wellbeing, and one that is often overlooked. Since I was a kid I have been drawn to creative activities for the simplest of reasons – they make me happy.
I’m a mental health first aider, wellbeing champion and advisor on the board of the Workplace Wellbeing Association. As a designer and an artist I’ve spent decades creating things and have first hand experience on the impact this has on how I feel.
There is a vast amount of research about how your wellbeing can effect your creativity but I’m more interested in how this works the other way round – what effect does spending your time creatively have on your emotional wellbeing? What do you think? Have you ever thought about this connection?
A study in the Journal of Positive Psychology indicates that engaging in a creative activity just once a day can lead to an ongoing positive state of mind. This feeds into everything – your mindset, your family, your work – and can have a huge impact on how you live and your levels of happiness.
Researchers discovered that people who engaged in artistic activities were 73% less likely to have memory and thinking problems. Creativity can help stave off dementia, helps you focus, improve memory and help you with logical problems too. Creativity can build teams, allow true emotional connection and help your business be more productive and successful.
Life is busy, I know. I get it – but is spending time on creativity really childish and juvenile when you look at the proven impact it can make?
Do you make time for food? Yes… the right food? Sometimes.
Creativity is the same.
It’s really important to remember that creativity is a process and not a product. It doesn’t matter if you can’t draw, it’s the act of drawing that brings the benefits. It doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish. If you really hate drawing you are not excluded from this amazing tool – creativity is inside us all and we all have an outlet. It could be writing, singing, paying an instrument, pottery, floristry, dancing… the list is endless and only limited by your imagination.
It doesn’t always have to be a Michelin starred meal… a ‘fast food’ doodling session in the garden or office can also have the positive impact you need. It’s about choosing to spending your time nourishing yourself with creativity.
Best yet, it’s free, doesn’t have to take too long and you can do it whenever and however you like… Bonus is that you will enjoy it too!
So feed yourself, provide a feast for your mind and soul and inject some positivity into your day and your teams by allowing time for creative thinking and creative expression.
At Yolkdesign we have a specific tailored service for individuals and teams to help them reconnect, have fun and bring out their creative side. ReFrame is a creative masterclass designed and delivered with one sole purpose, to help people understand the connection between creativity and wellbeing and the huge positive impact it can have on life.
ReFrame can be delivered face to face or online and is fun, engaging and will show you how to see and think differently. Creativity can seem like a frivolous use of time – but in such a fast paced and overwhelming society it’s a vital part of living fuller, happier lives. ReFrame explains and demonstrates why.
Creativity is nourishment – without it we wither.
It’s time to feed yourself – your life depends on it!
