It's hard to make creativity a priority in our lives. There's always something more important to do. And it can be hard to feel relaxed doing it when our inner critic can be so mean. Sometimes it feels more stressful to work on a creative project than to just zone out with a book or a TV show.But creativity doesn't have to mean doing something hard, or coming up with something brand new. It can be easy and relaxing, and still give us the satisfaction of saying yes to our creative selves.
Last week I finally finished the creative experiment that I started way back in November. I got the book Draw Paint Print Like the Great Artists, by Marion Deuchars, for my birthday last year and I decided that I would do every single exercise in the book, and document my progress on Instagram. I thought it would take me 4 months, but it ended up taking 6 1/2. I'm so happy to report that last week I finished the final exercise.
Why do we create? Because it makes us feel good. It relaxes us, or helps us focus, or lets us escape. It gives us a sense of purpose and helps us to create meaning. And if we choose to share what we create, it can help others get to similar positive states. Unfortunately, the creative process doesn't always feel good. Sometimes it can feel downright awful. Here are 6 ways to find your way out of the dark spots.
When I was 11 years old, I started a "Things to do when bored" list. It had suggestions like: write letters, work on alien photo album, put on a show, make puppets, puzzles, skulptures, beads, baking, watercolours, design clothes... etc.Many of the things on that list (which I still have) are things that I would like to spend my time doing now (even 'phone Eryn' is something I wish I did more often), and though I rarely slow down enough to feel bored, I do occasionally get stuck doing the same things over and over again and feel a need for inspiration.
In the course and in her book, Positivity, Barbara Fredrickson explains her theory of why humans have evolved with positive emotions, which she calls the 'Broaden and Build' theory. According to the theory, negative emotions prepare us for one specific action. Fear prepares us to run or to fight while anger prepares us to confront someone. Negative emotions narrow our fields of view to deal with the problem at hand, but positive emotions do the opposite. Positive emotions help us broaden our awareness and build resources for the future.
With everything we do, we're either moving toward what we are interested in or away from what we are afraid of. If you've spend your life moving away from the things that scare you, you might not find the world to be a very interesting place. It might seem bland and uninspiring and you probably blame your circumstances for not offering up anything more exciting. If you look at a river and think, "So what? What's one more river?" you might need to work on cultivating your curiosity.
A lot of people I know who got Bachelors of Arts were kicking themselves after they graduated because they didn't get a more "useful" degree. I didn't have that problem - I knew that studying drama wouldn't put me on a fast track to mega-success, but it was what I most wanted to do. I had always planned on going to university (all learning, all the time? You couldn't keep me away if you tried). And drama was what I was most passionate about at the time. Afterwards I decided not to pursue work in theatre and there are times when I wonder if I wasted those 4 (okay 5) years.
