And one big part of that puzzle, to me, is creativity.

Often times, creativity can provide us with many benefits. It helps keep our brains sharp, it give us a greater sense of self-awareness, and it helps us deal with personal issues more effectively.

There are many different reasons why I find having a creative activity can be valuable to our happiness and mental health. I’m going to explain most of these key reasons throughout the rest of this article.

Increased self-awareness

It’s difficult to express some emotions and thoughts using just words, but things like art, music, and photography provide us with the ability to express these emotions and thoughts through other mediums.

This allows us to discover many emotions and thoughts, perhaps some hidden in our subconscious, that we can’t access through ordinary consciousness and rational thinking.

Art and creativity gives us a way to formulate these hidden and abstract emotions into something more tangible and accessible. This often helps us develop a deeper and more intimate understanding of ourselves, and our internal world.

Learning a new skill

Creativity often requires that we learn a new skill: how to play a guitar, how to paint, or how to sculpt. And when we learn new skills, this often improves our psychology in a number of ways.

First, it exercises our brains. Learning new things keeps our brains active, sharp, and flexible. When we stop learning new things, often times our brain’s power will begin to diminish, like when you stop working out a muscle.

Also, learning a new skill boosts our self-esteem. When we finally learn how to play our first song on guitar, we think “Wow, I learned to do something pretty damn cool.” Learning one new skill can often improve our confidence to learn other new skills in the future. It can start a positive cycle of continual learning and development.

A state of engagement or flow

When we get really immersed in a creative activity, psychologists say that we enter a state known as flow.

Flow is a state of high engagement or sharp focus on one particular activity.

It’s a very trance-inducing state, similar to many forms of meditation and prayer.

If you’ve ever gotten so lost in an activity that you lost all sense of time, then you’ve probably experience a state of flow. In many ways, creative activities can produce this same meditative state.

Flow is associated with intense feelings of enjoyment, and it is one of the five factors of happiness according to Martin Seligman’s PERMA theory.

Power and control.

When we start becoming proficient in something creative, there is a new sense of empowerment. It gives us a feelig of control, and it becomes an example of the ways our ideas and intentions can have a real effect on the physical world.

Perhaps this is why so many people with mental illness show interest in creativity. For many, it may be the one area of life where they feel they have some power over their situation.

This might also be why art therapy can be an effective supplement in a lot of mental health treatment. When we engage in activities where we feel in control, these activities can often become a source of stress relief.

Creativity can be a source of empowerment for people with and without mental illness.

Conclusion

These are some of the key ways that creativity can benefit our happiness and well-being. And the best part is, most of this holds true for any kind of creative act whether it be painting, music, photography, sculpting, cooking, dancing, or whatever.

It takes up a lot of unnecessary energy to always be positive – and I’m not convinced it’s the healthiest way to go about life. Worst of all, I just feel like a damn phony every time I plaster on a smile knowing I’m really in a bad mood.

Why can’t I permit myself be in a bad mood every now and then?

Sometimes shit happens: I get upset, I get frustrated, I get angry, I get jealous. These are a part of being human, so why shouldn’t I be allowed to feel them from time-to-time?

I feel that to live any other way is self-denial. We should train ourselves to see the good and the bad as two parts of the same whole. Emotional intelligence requires that we listen to and accept all emotions, because each can have something valuable to offer. Emotions are a resource, not a crutch.

This is what has always bothered me about the positive movement. So many people in it are all “POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE!” They force a smile on their face and speak with a superficially chirpy tone at all times. I can’t help but think of it as a way of ignoring reality. When something negative happens, I imagine they push it deep down into their soul, then go on their merry ways.

It’s not healthy. When the allure of a positive mindset overtakes our willingness to accept reality – there are consequences. Take, for example, the recent blood on the hands of The Secret. One of the leaders of the “Law of Attraction” movement, James Arthur Ray, was recently found guilty for negligent homicide due to 2 deaths and 18 hospitalizations of attendees during his “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. The participants apparently went 2 days without water and were then left alone in a desert on a “vision quest.” The circumstances were dangerous and outrageous, but Ray believed that the power of belief could overcome them. He was wrong, and real damage was done.

When you are dehydrated and you have a thirst for water, that is not a figment of your imagination, but a feeling that reflects your reality.

A similar thing can be said for other feelings and emotions. When we feel sadness after the death of a loved one, or fear when our lives are actually at stake, those are natural and rational reactions to those kind of events. Those feelings aren’t there to be ignored, but to be acknowledged and listened to.

We should permit ourselves to be negative because we never know when those negative feelings might be telling us something important.

Embracing your shadow every now and then.

Sometimes, I like to go a step beyond permission. Sometimes, I think it’s appropriate to even provoke “negative feelings” in order to express them and release them (in a healthy and safe way). I think acknowledging the “lows” also gives us a greater appreciation of the “highs.”

