I love this question ” What forms of creativity do I find healing”
So many of them: art, music, poetry, photography, literature and dance,
peoples interpretation of nature’s, colors, light, sound, feelings, fears, dark and light, times of despair, times of victory, times of rest and times of love in whatever way they choose. Our reflection back to nature and the human experience the life that we see all around us.
Hmm, I don’t know that I define my acts of creativity in terms of a healing purpose specifically. I do a number of things because I enjoy the act of creation, not because I’m undertaking them to heal something.
That said, I enjoy:
Knitting: The steps of choosing a pattern and then picking out yarn from the many beautiful colors and interesting textures at my local yarn shop, feeling the item grow under my moving fingers.
Cooking and baking: Reading recipes, tasting flavors in my head, deciding what to make, all the chopping and stirring, tasting and adjusting, the delicious results.
Occasional doodling with Zentangle techniques: The magic of something intricate and interesting appearing out of simple repetitive patterns.
Writing: Letting ideas flow out from my brain through my fingers, reading to edit, changing the word choices or sequence to try to shape something more interesting and compelling.
Painting rocks: Choosing colors and creating patterns or sayings that seem to go with the shape of the rock, enjoying placing the finished rocks in a nearby city park or by a bus stop for people to find, hoping it brightens their day.
Creating outfits: Choosing colors, scarves, jewelry to complement whatever I’m wearing that day if I want to dress up a bit.
Decorating our home: Choosing art pieces and where to hang or place them, adding color and comfort.
One day
I found a felt heart in my shopping car
with a little note that said,
“ I need a home “
Reading about your rock painting,
dear Barb…
made me smile. 🙂
Like you, Barb, I haven’t sought out a creative activity specifically for healing. The peace, satisfaction, presence, enjoyment a creative act brings about may heal something in general or something I didn’t know needed healing. So you have me wondering what it would be like to seek a creative activity when I feel I am specifically in need of healing. Thanks for that new prompt.
I enjoy decorating my living space and my work cubicle with nautical theme, I also collect shells, sea glass, unique rocks and have some coral pieces from the Bahamas.
I like to do & learn crafts mostly in library events lately but when my children were young we would paint Christmas ornaments together. I do want to do a pottery class or Stain glass when I some day retire and have more time. I did pottery a long time ago when I was younger in school.
Imagination. When someone and I are in troubled relationship conditions, due to misunderstanding. If I can’t talk to that person, my imagination helps ease me from my “stupid thoughts.”
Any creation born in the very moment; when the heart is in that what is created, by kids as well as adults, no matter the subject, no matter the material used, no matter the “perfection”, idea, painting. collage, drawing, music, photos, poems, movies… What seems to me serves for healing is the sun in it; as it is also in every cell of the leaves and all of the trees or the evening primrose, when like in slowmotion the upper buds are opening up on every single primrose plant, mysteriously all together one after another, releasing their beautiful scent into the evening dawn as if drawn by the twilight to attract the last rays of the setting sun for the blossom to unfold, attracting the insects; all sharing their part in creating all of most beautiful nature on Mother Earth, soothing and bringing pure joy to heart and soul.
I think that all things that we do
are forms of creativity,
whether it be creating chaos in the middle of calm
or calm in the middle of chaos.
The arts . . .
music,
literature,
art,
are generally thought of
as the standards,
but in recent years
I’ve been teaching myself
that everything I do
is creative,
whether it be for the good
or the not-so-good.
I make a masterpiece
out of washing the dishes,
or planting a flower . . .
I do a service to the earth
by tending her soil,
and a service to the factory girls working in a textile mill
by repairing a hole in my jeans
instead of throwing them away.
I am trying to change my thinking about healing through creativity . . .
we have access to it
in every single part of our lives,
by the way we do things.
Simple,
menial things
can be paragons of healing and grace.
We don’t have to have ‘special talents’
to be artists and musicians.
Using my innate creativity,
which we all have,
is a balm to my world weary soul,
and brings peace to my heart. ♥
I do find that creating things is good for me, but I don’t consider myself creative in the artistic sense.
My job shooting and editing video is more of a problem solving exercise. Even playing the drums is kind of like a puzzle.
But what I like about these things is the way they focus me, and I feel something missing when I don’t have some sort of project to work on.
Even if that project is my mental health.
I have always had a deep desire to create things and the process could definitely be considered healing.
