Create

I’ve pretty much always had an artistic side. I grew up doing live theatre productions throughout high school and college. I loved crafting, crocheting, sewing, writing, and cooking. All of it brought me great joy. Somewhere in my adult life, I started to lose some of that artistic expression. I was growing my career and focusing more energy on work. I started on a fitness journey and dedicated a lot of my free time to the gym. And the more time I gave to work and fitness, of course, the less I was able to give to creativity. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not unhappy that I was able to shift my focus and grow my career and start to create a healthier lifestyle, both of those things are very important in my life. But, lately I’d found myself missing that creative outlet.

I no longer had any “passion projects” or even any creative hobbies really. It’s not that I’d lost interest in those things I once loved, but I no longer made them a priority. I no longer gave them life. And in doing that, I was denying myself many things that had once brought me great happiness.

Having a creative outlet is important in personal growth. Most days we are encompassed in the work we must do, the obligations we uphold to our families and friends, the commitments we make to our communities. And when we need to sacrifice something, our creative outlets are often the first to get cut. While that seems to be the most practical, it’s not always the wisest.

When you take time to create something, you are allowing yourself a break from the mental strain of the rest of life. It allows you to focus your thoughts and your energy into one task, essentially quieting some of the “noise” that’s a constant in so many of our day-to-day lives. A pause button, or perhaps at least a volume control. We live in a world where we are expected to be available to everyone always. Our cell phones keep us connected through calls, emails, texts, FaceTime, and dozens of other messaging and social media outlets. We answer work emails at the dinner table. We lay in bed at night switching between apps. Our downtime is not the same as it once was. Taking the time to create something gets us out of that mindset a bit.

In addition, exercising creativity helps in many practical ways too. Creativity helps with critical thinking and problem solving. It helps with patience. It helps with self-discipline. So if you find yourself feeling a little guilty about prioritizing your creative outlet, don’t! The benefits of creativity will translate into every other part of your life.

This is my new creative outlet. I’ve been enjoying writing again, creating content to share with all of you. Maybe yours is cooking. Or painting. Or woodworking. Or sculpting. Whatever it is that you find some passion and enjoyment in, my challenge for you is to prioritize some time for it.

What is your favorite creative outlet? Tell me about it in the comments!

As always, thank you for sharing a part of your life with me and for allowing me to share mine with you. I am truly grateful.