Wellness through creativity tools.
Why is creativity so powerful as a wellness tool?
When I was in my darkest days of poor mental health, my head was full.
The sheer quantity of what was in there, bad or good, was too much.
I eventually realised that despite all the wonderful support and advice I received, I needed to work on my feelings and experiences. I didn’t understand what that meant until one particularly memorable day in my wellness journey…
On this particular afternoon, my circumstances became too consuming. I couldn't see any way out of my situation. I had lost my sense of self, and my anxiety became too much… I was sick of being overwhelmed, thinking, and feeling overwhelmed in my body.
It occurred to me that no amount of writing or talking was working for some reason, and what I was feeling was physical and held colour and form with it. The only thing that jumped into my mind as a relief was to create something that could show how I was feeling and, in the process, get these physical feelings out.
I knew instinctively that, contrary to expectation, while undertaking my Fine Art degree at University, I needed and wanted to create in a purer way—not to overplan or overthink.
This was what I wanted creativity to be when I studied. Instead, it had become something to resent, and the enjoyment of creating for the sake of it was replaced by judgment and pressures to adhere to external expectations.
So I did. I created, and with that, I played with what I was doing. I didn't let the cost of materials or judgment of others enter the picture; I grabbed the colours I was drawn to and moved with the paint. Subsequently, I created some of the work I was most pleased with.
Most importantly, I felt a wave of peace come over me and have since not felt overwhelmed or anxious about my life… if I feel those emotions creeping in, I now know what to do. It has changed everything for me!
However, I am always looking out for others and had to ask myself…
“Was this result just for me or could this process help other people, especially people who don’t consider themselves creative?”
The Results of the Creativity Pivot.
This realisation of how powerful and effective this resolve was changed my business objectives. I pivoted from the last ten years of business/personal development support. I wanted to dedicate myself to figuring out this activity as a universal opportunity for anyone feeling lost, overwhelmed, burnt out, or disconnected.
I wanted to make a tangible difference in people's lives by using creativity to enrich wellness for everyone.
Three years later, after two years of running ‘Well-being Through Creativity’ sessions, I have realised that creativity has become a form of exploration and communication, predominantly with the self.
It’s also a truly profound experience having someone externally view your work. Hearing observations based on their reactions and feelings allows you to gain additional creative growth and personal perspective.
In my sessions, I have observed the following positive side effects:
having a psychologically safe space for people enables them to process overwhelming or challenging emotions indirectly and develop connections
the chance to gain and develop a voice and new ways to communicate visually and verbally
isolation is broken down, the processes bring people together to engage in a deep and tangible way, helping each other through their experiences without encroaching
an increased sense of motivation, inspiration and well-being for people involved in the session
Additional scientific research showed that my findings were in the right direction… There is also a whole world of the neuroscience of creativity: Neuroesthetics and the positive impacts on the brain, such as:
a greater sense of well-being
a deeper communication and a sense of understanding between the participants, and in an organisational situation, deeper understanding between the staff and themselves
a sense of belonging and friendship development in the group
increase in cognitive abilities and approaches to work projects with different perspectives
overall greater quality of life
How can you do this for yourself?
Since those early days of creative wellness exploration, I have developed several personal creative tasks that I can do when I feel those emotions and physical feelings.
So when Jonathan Pittam (MindBody Consulting) www.mindbodyconsulting.co.uk suggested sharing some practical, tried, and tested Creative Wellness Activities to develop creative wellness skills for his clients, I was more than happy to make suggestions to help people through difficult times.
Activity One - Painting to explore and process
Aim: Tap into your self-awareness and help process your feelings
Choose a ‘thing’ to paint on and think about the scale for how you feel; for instance, are you feeling tight, small, precise, or larger, more agitated, and energised? Whether you're angry, happy, or sad, consider your mental state and use this process to get it out of your body
Consider the colour you are drawn to and use that you feel in your body
Use painting application techniques that get the energy out of your body that you are feeling
Put the paint on the canvas, use your non-dominant hand, and do not overthink your creation. Allow your body to work through what you are feeling
Activity Two - Directed creation
Aim: Consider, process and get everything out of your head
Undergoing a regular mind mapping technique (research what method works for you) while considering some of the following questions can be quite a profound process
What are you struggling with? Why is that?
What is the most important thing to you right now?
Why do you like doing what you are doing?
What are the areas of life that excite and energise you?
Without allowing yourself to overthink, choose the most prominent word, an emotion, a thing, or an observation
Use this word to guide your creative process. You can use painting, collaging, or both, whatever creative process intrigues you the most, or you feel drawn to at this time
Consider what visual aspects jump into your mind when you consider the word, and allow those thoughts to flow through with colour and movement choice. Explore and experiment with the word and the different processes
Activity Three - the Vision of Your Values
Aim: An honest, practical, enriched, value-driven approach to life
This is a two-part process: Value Development and Value Visualisation
Not as an expression of manifestation but a reflection of what is important to you. Helping you get clear on what your values are and how to incorporate them into your life.
Value Development - Consider areas of life that annoy you. Bullet point all of the areas of life that make you angry. Think about at least 5 to 10 points. Don’t worry; you won’t be in this headspace for too long, but this process is necessary to identify what is most important to you
Now, take each point and think about the opposite of that anger point. Making lemonade out of lemons… These are your values
Value Visualisation - Take each value point and find or create images that illustrate your value points. You can use painting, collaging, or both, whatever creative process intrigues you the most, or you feel drawn to at this time
Consider how you can incorporate these aspects into your life. You can incorporate these images into a wider collage that is an overview of your values and, in turn, a vision of what life can be when your values are adhered to and achieved with your decisions
What’s next?
It's wonderful to explore these processes in the comfort of your own space, and it’s also wonderful to explore these processes with other people—to learn, enrich, and grow with insights and perspectives from others. It is with this in mind that I have also developed valuable group experiences which add an insightful dynamic to the whole process.
Going through guided and supported creative processes is a deeper way. I plan to host an immersive long weekend retreat in the autumn of 2024 and have developed a curriculum that reflects deeper understanding, wellness understanding, and maintenance tools for everyone. If you are interested in joining, please email me to express your interest.
I also plan to host ad-hoc paint events with partners who share my appreciation for the importance of wellness today. www.thedpa.uk/events
