Creative Outlets

Creative Living

Background

It is good to give time to ourselves, whether it be with ourselves or with others, we all deserve joy. Joy comes in many different forms, maybe from seeing the amazement of your friends after displaying your painting or creating music that takes you to a new place. 

Creating

Expressing our artistic ideas activates parts of the brain associated with creativity and concept construction. By activating these neural networks, we can only assume that our brain is improving these relationships. On the other hand, creating allows us to find ourselves. In stressful times, creating is a great therapeutic option. Having time to reflect grants us an opportunity to grow and not be uncomfortable by stress in the future.

Creative Outlets

There are numerous ways to express your creativity: writing, dancing, music, speaking, and more. The key is to be consistent — find your craft and if you enjoy it, try to master it! Overall, we want to promote a growth mindset, to keep building upon ourselves. 

Additionally, try things out, finding new passions gives our lives a purpose to keep going through the long days. More examples of creative outlets are painting, graphic design, crafting, photography, and planning and organizing. Another thing, we don’t have to do these activities alone! We can gather friends and family or even find a dedicated group online.

Woman in meditation
Image by Irina, via Pixabay

Healthy Habits

When we mention “growth mindset,” it is the philosophy that tells us to consistently challenge ourselves to be better. It also tells us that we should take moments of failure as opportunities to grow. A growth mindset is a powerful mentality that is a good basis for many healthy habits.

These habits include being patient. Improvement does not come in a day or even a week. Resisting the urge to give up is another good habit as it builds self-discipline. Lastly, we should try to build long-term goals. Often we are caught up trying to get instant satisfaction, but long-term goals can often be more rewarding.

Brain Health

Check out our other resources on how meditation can soothe our brains.

Sources:

Brenner, Grant Hilary. “Your Brain on Creativity.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 22 Feb. 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201802/your-brain-creativity.

Gharib, Malaka. “Feeling Artsy? Here’s How Making Art Helps Your Brain.” NPR, NPR, 11 Jan. 2020, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain.

NIH. “Creating Healthy Habits.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mar. 2018, www.newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/03/creating-healthy-habits.

Omega. “Find Your Creative Outlet.” Omega, 25 May 2021, www.eomega.org/article/find-your-creative-outlet.

Willis, Judy. “The Impact Of Creativity On The Brain.” TeachThought, 28 Aug. 2017, www.teachthought.com/learning/the-impact-of-creativity-on-the-brain/.

*This site content is provided for informational purposes only and does not intend to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have medical questions and/or concerns, please contact a medical professional.