“Oh no, I am not creative, you should see me paint or draw…”

Error! We to often associate creativity with visual arts, which is only a fraction of what creativity consists of. When you cook, you create. When you garden, you create. When you re-organise your room, you create. When you sing, you create.

This process of thinking with the heart, this process of problem solving, this process of getting from point A to point B is in my opinion, a very important variable of happiness and peace…  and peace and happiness are key elements of physical health. We need to bring back the reflex of creating, through arts, cooking or gardening. We need to work with our hands, our hearts and our brains all at once. This brings a feeling of wholeness, a feeling of gratification and a productive and positive way of expressing (often) suppressed emotions. This is indeed what Freud called sublimation, a beautiful word!

To me, creativity is intimately linked with happiness because it allows to express part of our essence, something that is inherently part of us. Why is creativity part of who we are? This is my logic … humans are part of nature. We are therefore nature… and what does nature do, all the time? It creates! Therefore… humans need to create to express part of their fundamental essence!

Take a pen and start writing, take a brush and start painting, take a shovel and start digging. You have here a simple and accessible way of relaxing, growing, and ultimately, cultivating and contributing to your well-being.