There are so many benefits to creativity, regardless of which type you enjoy. I admire those who can knit, crochet, draw etc as I can not do those things myself and there are so many beautiful examples of each. I admire the skill and the resulting works.
I appreciate music, especially classical, while not playing it. I also believe there is a form of creativity for everyone. It is a question of finding the one (or more if you are lucky) which suits you. In my case that is creative writing.
Benefits of Creativity
I am sure you will think of benefits I don’t list here but I would include the following.
Using your brain in a different way. Creativity encourages you to use more of your brain too. Keeping your brain engaged is healthy. While it cannot prevent everything, having an active brain has to be better for you than an inactive one. My view here is I would rather burn out than rust out.
Making friends whom you would not meet in any other way. I especially appreciate the Association of Christian Writers and The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick here. Those friends can share useful information you would not have discovered in any other way. That in turn can help you develop your skill set so you become more creative.
Certain forms of creativity can lead to products you can sell if you wish. Writing leads to books being published and so on but it is by no means the only kind of creative activity which can lead to it earning some income. Even if this isn’t something you’re seeking, there is the satisfaction of creating something special.
When I started writing seriously, I was initially just looking to prove to myself I could do it. I sought publication much later but that early time was spent finding out what I wanted to write and having a great deal of fun doing so. Discovering my niche in flash fiction/short stories was wonderful (and still is).
Opportunities may come your way as a result of your creativity. This has happened for me (and I always welcome it happening again!). You develop even more skill sets. You keep your brain even more occupied with something which is positive and engaging, at least for you. Even if you have no intention of sharing what you do with the rest of the world, just doing this for yourself is good for you. I hadn’t anticipated running workshops when I started. Am so glad I do so now though!
I find being creative is a wonderful way to unwind. Writing is hard work (as any other creative skill would be) but I always feel better in myself for having written something, whether or not I share it elsewhere later. I believe creativity meets a need in the individual. Can it be addictive? Oh yes. The buzz of completing a story never goes away. The buzz of being published – likewise!
Economic Benefits
According to the House of Lords library, the creative industries generated £109 billion to the UK economy in 2021. I would say that was pretty good going given we were slowly coming out of the pandemic then. They include IT as part of the creative industries in this but I think that is fair enough.
I would argue any kind of technological development and the oft-looked down on career of engineering are creative industries given they are designed to solve problems. Human creativity is the way to come up with those solutions. (Oh and I am married to an electronics engineer, hence my comments).
Bear in mind the creative arts have a positive benefit for other industries too, most notably the hospitality sector. After all the tourists coming to Stratford-upon-Avon to explore Shakespeare’s birthplace have to stay somewhere, eat meals somewhere etc just to name one example. How much money comes in thanks to London’s theatre land to name another?
Jobs are dependent on the creative arts too – publishers, printers, distributors etc. So there is much to be said for encouraging the creative industries.
AI
No matter how clever artificial intelligence may become, I think you still need the creative input of humans. AI can only mimic and there is a huge debate going on right now about its impact on writers, especially in copyright infringement. I can see the use of aids. Dictation software is a great aid to many. But we will always need humans, their imagination, their inventiveness etc.
Musical Creativity
Music is such a powerful thing, whatever the genre. One of the things which will stay with me is how when my mother was in a care home for advanced Alzheimer’s/vascular dementia (she had both), she could remember the words of the songs they played.
The home would often bring in a singer who had a backing track player and they would sing songs from the 1940’s to about the late 1960’s or so. Mum, who by that time, could not recall who her family were, remembered all the words and loved joining in. It is a strange oddity with this disease that songs and swear words are so often not forgotten.
I would say music here was acting as a therapy and not just for her. It did the family good to see her enjoying this. Later, her sister who went on to develop the same combination of awful diseases, took part in what The Alzheimer’s Society call Singing For the Brain.
I write with classical music in the background courtesy of Classic FM. I don’t know quite what it is but I find classical relaxes me and when I relax, I write more. I love having my own soundtrack here.
The older I’ve got the more I’ve come to appreciate the sheer skill in musicianship and composing (and the wonders of the human ear in interpreting sound – that shouldn’t be overlooked either). Perhaps it is apt that I am composing in a different way with this on in the background then.
Conclusion
Whatever your form of creativity, enjoy it. I believe most of us have some drive to create. Creativity speaks to our spirit, as well as being entertaining, informative etc to our minds. Long may that continue.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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