I really like reading this, Charlie. Thank you. I just looked up the word “create” in a thesaurus, and gosh it was an inspiring read! Perhaps the terms that resonated with me the most were “bring into being” “give rise to” and “promote”…. out of scores of synonyms. Anyway, what I am thinking here is that working on, as you say, ‘mental health projects’, or I would even say our spiritual side or ‘soul work’ , and the reflection we do here – that is all creative work. It is kind of exciting; certainly hopeful. thanks for the input. c
Movement – both yoga and dancing. Both restorative practices, and I can be creative depending on my mood and/or the music. Our older dog loves dancing, too, and if my husband and I start dancing in front of him, he’ll get up, grab a toy and is ready to party! It’s the cutest thing and good for all of us.
I also love to cook. I grew up watching cooking shows, have a ton of cookbooks, and am always looking at recipes for ideas. The process of preparing a meal is something I’ve always enjoyed. It makes me feel good to nourish people.
And then there’s organizing. Anything I can bring some order to in my own way makes me feel good.
I made a shrimp and mushroom sauce with tomato and parm to top some mushroom fontina ravioli that we bought. It was dee-lish! Ham and potato chowder sounds yummy!
I’ve come to realize the importance of the mind and body connection when it comes to healing. Living so much in my head, I didn’t know just how disconnected (and still am but less so) from my body. I find that when I use my body in creative ways (dancing, drawing, cooking, yoga, etc) I feel more integrated and whole. I can be more present with myself when I’m engaging in these activities and give thanks to myself and my body for this beautiful gift of movement and creation. 💗
I would say that these days journaling is the main one. In the past it would definitely have been singing. These days it is listening to music and appreciating the talents of others. For several years, I wrote dramatic monologues through the eyes of characters who could have witnessed the events in the Bible and performed them in area churches through the eyes of the character I had created. For example, I told the Christmas story through the eyes of the innkeeper’s wife. I was often told that the monologues moved the story from head to heart. We hear scripture read to us a lot but an eye witness story puts us in the story.
I will share a precious story from one of my performances It was totally unexpected and worth a chuckle: I was scheduled to tell the Christmas story to a group of kindergarten through 2nd grade students at a parochial school. The children had been told that they would have a visitor from the past so I had a visitors’ patch pinned to my costume and was introduced as the innkeeper’s wife. I invited the children to come back with me in time over 2000 years ago. After the presentation, one little boy(2nd grader) raised his hand and said, “Did you really live over 2000 years ago? You don’t look that old. How old are you?” Just as he asked the question, another little boy grabbed his arm and said, “You’re not suppose to ask a lady how old she is!” So needless to say that proper little southern gentleman saved me from having to answer the question!
That said, most of the time the response to my stories was tears and that is when I knew the audience had traveled back in time with me.
I enjoy making collages. My perfectionism does not bother me too much in collage making.
I love cutting and tearing paper that I have painted, paper pulled from magazines or prints of my photographs.
And then gluing them down any way I want to! Yes! Often I use squares of one color, maybe two for the background.
And birds trees and sky. I usually include at least one these. Writing about this makes me want to do a few.
It’s been a while.
I also love, love, love to dance. I don’t know that it’s particularly creative, but it fun and it certainly is healing.
I love music, and love to move to it.
I don’t often dance though. But who says I need a dance floor?
I think I will dance today!
I love to create beauty out of a mess. It can be any kind of a mess really; storage space, outside space, the inside of my car, my head! When I take on a big project, I get so much satisfaction out of stopping periodically, and just being with what I have completed. I find it energizing and soothing at the same time.
I love this, Mary. This morning, as I clear up and clean up my kitchen counter…. as we do how many times a day!?….. I will see it in the form of creating beauty! Thanks!!!!! “Creativity” !! “Creating beauty out of a mess”…That puts it so much more into the act of fun! thank you
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I love writing, music, dance, art all are healing for my soul.
I love this question ” What forms of creativity do I find healing”
So many of them: art, music, poetry, photography, literature and dance,
peoples interpretation of nature’s, colors, light, sound, feelings, fears, dark and light, times of despair, times of victory, times of rest and times of love in whatever way they choose. Our reflection back to nature and the human experience the life that we see all around us.
Hmm, I don’t know that I define my acts of creativity in terms of a healing purpose specifically. I do a number of things because I enjoy the act of creation, not because I’m undertaking them to heal something.
That said, I enjoy:
Knitting: The steps of choosing a pattern and then picking out yarn from the many beautiful colors and interesting textures at my local yarn shop, feeling the item grow under my moving fingers.
Cooking and baking: Reading recipes, tasting flavors in my head, deciding what to make, all the chopping and stirring, tasting and adjusting, the delicious results.
