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Published by Okanagan Clinical on April 23, 2024

Creativity and Our Mental Health

Creativity can be thought of as the ability to discover new and original ideas and solutions to problems. While we often associate creativity with large artistic endeavours, daily life also requires innovation, problem-solving, and flexibility. Also in terms of mental health, these skills can allow us to make meaning out of our past experiences, creatively express ourselves and our emotional states, connect with others, and successfully cope with challenges.

Facilitating Creativity

The Creative Process – James Taylor

To create opportunities for creativity, it can be helpful to understand the common stages of the creative process. It’s also important to keep in mind that this process is not linear and at times, we may go back and forth between different stages.

Preparation

Preparation involves becoming consciously or unconsciously immersed in an idea or problem to be solved. This involves researching within a certain domain or exposing oneself to art within this area of interest.

Incubation

A period of incubation happens when we take a step back from actively researching and let the unconscious mind take over. Research suggests that engaging in less controlled activities like mind wandering or sleep can increase unconscious information processing which can help to generate creative ideas.

Insight

In addition, the insight stage is often thought of as an “Aha” moment in the creative process. Interestingly, it has been found that creative insight often occurs as we do low-level physical activity like walking, showering, or driving.

Evaluation

Evaluation involves deciding whether the creative insight is valuable or worth pursuing. Ultimately, This stage can be challenging as it can bring up feelings of self-doubt, criticism, and uncertainty. Consulting with trusted friends and colleagues in this phase may be helpful to gain perspective.

Elaboration

Furthermore, the final stage involves bringing your creative idea to fruition. This is where we put in the work to test, create, and produce our ideas.

Engaging Creativity in Mental Health

In summary, creativity is a valuable skill in navigating life’s challenges, making meaning out of challenging experiences, and can lead to fulfillment, connection, and joy.

To better understand your creative process and facilitate creativity:

Allow yourself the safety and permission to explore, get curious, and experiment with different ideas in your daily life.

Expose yourself to art, innovation, and different domains that capture your interest.

Give yourself permission to take a step back from creative tasks to allow for incubation.

Engage in mind wandering, sleep, and low-level activity to provide an opportunity for creative ideas.

Consult with trusted others if you’re questioning the value of your creative ideas.

Here are Some Additional Resources for More Information:

Check out these resources:

If you are looking to connect further or receive support around negative thought patterns or other supports, please get in touch with us at 250-718-9291 or email us at info@okclinical.com.

If you are interested in specialized services, our team is here to help those explore creativity in counselling through programs like Art Therapy and Nature Therapy. You can also refer to our Art Therapy page for more specialized information on Trauma Therapy – https://okclinical.com/emdr-trauma-therapy/ or visit our booking page here