I think that’s why people enjoy the occasional thrills of a roller coaster or scary movie. Sometimes, it’s exciting to be afraid. Sometimes, it’s healthy to be sad. I think it helps remind us the full-range of being human. I think it helps us exercise feelings that we may sometimes suppress or avoid.

That’s why I like a lot of provocative movies, music, entertainment, and art. It provides a healthy release for me. It gives me a chance to express the full-range of my character in a way that doesn’t harm myself or others.

Why do people like watching movies such as Requiem for a Dream, or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or Saw IV? Rarely does anything “good” happen in these movies, instead most of it is people’s lives being ruined. Yet people like to live vicariously through these movie characters, even if it is a situation they would never want to be in for real.

Perhaps it is just “neat” to be able to share an experience even though it’s not really happening to us. Or maybe it’s deeper than that. Maybe it somehow leaves us with a newer appreciation for life.

When I think of these things I am reminded of the Stoic concept of “negative visualization.” The Stoics would often imagine themselves in worst cast scenarios because they found that it made them more grateful for what they do have in life, not what they don’t.

In the same way, I think watching movies that take us to an extreme can actually provide us with a new balanced and healthy perspective on our own lives.

And I believe this also applies to other forms of art or personal expression: music, writing, poetry, sculpting, photography, dancing, cooking, fashion – anything that helps you with that emotional release. When people give themselves an avenue to constructively channel negative emotions, they can better navigate through the ebbs and flows of life.

The Yin-Yang Theory of Mental Health: Don’t ignore the ebbs.

The key here is to not ignore the ebbs. They are really there. Sometimes life has difficulties, sometimes we feel down. These aren’t aspects of life we should or can avoid.

Instead, we can learn how to better manage through these difficulties, perhaps even embrace them (to some extent) by seeing them as a means of growth, character-building, and balance.

I sometimes think of this as the yin-yang theory of mental health. The truth is that the dichotomy between “negative” and “positive” is really illusory. They aren’t separate. They are two sides of the same river, and you can’t have one side without the other. They come together.

This idea of “interdependence” is best depicted in the symbol of a Yin-Yang:

A yin-yang symbolizes many of the dualities we experience throughout life. Notice how even in white, there is a bit of black; and even in black, there is a bit of white. This represents the interdependence between many dichotomies we experience throughout life.

Thought exercise: How can you define darkness without defining light? What about success or failure, life or death, happiness or suffering?

Through contemplation you’ll often find that these concepts aren’t separate, but in fact intrinsically interconnected. They are two parts of the same process. This holds true for most of the ebbs and flows we experience throughout life. We simply cannot have one without having the other.

(If you’re interested in this you may also be interested in my article: Depression: The Yin of Happiness).

My biggest point here is to not be so dismissive of your negative emotions. That can be a trap that many “positive thinkers” fall into, but what they don’t realize is that they are ignoring half of who they really are.

There is a great benefit in paying attention and acknowledging the full-range of what it means to be human. Embracing all sides of life often helps us to manage our expectations, by giving us a more balanced worldview, and consequently we become more satisfied with our lives as a whole (no matter what it has to throw at us).

Of course, positive psychology wasn’t the first to emphasize the importance of meaning in living a satisfying life. Probably ever since human’s first became self-aware, they have asked themselves deep and profound questions about their life’s meaning and purpose. It is a struggle that we all seem to face, but some of us deal with it better than others. The existentialist psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” how even under the harshest conditions we can find meaning in our suffering, and live with dignity and satisfaction. When Frankl was put into a concentration camp during the Holocaust, he used to give lectures to an imaginary audience. In this way, Frankl learned to cope with his suffering by using his imagination to create a more meaningful existence to his life. He believed that by playing out his imagination objectively, he could find a deeper sense of purpose. He did.

I believe we should all exercise this capacity to some extent, and I believe imagination and creativity play a huge role. The human mind is gifted with this incredibly ability to restructure the way it views reality and experience. And as Frankl demonstrates, we can take truly awful circumstances in our life and transform them into something positive for ourselves.

I found this same theme to be very prevalent in the film Tideland by Terry Gilliam. The main character is a little girl who is incredibly lonely and lives with a very negligent father (played by Jeff Bridges). In some scenes, the little girl actually helps her father shoot up massive amounts of heroin, after which the father passes out for extended periods of time. In the girl’s fit of loneliness and desperation, she goes outside and her imagination takes over. She carries around the heads of three dolls, who all have their own personalities, and together they go on all kinds of adventures. Objectively, the life of this girl is harsh and miserable. But inside her head, she finds a way to get by.

Apparently most people who saw the film found it incredibly depressing (which is understandable) but the director Gilliam emphasizes that we often underestimate just how resilient the human mind is (especially when it is accompanied by a child-like imagination).

Of course, the examples presented by Frankl and Gilliam are extreme cases. But we all go through some kind of suffering, and by creating a new layer of meaning we can find ways to overcome this suffering.

