How Can Art and Creativity Enhance Wellbeing and Performance during a Pandemic?
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Where are we?
Rewind to the Spring of 2020, during the first phase of lockdown,
where most of us were dwindling our fingers around after being stuck indoors, working from home, baking sourdough bread, picking up Etsy DIY handcrafts, developing a greenthumb in our gardens and backyards, and hosting and attending a handful of interactive workshops, games nights, and virtual activitiies on Zoom to connect with and laugh with friends and family across the world.
As we remark a one-year anniversary in many countries of moving through a global pandemic,
the economy has suffered a rollercoaster of financial losses, employers have had to lay off millions, teams have had to downsize and automate their systems, and individual employees are starting to realize how setting boundaries and privacy controls can benefit them while spending countless hours working from home.
Navigating this new year with more room to regulate digital processes
of recruitment, onboarding, training, feedback reports, regular meetings, consultations, project debriefs, and more, it’s no wonder that most of the developing nations are screened out and feeling the need to separate their personal, offline lives from their constantly, plugged-in remote lifestyles.
What is Wellbeing?
Wellbeing has definitely become more of a priority lately, and spotlit as something that can be so accessible to many with high rewards and low costs.
As something that is so often overlooked, and simply neglected as “When I have time for it…,” wellbeing has taken a backseat to more pressing, more essential tasks like “What time should we go grocery shopping to avoid excessive queues?” and activities of more passive consumption like “What new Netflix or Amazon Prime series should we watch tonight?”
Enhancing one’s wellbeing doesn’t have to require a lot of effort but it does require a regular commitment and moment-to-moment check-in’s with oneself, which can be different and dependent on each individual’s stress levels and overall outlook on life.
Creating art for ART’S sake
Art and the activity of creating art for art’s sake (the process of creating something new) can help enhance wellbeing tenfold and it doesn’t have to be performed often in order to experience its benefits.
Scroll through Pinterest and you will find many video tutorials on how to paint in watercolor, write poetry, crochet, embroider, knit, landscape your backyard, etc. Even something as simple as colouring in a colouring book, can activate a separate region in your brain that is not attached to high-stress, information-processing, or fight-or-flight reactions.
The fronto-parietal network, as it is known in your brain is activated when you are entering a state of ‘Flow,’ where you are engaged in a activity’s participation in enjoyment and are equally feeling a slight urge of challenge to stay focused, alert, and persistent in your present task. The fronto-parietal network allows us to draw our attention externally from ourselves so our focus becomes less narrowed in on our mundane, daily stressors, such as what we should cook for dinner or when to do the household chores.
As you begin to create your art, allow your mind to wander aimlessly without a perfected outcome or intention to move towards.
Put your favorite music on, create the most relaxing environment for you to create in.
This “helpful” mind wandering can draw your attention away from fixating on perfection, creating high expectations of a finished product, or an anticipated response from someone looking at your artwork.
Benefits OF CREATING ART FOR WELLBEING:
better memory retention and expression
become more aware and in-tuned with the state of your body and feelings
increased mental alertness and brightening of the mind
develop more innovative ideas and brainstorming
feeling of purpose, resourceful, and engaged in teamwork
become more compassionate to the emotional signals of others
bigger picture thinking - connecting the
reduced brain fog and headaches
sEE YOUR PERFORMANCE AT WORK ALSO CHANGE
The more regularly that you engage in art-making, in all of its different forms, you will start to see how creative thinking processes at home in your personal life can also be translated professionally in your career role. You can become better adept at communicating your needs while becoming mindfully aware of your state of being, and are more adaptive to stresses that may stem from work projects, meetings, and delegations with colleagues and team members. You will also start to become more confident and motivated in your own independent tasks when you can adapt this ‘Flow’ state into everything thing that you do at work.
Prepare yourself to make some art this week!
1) Set aside one day of the week to perform your art (i.e. Saturday afternoons)
2) Prioritize it on your calendar (block off time, say no to other pressing tasks, friends, family, etc.)
3) Create an organized and open space to create art.
Make sure it is free from clutter, comfortable to work from, is brightly lit, and contains all of your favourite things (art materials, candles, music, snacks). You want to always feel a source of inspiration here and this includes affecting your mental clarity and headspace.
4) Find an art activity that you ENJOY!
This is important as you don’t want to feel intimidated or mentally overstimulated by the task of simply starting.
5) If necessary, look for a tutorial online, ask for help, or join an online workshop or class.
Some helpful databases for classes include UDemy, Skillshare, and Masterclass. Play, pause, rewind, and bookmark your favourite online classes and videos to play over and over again! Participate actively with other interested artists and together with friends!
6) Remind yourself that you are AN ARTIST.
Whether you are just starting with a little bit of experience or have a lot of experience and are curious and open to improving your craft in another field, you are constantly evolving, exploring your artistic options, and becoming more attuned to your craft.
