Creativity Is Not Optional

June – Creativity

Most people think creativity is for artists. It’s not.

Creativity is how humans process emotion, stress, and meaning.

When creativity disappears, life becomes mechanical: Wake up. Work. Eat. Scroll. Sleep.

I’m quite a creative person, and I completely understand that when you’re going through difficult times, that’s often when you don’t feel like doing anything at all.

But I’ve found that even small, simple creative tasks can really support your wellbeing.

For me, mindful colouring books were a great place to start. When I’m feeling low, my creativity tends to disappear — so having something structured but still creative really helped.

I also personally like to switch things up. I might go from cooking, to painting, to trying a pottery workshop. Moving between different creative outlets keeps things light and stops it from feeling like pressure.

Of course, this looks different for everyone. It might be listening to music, rearranging a room, planting something in the garden — whatever makes you feel even slightly good or grounded.

Journalling has also been better than expected, for me. When I first started, I would only write down my negative thoughts. Now, I focus on recording small wins and positive moments; even simple things like completing a run or planting something new. Over time, it really shifts your focus and helps you appreciate the small things that are already there.

Some other ideas include:

Cooking without a recipe

Dancing freely

Speaking honestly

Creativity is how energy moves.

And when energy doesn’t move, it stagnates, and stagnation shows up as:

Low mood

Fatigue

Brain fog

Lack of motivation

Aches and pains in the body

Health is flow.

Ask yourself: Where in your life have you stopped expressing yourself?

That’s not a productivity issue, that’s a health issue.

Creativity as Healing

“What’s one small creative shift that you could try this week?”

Examples:

Take a different walking route

Change morning routine order

Journal with prompts instead of scrolling

Try a new recipe

Move furniture slightly

Creativity = flexibility. Flexibility = emotional resilience.