Creativity and Youth
Everyone ages, but our minds have the power to withstand that!
By #STUKGIRL: ALONA GRIGG (Ja’dasia Rose)
Everyone wants to live their best life.
Everyone wants to stay young.
You can’t delay the inevitable but you can do something about it!
Everyone ages, but our minds have the power to withstand that!
So we say, creativity keeps us young because no imagination is as colorful as that of a child.
We go throughout the years and the stress of adult life bogs us down and tries to trap us in a box. You don't have to comply to that.
There are many studies that show stress shortens the lifespan of a person. Often people turn to coping mechanisms. However, these ways of coping are not always healthy and can actually be more detrimental to our health. ArtistHub.com states “In the case of unipolar or major depression, the population rate is about 5% but the rate among artists and writers in the various studies between 15% and 50%.” However, with proper care, therapy, and mediation, this fact can be used for the advantage of creation. By putting that mess on paper.
Think about it this way. There is a decision for destruction and creation. When we are feeling low, a natural tendency is to destroy, but think about if one used that chaotic energy into fabricating a new piece. It’s the same energy but productive! It not only tells a story but also is the liberation of letting go of emotion towards a situation.
However, art can make more precision in the brain so that you can focus on creating your best life. Most of us can agree, our art is our baby and we want to give it our all. The eye for perfection in the creative process actually helps increase motor skills, lower blood pressure and increase memory!
This can affect you in quicker reflexes and response to call to action. We can use art as meditation. For the viewer, by focusing on visuals to represent emotions and thoughts. For the creator, an expression of release in a most serene way.
So when someone tell you to give up your creativity, tell them “I can’t, it's for my wellbeing!” .
Sources-
Klein, J. (2017, November). How does art affect the brain? https://www.riteaid.com/articles/the-arts-and-healthy-aging-how-does-art-affect-the-brain.
Stibich, Mark (2020, April 1). Can stress actually take years off your life? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/worry-and-anxiety-impact-longevity-2223983.
Stone, D. (2021, July 12). 20X20: Why creative people are more prone to depression. ArtsHub Australia. https://www.artshub.com.au/2020/10/08/20x20-why-creative-people-are-more-prone-to-depression-261229/.