What Are You Creating?

According to Harvard Health, ”for something to be creative it has to be novel or original and be useful or adaptive to some portion of the population.”

When I create something, I am problem solving along the way. Through solving the problems that come along with creation, I am activating the reward center in my brain and getting a burst of dopamine in the process. Generally, I don’t even realize it at the time because I am so focused on the creative process, but science tells us that it is there. 

The tendency these days is to consume. We consume the social media feeds we scroll through. We consume the television programs or movies we watch. We consume take out food and package deliveries. 

What are you creating these days?

I love to craft things. I often see products online and think, “I could make that!” I am a sucker for a step by step tutorial. Do they all turn out fabulously? No way! I do, however, gain experience and skills along the way. The beauty of crafting is that I can take what I have learned and use it going forward into the next project. I can refine my technique or use smarter tools. Sometimes that experience tells me that, no, I cannot make that cool thing myself. LOL! 

I have been knitting a scarf lately that is almost finished. That is kind of a miracle because knitting is something that I do when I find myself sitting still with nothing to do with my hands. That doesn’t happen too often lately, but I’m making progress little by little. 

A newer form of creativity for me has been drawing/painting with an Apple Pencil on my iPad. I love being able to draw something and have the ability to push undo if it is not the stroke I was hoping for. There are so many layers I can add to my drawings to improve them too. There is just something about learning a new craft that gets me so excited to make more. 

I got a Cricut for Christmas from my amazing family and I am so excited to make all the things. I dabbled a little and made an ornament commemorating the year, a little sign with our names on it, the cover of my journal and turned a whiteboard into a perpetual calendar for my daughter. This is only the beginning! When we move into our new house, there will be a dedicated space for all my crafting and creating, so I can up my creating game. 

Now, I lean towards physical crafts that end up all around my home. You may be thinking, that’s totally not me. No worries there! You may create things and not even realize it. Check out this list:

• Writing: This can take the form of journaling, letter writing, blogging, crafting emails or lesson plans or social media posts. 

• Decorating: Rearranging things to improve the aesthetic is also creating.

• Music: Singing or playing an instrument. 

• Photography: You don’t even need fancy equipment these days with how technology has improved our phone cameras. 

• Cooking or Baking: Using a recipe or not, you are creating something. 

• Gardening: Indoor or outdoor, planting, tending, pruning is also creative.

• Building: You are creating when you build towers or Legos with your kids.

All of that is creating! You are putting something out into the world that wasn’t there before. This is how we leave our mark on the world!

My goal each day is to create something new. That keeps my brain firing that dopamine and leads to a happier life. 

What is your favorite form of creative outlet? I’m not sure I could narrow it down to just one, so you can share as many as you like in the comments below.

Did you know I just launched a journal? It is a pdf download that you can get today to start my easy journaling system. Check out all the information here!