Occasional doodling with Zentangle techniques: The magic of something intricate and interesting appearing out of simple repetitive patterns.
Writing: Letting ideas flow out from my brain through my fingers, reading to edit, changing the word choices or sequence to try to shape something more interesting and compelling.
Painting rocks: Choosing colors and creating patterns or sayings that seem to go with the shape of the rock, enjoying placing the finished rocks in a nearby city park or by a bus stop for people to find, hoping it brightens their day.
Creating outfits: Choosing colors, scarves, jewelry to complement whatever I’m wearing that day if I want to dress up a bit.
Decorating our home: Choosing art pieces and where to hang or place them, adding color and comfort.
One day
I found a felt heart in my shopping car
with a little note that said,
“ I need a home “
Reading about your rock painting,
dear Barb…
made me smile. 🙂
Like you, Barb, I haven’t sought out a creative activity specifically for healing. The peace, satisfaction, presence, enjoyment a creative act brings about may heal something in general or something I didn’t know needed healing. So you have me wondering what it would be like to seek a creative activity when I feel I am specifically in need of healing. Thanks for that new prompt.
I should’ve added outfits, too. I think enjoyment is healing!
I enjoy decorating my living space and my work cubicle with nautical theme, I also collect shells, sea glass, unique rocks and have some coral pieces from the Bahamas.
I like to do & learn crafts mostly in library events lately but when my children were young we would paint Christmas ornaments together. I do want to do a pottery class or Stain glass when I some day retire and have more time. I did pottery a long time ago when I was younger in school.
Robin, my family still has the Christmas tree on in our house. It brings an uplifting atmosphere in the winter.
I would love to do pottery too, Robin Ann!
Imagination. When someone and I are in troubled relationship conditions, due to misunderstanding. If I can’t talk to that person, my imagination helps ease me from my “stupid thoughts.”
My Ngoc, we can do a lot with our imagination. It’s helped me improve my Vietnamese and come up with a story about cabbage and eggs.
Any creation born in the very moment; when the heart is in that what is created, by kids as well as adults, no matter the subject, no matter the material used, no matter the “perfection”, idea, painting. collage, drawing, music, photos, poems, movies… What seems to me serves for healing is the sun in it; as it is also in every cell of the leaves and all of the trees or the evening primrose, when like in slowmotion the upper buds are opening up on every single primrose plant, mysteriously all together one after another, releasing their beautiful scent into the evening dawn as if drawn by the twilight to attract the last rays of the setting sun for the blossom to unfold, attracting the insects; all sharing their part in creating all of most beautiful nature on Mother Earth, soothing and bringing pure joy to heart and soul.
Beautifully expressed dear Ose.
It is all a glorious mystery,
dear Ose,
isn’t it? ♥
I think that all things that we do
are forms of creativity,
whether it be creating chaos in the middle of calm
or calm in the middle of chaos.
The arts . . .
music,
literature,
art,
are generally thought of
as the standards,
but in recent years
I’ve been teaching myself
that everything I do
is creative,
whether it be for the good
or the not-so-good.
I make a masterpiece
out of washing the dishes,
or planting a flower . . .
I do a service to the earth
by tending her soil,
and a service to the factory girls working in a textile mill
by repairing a hole in my jeans
instead of throwing them away.
I am trying to change my thinking about healing through creativity . . .
we have access to it
in every single part of our lives,
by the way we do things.
Simple,
menial things
can be paragons of healing and grace.
We don’t have to have ‘special talents’
to be artists and musicians.
Using my innate creativity,
which we all have,
is a balm to my world weary soul,
and brings peace to my heart. ♥
Thank you Sparrow, I feel my heart absorbing all you express here.❤️
Thank you, Sparrow
I love this, Sparrow.
Thank you, Sparrow
I do find that creating things is good for me, but I don’t consider myself creative in the artistic sense.
My job shooting and editing video is more of a problem solving exercise. Even playing the drums is kind of like a puzzle.
But what I like about these things is the way they focus me, and I feel something missing when I don’t have some sort of project to work on.
Even if that project is my mental health.
I have always had a deep desire to create things and the process could definitely be considered healing.
It’s ALL creative,
dear Charlie . . .
give yourself credit. ♥
I really like reading this, Charlie. Thank you. I just looked up the word “create” in a thesaurus, and gosh it was an inspiring read! Perhaps the terms that resonated with me the most were “bring into being” “give rise to” and “promote”…. out of scores of synonyms. Anyway, what I am thinking here is that working on, as you say, ‘mental health projects’, or I would even say our spiritual side or ‘soul work’ , and the reflection we do here – that is all creative work. It is kind of exciting; certainly hopeful. thanks for the input. c
Carol Ann, your synonyms and Sparrow’s response re every act being an opportunity to create go hand-in-hand. Thank you.
