The Importance of Being Creative!
Happy belated New Year readers!
Thank you so much for choosing to spend some of your precious time in this brand new year with me. As I write this, the first of my blog posts for this year, I can’t help but think about the kind of year we just left behind. It was a year filled with many MANY challenges, negatives and stressers. Our concept of personal health and safety were challenged, our schedules were turned upside down, we were separated from our loved ones, and we were required to turn our homes into offices, classrooms, gyms, restaurants, entertainment facilities, etc. etc. etc. That is, of course, if you were lucky enough to keep working during this time, which was not the case for many.
For me personally, I was one of the lucky ones. In addition to being able to work from home and live in an area of Canada that has been relatively ‘safe’, I finally had the time to start this blog! This has been something I’ve considered doing for a long time, but never imagined where I would find the time to get started. When I realized that this was probably as much free time as I was ever going to have though, it seemed like something I just had to do. I’ll be honest with you though, it was not without some hesitation.
In the shadow of a year like this one, I think it’s common to question why we should bother investing time and effort in to anything that doesn’t feel important, or that seems frivolous. Unfortunately, I think we often categorize creative and personal projects this way. This year I’ve heard many people refer to projects, plans, or goals they had as ‘not important right now’ or ‘pointless’ during this time. I certainly had moments when I felt that way about creating this blog. Yes I had the time to invest, but was the timing appropriate? Would people want to read about something like this while so many important and challenging things were going on in their lives? Was this an important thing for me to dedicate my time to right now?
I decided that it would be good for me to be able to dive into something creative though, at a time when a distraction from what was going on in the world would be welcome. I have long felt that during times like these, when life is challenging me and bringing me a lot of negativity that I can’t control, it’s almost more important than ever to devote some time to hobbies and creative outlets that bring me some sense of happiness, relaxation and accomplishment. I wondered though, if this was something unique to me, or if there were actual benefits to be found in creative activity for everyone? So I turned to my good old friend research!
Unsurprisingly, many studies have been done on the concept of how being creative affects the brain, mental health, and even stress. It turns out that when people are engaged and focused in creative activity, they tend to lose track of time and what’s going on around them. This break from everyday thoughts is great for your brain and body! It can relax you, slowing your heart rate, and can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. And when you successfully complete a project? Your brain gets hit with a big dose of dopamine, making you feel happy and motivated.
Scientists have even used tests to determine that consistent creative acts can create better connective activity between the right and left sides of the brain. This, in turn, helps to boost your brains cognitive functions. Even better is the fact that it doesn’t seem to matter what kind of activity you take part in for you to have these experiences. Knitting, drawing, journaling, painting, sewing, sculpting, playing an instrument, crafting of any kind, photography, gardening, writing...as long as you’re genuinely interested in the activity, they can all serve as therapeutic creative practices for your mental health.
Okay, so that’s a lot of science talk for a sewing blog, but personally I think it’s motivating to know that my hobbies are actually helping to improve my health and mental state! I think it’s safe to say it can also do the same for you. Especially since all of the difficulties presented to us in 2020 are far from over. We are all going to need healthy coping mechanisms, and outlets for stressful and anxious feelings if we are going to survive the continuation of this difficult and tumultuous time.
For more information on related studies about creativity and it’s affects on the body, check out these articles:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300347
https://www.verywellmind.com/art-therapy-relieve-stress-by-being-creative-3144581
So with a renewed sense of purpose, I took a much needed break over the holidays to plan my sewing projects and creative goals for the new year. I’m proud of the projects I worked on in the fall, and hope you take some time to check them out if you haven’t already. This year I want to keep challenging myself though, and expanding my skills.
I’m going to continue my Adventure in Tailoring series, where I explore more traditional tailoring processes while crafting some classic wardrobe pieces. I also want to learn how to draft my own patterns, which I’ve never really done! I’ll continue to cover more basic skills as well, for those of you who need some guidance on how to get started with beginner sewing projects.
I hope to share more with you about how I style and wear my pieces once I’ve made them as well. For me, the creative process doesn’t end once a garment is made. I love to use my homemade items to create unique outfits that reflect my personal style, and showcase the things that I’ve worked hard to make. We’ll also explore the process of curating a wardrobe that feels authentic to you, while supporting the concepts of ethical fashion. We all want to look great, but you’ll feel great too when you wear items that you know weren’t made based on negative workplace or environmental practices.
I also think it’s important to talk about how to make room in your life for creative hobbies, both physically and figuratively. It can be hard work to schedule time for yourself to be creative, and most of us aren’t lucky enough to have spaces in our homes dedicated to creative projects, but that shouldn’t stop us from digging into the projects we love, or taking the time to try new things!
I really hope you’ll enjoy the posts I have planned, and look forward to hearing from you about what creative ideas you’re hoping to explore this year as well. If there’s a sewing process or other subject you would like me to cover, please let me know. Either way I wish you the best this year, and look forward to sharing my projects with you! Happy sewing,
~Amanda
