Why do we make things? Peter Korn, a furniture maker turned craftmanship guru in Maine wrote a book titled “Why We Make Things and Why It Matters.” He taps some themes we all kind of know but often take for granted.
Creativity is good for us, physically and mentally. Multiple studies have shown its reduction on stress and anxiety. Creativity helps us perceive the world in new and different ways. It helps us create works of beauty, problem solve, and refreshes our bodies and minds.
It’s also a process of discovery, bringing an element of excitement. We don’t really know the result until we get there. It’s fun, and when you are having fun, you positively impact your health, often making social contacts along the way.
Korn points out, “Going into a creative space, you become a different person. You lose yourself. The normal worries about life – bills, the kids, your work – fade into the background.” He calls it a “… chance to inhabit your higher self.”
Fortunately, creative impulse is deep-seated in all of us. It just manifests in so many ways we often don’t recognize it or allow it space to come out. The arts leap to most minds. Performing arts, visual arts, the written word, the list goes on.
A fledging art student myself, I recently finished my first slightly larger painting. On the way home I felt a surprising flush of joy. It was so satisfying. Guess I’d gotten into what’s called the “flow state,” sometimes referred to as being “in the zone.”
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the cofounders of positive psychology, references the “flow” as times when we get so immersed in a task or activity that we lose track of time. Optimal attention and focus is given to the task. We feel more positive; it brings on a sense of accomplishment. We are more mindful and relaxed.
The Cleveland Clinic cites multiple studies on how creativity helps lessen the shame, anger and depression caused by trauma. Inner feelings are expressed and released.
An idea doesn’t have to be artistic or world-changing to count as creative. This goes back to why we make things. Life requires daily acts of ingenuity and novel workarounds. Ability to problem-solve, create, or fix things requires creativity. Examples are everywhere.
An electrician was at my house tackling a remodel job. He had to access a small crawl space to figure things out. He commented how much the job suited him – “It challenges me physically, mentally and it’s important. It’s satisfying.”
A family member is facing cancer challenges. An amazing quilter, when I visited her, her focus was on the next project and the concentration she could give it.
Problem solving of home chores, family or work problems, or catching a vision and seeing if you can make it happen all work the physiology of creativity.
Laurel Healy is a clinical therapist contributing to Very Well Mind, an award-winning resource on topics and data related to common mental health interests. She points out that when we focus on something that is challenging and/or fun, we make new neuropathways, increasing connectivity in the brain. “Increased connectivity … makes us more emotionally resilient in a way similar to what occurs when we meditate.”
Moral of the story? We make things because it feeds our creative soul and can be fun. Learning something new, creatively solving a problem, and staying connected with others is proven to help keep brains strong. Sounds like a good plan.