I saw this headline in an email this week. It stopped me in my tracks. “Creativity Heals. Creativity is a most precious gift.”
Yes, indeed.
Let’s face it, we might have amazing lives, and be happy most of the time or at least satisfied or content. But there is always a little icky stuff, no matter who we are… we are human after all! It’s the nature of human beings to have hurts, unresolved issues or fear.
There are many ways to face and deal with these wounds. Exercise, yoga, mediation, dance, hanging out with pals, traveling … the list goes on… but an equally powerful tool for your healing can be making art. I don’t want to sound all preachy here… but I am constantly surprised by what personal issues I have that get resolved by a day or few hours of sitting and making something… and I am also surprised and thrilled to see it happen to those around me when I teach an art class. The act of creating can literally “open a door” and folks just feel better having had the experience.
This is not a new concept… for others or for me. But it is something worth remembering and noticing, regularly… especially when things aren’t fabulous.
Note: the book shown was created in February 2016 in Tetouan Morocco during my art residency there.
