Creativity is Good Medicine By Susan Cadley

Being up with a cold at night as a child was miserable until I was offered the glowing red cherry spoonful of cough syrup. It was a promise on a spoon towards feeling better. At least that’s what my parents would tell me, and they were usually right. I would feel better after the warmth coated my throat and I could sleep restfully.

Creativity is like a spoonful of good medicine for the soul. For me there is a visceral difference in how I feel in my inner world, when I take my creativity medicine and when I don’t.

• When I’m not nurturing my creativity, life feels lackluster, boring, serious, flat, gray. I don’t feel like I’m fully being me.

• When I am nurturing my creativity, life feels vibrant, alive, buzzing with possibilities, satisfying. My soul gets to express and experience.

In order for me to keep my life feeling vitally alive, I’ve had to enlist my left-brain to remain accountable for carving out time for fun and play. I’ve learned from the creativity masters; Jill Badonsky, Jamie Ridler, SARK, and Julia Cameron to name few…that even spending a few minutes at a creative pursuit is enough to open the door to these wonderful feelings. I believe that creativity in any form opens an internal door for your soul to express.

Here are a few ways I’ve blended in creativity into my life:

Hold the Space

A few years ago I realized I needed to dedicate time to my creativity or everything in my life took precedence. I had never painted before, so I took a class at my local Parks & Recreation Center and I’ve been doing this ever since. If there’s not a current class, I use this time to paint at home. I also mark off time in my schedule for dance classes at the gym as I consider this a creative activity. On the days I don’t have something fun scheduled I might be found taking photos in my backyard, around my office, or on a walk. If you have a camera on your phone, you have a creative tool with you at all times.

It’s important to be conscious of your creative time each week. There will always be items on your to do list. And maybe, just maybe if you schedule some creative time, you’ll plow through that list with a bit more energy because you’ve been filled up. Schedule your time and protect it. It is sacred to your soul.

Organize

The left-brain loves this activity – naming, boxing, and organizing. I took the time last year to box and label my creative supplies. I put on some great music and got to work. So now, when I decide what I’m going to work with, I can find the supplies I need easily. I used to become dissuaded from beginning a project because I couldn’t find what I needed in my messy creative stash.

Ask for Support

I’ve shared with my family and friends how important my creative time is and I’ve asked them to support me in claiming my time. It’s a wonderful feeling when a friend asks me what I’ve been doing with my creative time. Ask for what you need and you might just receive it!

Carving out time for your creativity may cause these side effects: more ideas flowing, moments of unbridled happiness, giddiness, problem solving, joy, energy, heightened intuition, satisfaction, fun, connection, learning, opening, hope, love…

Add a dose of this medicine to your week, and then notice how you feel. Wishing you more.

Susan is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Soul Coach and soul proprietor of Living From Within, LLC. Through counseling, coaching, creative workshops, book studies, and writing, Susan guides you to hear and live the messages of your soul.