Movement – both yoga and dancing. Both restorative practices, and I can be creative depending on my mood and/or the music. Our older dog loves dancing, too, and if my husband and I start dancing in front of him, he’ll get up, grab a toy and is ready to party! It’s the cutest thing and good for all of us.
I also love to cook. I grew up watching cooking shows, have a ton of cookbooks, and am always looking at recipes for ideas. The process of preparing a meal is something I’ve always enjoyed. It makes me feel good to nourish people.
And then there’s organizing. Anything I can bring some order to in my own way makes me feel good.
I made a ham and potato chowder this evening for supper.
I made a shrimp and mushroom sauce with tomato and parm to top some mushroom fontina ravioli that we bought. It was dee-lish! Ham and potato chowder sounds yummy!
And a bit simpler to assemble : ) !
I’ve come to realize the importance of the mind and body connection when it comes to healing. Living so much in my head, I didn’t know just how disconnected (and still am but less so) from my body. I find that when I use my body in creative ways (dancing, drawing, cooking, yoga, etc) I feel more integrated and whole. I can be more present with myself when I’m engaging in these activities and give thanks to myself and my body for this beautiful gift of movement and creation. 💗
Lovely, Jennifer.
I would say that these days journaling is the main one. In the past it would definitely have been singing. These days it is listening to music and appreciating the talents of others. For several years, I wrote dramatic monologues through the eyes of characters who could have witnessed the events in the Bible and performed them in area churches through the eyes of the character I had created. For example, I told the Christmas story through the eyes of the innkeeper’s wife. I was often told that the monologues moved the story from head to heart. We hear scripture read to us a lot but an eye witness story puts us in the story.
I will share a precious story from one of my performances It was totally unexpected and worth a chuckle: I was scheduled to tell the Christmas story to a group of kindergarten through 2nd grade students at a parochial school. The children had been told that they would have a visitor from the past so I had a visitors’ patch pinned to my costume and was introduced as the innkeeper’s wife. I invited the children to come back with me in time over 2000 years ago. After the presentation, one little boy(2nd grader) raised his hand and said, “Did you really live over 2000 years ago? You don’t look that old. How old are you?” Just as he asked the question, another little boy grabbed his arm and said, “You’re not suppose to ask a lady how old she is!” So needless to say that proper little southern gentleman saved me from having to answer the question!
That said, most of the time the response to my stories was tears and that is when I knew the audience had traveled back in time with me.
Saved by a little southern gentleman! Great story Carol.
sweet.
Photography, playing music (djing, violin, bass guitar), cooking, writing, and working on my cross-stitch project.
I enjoy making collages. My perfectionism does not bother me too much in collage making.
I love cutting and tearing paper that I have painted, paper pulled from magazines or prints of my photographs.
And then gluing them down any way I want to! Yes! Often I use squares of one color, maybe two for the background.
And birds trees and sky. I usually include at least one these. Writing about this makes me want to do a few.
It’s been a while.
I also love, love, love to dance. I don’t know that it’s particularly creative, but it fun and it certainly is healing.
I love music, and love to move to it.
I don’t often dance though. But who says I need a dance floor?
I think I will dance today!
💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
I dance in my room often!
The healing activities I enjoy are:
Doodling
Tutoring
Cooking
Making lists
Making our living area inviting
I imagine your living area is especially nice.
I love to create beauty out of a mess. It can be any kind of a mess really; storage space, outside space, the inside of my car, my head! When I take on a big project, I get so much satisfaction out of stopping periodically, and just being with what I have completed. I find it energizing and soothing at the same time.
I love this, Mary. This morning, as I clear up and clean up my kitchen counter…. as we do how many times a day!?….. I will see it in the form of creating beauty! Thanks!!!!! “Creativity” !! “Creating beauty out of a mess”…That puts it so much more into the act of fun! thank you
You are so welcome, Carol Ann. I hope you looked back on your kitchen creativity with satisfaction.
I seem to enjoy making the mess.
Making order from them, not so much.
But in the end order is very satisfying. Indeed.
Well someone has to make the mess, Mary. Otherwise there wouldn’t be projects for creatives like me.😉
😂🥰
😁 you made me laugh, Mary.
🥰🥰