When creating this meaning we don’t need to be as dreamy (or “delusional”) as the little girl in Tideland. Often creating meaning in one’s life is as simple as writing poetry, composing a song, dancing, or painting a picture. We shouldn’t constantly live in some imaginary existence, but using our imagination in some way can be incredibly healthy and emotionally relieving. A healthy imagination, in my honest opinion, is a crucial component to mental health and living a meaningful life.

I believe that when we participate in art or other creative activities, we simultaneously change the way we think about ourselves and our world. We begin to recognize that we are participators in this game of life. Life is not just something that happens to us, but something that we also create for ourselves. And by engaging in art and creativity, we feel more capable in taking control of our thoughts, emotions, actions, and life in general. Being creative empowers us.

Interestingly, there is some empirical evidence that shows a relationship between mental illness and creativity. Perhaps some of this is due to the unconventional thinking of those with mental illness. But I also think creativity is a natural coping mechanism. If people with mental illness are more likely to suffer than those without mental illness, art and creativity is something that the mentally ill would be naturally drawn to in order to manage their condition.

But, in truth, I think most of us are naturally drawn to some form of creativity. There may even be a hunger for it, and when that hunger isn’t satisfied I think our lives become drastically less meaningful and less satisfying.

The moral of this post is to embrace your ability to create new meaning in your life. And in my opinion art is one of the absolute best ways to do this. If you don’t already have a creative hobby, I suggest starting one. Don’t have the time? Make room for it, especially if you are in need of an emotional boost.

I personally engage in creative ways by posting on this blog, taking photographs, writing scripts for movies, and composing songs on my computer. I can’t imagine how much less fulfilling my life would be without hobbies like this. They make a big difference, they help me love life more.

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One taste isn’t better than another, but it is important that we have taste. It is important that know what we like.

The more we know what we like, the more we know ourselves, and the more we can maximize our time with activities we find pleasurable.

Say, for example, that my friend Paul hates Robin Williams and finds him to be an incredibly annoying actor. If they see a commercial of his new movie, then they might have a clue to avoid it. Having a sense of what we like can help us make decisions on how to spend our time.

Of course, it’s not really that simple. There can be a lot of factors that go into “liking something” and it’s also important to have an open-mind. Just because we didn’t like one or two movies with some actor doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t like any of them. Therefore, developing a sophisticated palate entails giving every flavor a fair shot before being judgmental.

Be warned: Going into anything with a judgmental attitude may deprive us of pleasure that we would otherwise have.

The point of developing a palate isn’t to be a critic or a snob, it is about refining tastes so we know what we what when we want it! It’s knowledge about what in the world brings us joy.

How To Develop A Palate

Of course, naturally, we all already have a sense of what we like and dislike. However, as we age, we tend to get more stuck in our views, less willing to try new flavors, or experiment with old ones.

A few suggestions all palate-developers should heed to:

• Frequently ask friends and family for recommendations.
• Embrace the unknown by trying out different flavors (genres).
• Don’t be afraid to give some tastes (individual works) a second chance (sometimes I notice that the very best tastes are the ones that grow on me over time).
• Consume a lot. We don’t always have the free time, but the more time we spend consuming new material the more developed our tastes will be.
• Find out about the history or culture of your tastes. Knowing the context surrounding an artistic or creative work (where it comes from, the biography of the creator, the culture surrounding the time it was created) can add another layer of juices to the mix.

This advice can be applied to almost any medium of creativity: architecture, design, paintings, poetry, dramas, photography, cooking …you get the point!

PALATE AND PERSONALITY

Developing a palate is not just about finding what gives us the most pleasure. It is also about developing our own personality. Having a diverse palate shows that you have a passion. And having a passion tells others that you have a strong sense of self and a certain zest for life. It gives you character.

Imagine someone who doesn’t have any taste in music, movies, books, video games, TV shows, or anything else. It’s all the same to them – they have no interests or tastes whatsoever. What a boring person!

However, when someone has a passion, and they are motivated to learn the intricacies to a particular art or hobby, then it shows they are dedicated toward something. They have importance in their life.

Now, I am not saying we should fully identify ourselves with what we enjoy. Some people can take their tastes too seriously and even end friendships over differences between who is the best singer or actor. Again, building up our palette is not about being a snob or critic. It’s about knowing ourselves, but also recognizing that others have different tastes too.

IT’S IMPORTANT FOR CREATIVITY

Understanding the components of other people’s creativity, by widening our palate, motivates us to better exercise our own creativity. By listening to lots of other music, we can get ideas on new ways to play instruments or arrange parts of a song. For example, when my friend first heard Animal Collective’s “Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished,” he put away his drum sticks and used brushes for about a year and a half. In literature, authors often allude to past works of fiction. In movies, filmmakers may pay homage to classic films. We learn through listening and watching other people’s action.

It is often argued that all of today’s art, in some form or another, is a rearranging of past creativity. So when we grow our palate we theoretically have more resources to help create our own projects. I’ve personally experienced this with blogging. It wasn’t until I actively started reading other blogs on a regular basis that I got more ideas for how to improve my own blog.

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