Remember that story about how I quit the corporate world because of anxiety? (If not, read here.) When I was so stressed, Scott would ask, “What helps you relax?”
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How do you think I responded?
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I actually didn’t know how to respond. I thought that in order to relax, I needed to take hot baths or devote time to a specific hobby. I didn’t have many hobbies at the time, other than reading and writing. And I was too stressed to come home from writing to do more writing.
nn
What I didn’t realize, though, was that I was finding time to relax and reconnect to myself through random creative projects. I DIYed a mirror, decorated a wall, baked cookies. And later, when I was able to understand how much creativity meant to me, I found specific hobbies I wanted to learn more about and devote time to honing, such as making cakes.
nn
What I have learned in the last few years as I have overcome the anxiety of perfectionism in the corporate world and dedicated time to taking care of myself is that creativity is self-love.
nn
Let me explain.
n
What Is Creativity?
Simply put, creativity is bringing into existence something new. It usually involves reorganizing other things to make something new, such as when you reorganize materials to build a house or reorganize ingredients to make a cake. It’s not that you make something out of nothing. Instead, you see a group of things for a potential and then work to fulfill that potential.
nn
When we think of creativity, we usually consider the arts: Singing, painting, acting, writing, baking, etc. I mean, of course we do. These things are more apparent because our senses are so involved—seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, and smelling. But creativity exists all around us. We create every day. We create the look we want with the clothes we wear. We create the relationships we desire with how we interact with others. We create the lives we dream of through achieving goals and taking actions to bring us closer to those dreams.
nn
What is creativity? Everything we do. We are always in the act of creating.
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But much of our creating is unconscious. And it’s through conscious creating that we find self-love.
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Conscious Creating Is Self-Love
Conscious creating requires a different level of focus and concentration. It requires you to actively seek to create. These are the creative areas we usually think of—again, singing, painting, writing, dancing, baking, etc. And this type of creativity is very good for you.
nn
Have you ever been in a flow state that leaves you feeling, well, good? The feeling may be relaxed or energized or happy. Whatever the feeling, it’s a good one.
nn
Brad Brenner, Ph.D. wrote an article for Therapy Group of NYC saying, “During a flow state, our brain releases ‘an enormous cascade of neurochemistry,’ including large quantities of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. These are pleasure- and satisfaction-inducing chemicals that affect creativity and well-being” (“Creativity Is Your Secret Advantage for Mental Health and Well-Being”).
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See what I’m saying?
nn
On top of that, creativity creates a sense of purpose. When we actively create, we focus with a goal in mind. And when that goal is achieved, we get all the benefits—mental and physical—of achieving success.
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And lastly, being actively creative is living our potential. We are creative beings, meant to create in whatever capacity we are most drawn to. When we create, we fulfill that potential. And any way we can fulfill our potential is taking care of us, recognizing our divine worth and nature, living up to who we are meant to be.
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When We Create, We Accept Ourselves
That’s really what it comes down to. When we create, when we fulfill that potential, we accept who we are, with all our talents, skills, knowledge, likes, dislikes, sense of style, etc. We accept our opinions. We let ourselves be our authentic selves. For when we are creating, are we not living more freely in ourselves?
nn
Creativity is self-love in the sense that we take care of ourselves and in the sense that we accept our beautiful divine worth.
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