Here are two definitions of creativity that I embrace. Together, they express my wish for my clients.
“In my view, the most useful definition of creativity is the following: people are artistically creative when the love what they are doing, know what they are doing, and actively engage in art-making. The three elements of creativity are thus loving, knowing, and doing’; or heart, mind, and hands.”
“Creativity is no more mysterious than that. This hardly means, however, that manifesting one’s creativity is easy. Artists, in order to be creative, are challenged to love enough, to know enough, and to do enough, and these tasks are as real and challenging as any human endeavor can be.”
- Eric Maisel, Creativity for Life
“The creative process is a passionate, sweaty dance around a midnight bonfire. It’s a deep-sea diving adventure and a trip to the moon. It’s hard work and rewarding play. It’s an intentional accident, a curious experiment, and an awesome discovery. It’s a labor of love and a breeding ground for resistance…It’s a thousand ice cream cones and a sky full of fireworks. But more than anything, your creative process is a profound life teacher, a sacred vessel to express your soul purpose, and a wellspring of healing.”
- Daena Giardella and Wren Ross, Changing Patterns, Discovering the Fabric of Your Creativity
What is Stress?
What seems like the obvious answer – the traffic jams, arguments, nightly news – all those things that upset us – are all the initiators of our stress response. But stress is actually our emotional and physiological reaction to these events.
This is great news! Since stress is tied to our emotional reaction, we can learn to interrupt our response and choose a better emotion, one that is less destructive to our body and our creativity. And our heart can show us the way.
The inner critic, the judge, and the negative voice that are so well-known to many artists, are based in this same emotional / physiological response. The inner critic creates stress for the artist. Stress management tools can help eliminate the disempowering impact of these inner voices.
What is Wellness?
Wellness is that vibrant state that results from actively maintaining healthy habits such as exercise, good nutrition, stress management, good sleep and positive attitudes. Wellness is created upon a foundation of awareness.
Wellness can be achieved in multiple areas of one’s life, including:
· Physical / Nutritional
· Psychological
· Spiritual
· Occupational
· Social
· Environmental
The Relationship Between Creativity, Stress and Wellness
The impact of poor stress management and poor health habits diminishes our creative ability. Creativity requires well-being in order to thrive. We must have a certain soundness in body, mind and spirit in order to accomplish the sweaty, exhilarating, challenging and rewarding work of creativity.
