I’ve always been a big supporter of the arts community and have long accepted the knowledge that cultivating an imaginative spirit is vastly underrated by our society. Luckily, I’m not the only one who recognizes the importance of creativity and how nurturing this creativity benefits us all. In an article titled “The Side Road to Happiness” provided by Psychology Today and MSN Health & Fitness.com, psychologists are beginning to link creativity with achieving happiness, emphasizing the importance of setting aside some time in our busy lives to flex the imaginative recesses of our minds. So, how does being creative help keep us happy and healthy? It’s a simple answer and I’m surprised at its simplicity…The more we engage in creative activities (painting, writing, knitting, doodling, anything which causes us to think outside of the box), the more a sense of fulfillment is gained and what is the end-result from this type of fulfillment? Happiness, of course. We gain ‘happiness/fulfillment’ by accomplishing what we’ve assigned to ourselves. We take something we’ve envisioned within our minds, place it onto paper, into a sketch pad, or onto a canvas and we gain immense joy from witnessing our creations being unearthed. However, as the article points out, in order for our creativity to benefit us, we have to let it happen, we have to work at it, we have to let it flow out of us instead of quashing the idea before it had a chance to come to fruition. We also have to be willing to set aside time to pursue our passion, and once we've given ourself to this pursuit fully, our bodies will naturally follow suit. According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who labeled the mental state of being fully engaged in creativity “flow”, those individuals who became so absorbed in a creative activity felt as though they were outside of time. The creative energy spent on a project allowed them a better sense of well-being, they tended to be happier. Other researchers also have noted that people who are creative during their daily lives or are passionate in their pursuits of creativity tended to be physically healthier as well. It makes sense, right? You enjoy the task you’ve assigned yourself, you enjoy the challenge of your task and once you’ve completed it, you have a sense of accomplishment, and that tends to make us extremely happy.
Now that this notion has been planted into your noggins, I challenge you to go out, find something you’re interested in, and actively pursue it. Remember, it’s all about how it makes you feel…
