I spend a lot of time analyzing things, judging what's the best quality, what makes life the easiest, etc. Even the majority of my therapy for anxiety is based on cognitive awareness of my own thought processes. In all of my logical reasoning, I had forgotten that sometimes you just need to let go and be creative.

It started with a poem, a bunch of words that kept playing again and again in my head. So I decided to write them down. (Mind you, I hadn't written a line of poetry in years.) I read them the next day and did one of those "wow, that's pretty good; did that come out of me?" moments. So I started writing more poetry. (The forced stuff isn't nearly as good as the stuff that randomly pops up in my head.)

Then I started humming little tunes without even realizing it. It was much like those songs that end up stuck in your head. I realized that the tunes weren't actually anything I had heard before, but they did nicely fit the poems I had been writing. So I played around with turning them into songs. I'm not so sure the songs are very good, but they made me feel better.

In this creative process I began to wonder if other forms of art would help me feel better. I took up knitting again. I got out my sketch book and started doodling. And then I whipped out the paints and brushes and started some painting sessions (which I hadn't done since high school). I doubt any of my visual art our crafts would qualify as respectable art, but that doesn't matter because it seemed to open up parts of my brain that had been locked up. Plus, seeing the works that I had finished brought a smile to my face.

Eventually, I found myself feeling more opened up, more relaxed, and even just happier, all because I tapped into my creative side.

So for all of you who think that arts, crafts, music, and literature are a waste of time just because you don't expect to ever get famous or make money by doing them, think of it as cheap therapy instead. It's amazing what a little art can do to bring a smile to your face.

Labels: My Life