From ebb to Flow
Restart your creative journey
I recently wrote about finding the right balance in creative hobbies to experience Flow and joy. I feel fortunate to have personally experienced so much joy from making, but I’ll admit that my creative practice has ebbed and flowed (an initially accidental pun, I swear).
After spending four years in the studio as an art major in college, my “time spent making” decreased precipitously. Since then I’ve tried to find ways to infuse more creative making into my life by hosting workshops at work, holding regular weekly craft nights with friends, and signing up for art classes.
My career got pretty intense, and I basically stopped making stuff outside of work for a few years. It wasn’t until my recent creative sabbatical and discovery of dollhouse making that I found a new steady state. I created so much joy for myself and others that it felt wrong NOT to make. It’s still hard for me to create time and space for creative making, even as a making-obsessed, childfree, part-time consultant. If I don’t schedule time, I don’t do it. But when I do, I never regret it.
A more typical experience with making
I fully acknowledge that my experience with creative making is atypical. Not everyone has the intrinsic urge to make things, or the time, space, and resources to do so. Many people (sadly) gave up on creative making as kids. If you want to go down a depressing rabbit hole, research why kids stop making art. Here’s the tl;dr: children tend to discover art, get really into it, and then, as they reach “The Age of Reason,” they just…stop.
“Around about nine years of age, we see a shift in children’s attitudes to their own drawings and their willingness to draw. This is partly due to their own growing self-consciousness, and partly because drawing becomes less valued in schools and in their home environments….Many become more self-conscious and self-critical as they struggle to make their drawings look like the objects they represent…Discouraged, some children decide that drawing is not for them and give up on it altogether.”
Yikes!
So, the average creative journey probably looks more like this:
After childhood, there may be a few blips in a person’s creative journey as they make art and do crafts with their own kids (or those of friends and family members). Maybe there’s even a creative hobby that they give a whirl. But, for many, their creative making journey basically ends when they turn nine. This makes me sad!
If you are one of these people who don’t make stuff regularly: YOU ARE MISSING OUT!! But it’s never too late to jump back in. Add creative making to your list of self-care and wellness activities. Make it part of your routine.
I’m not saying everyone should aspire to be an Artist (with a capital A), or even focus on the outcome of their making. It’s more about the process and the “purposeful hand use” that can “foster a flow in the mind that leads to spontaneous joyful, creative thought” (source). You don’t need to do anything elaborate, make a mess, or have a bunch of supplies. Find a scrap piece of paper, pick up a pencil, and start doodling for a few minutes. The goal is not to create a masterpiece or really anything at all; your goal is to create joy.
As I mentioned in my first Substack post, my co-founder and I are working on a startup idea that will help people build their creative practice by finding the perfect creative hobby + activities, and then help visualize progress and stay motivated on their journey. We can’t wait to help you experience consistent joy once we launch, but I hope you start (or continue) enjoying your creative journey today!