E92 - Are you using your creativity for good?
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Speaker: [00:00:00] Hmm. Hello, my creative friend.
Hello, my creative friend. Welcome to another episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. This is a circular space where there are no sides in which to choose. This is a space where we will lift our gaze to see the world from 30,000 feet. To help us remember that we are all here on this beautiful planet.
Together, and this is a space where we will focus on the small to realize how we can appreciate our unique authenticity, and then realize the importance of appreciating the unique authenticity of others. So let's take a deep breath. And exhale, and then pull up a chair and enjoy your favorite cup of whatever, [00:01:00] or gather a few creative tools and rest a bit with me today, we are going to explore how creativity can pull us away from the US versus them labels of the world and pull us towards each other in unity.
Today we are going to look through a pair of lovely creative lenses so we can see how valuable a creative practice can be, because creativity will help us step away from the doom of today's news. Creativity can help us calm our worries. Creativity can dismantle walls that divide us, and creativity will help build bridges.
By the end of this episode, you are going to have a list of practical, heartwarming, creative ideas that you can try this week to [00:02:00] help ease the stress of the world today. But before we begin, I need to tell you a little story about what I was doing last week.
I was walking the beaches along Lake Michigan. The sand was cool under my feet, and the waves lapped a steady rhythm on my bare toes. The seagulls were wheeling and soaring and dipping and diving into the wind, and I was collecting rocks,
Not just any Rocks, certain rocks, flat and small and unique. I wanted to collect a lot of them because I have some creative plans. I'm thinking of crafts that I want to make to use as gifts for Christmas this year,
But as I was collecting rocks, I noticed something interesting because I was hunting for flat rocks. I realized that I was only looking down at the beach. I wasn't [00:03:00] noticing the sky or the birds. I wasn't seeing the vastness of the lake.
I was only focused on flat rocks, and that was the only memory that I was collecting on my beach walks. So I realized that I was missing out on a lot of the treasures that the lake was trying to give to me. So I made a small shift on my way out, I looked down to collect rocks.
But on my way back, I would look up and I would look out to see the waves and the sky. Now, because I would shift my focus, I allowed my myself to enjoy the sky, the water, and the waves and the birds, and even a few of the dogs that happily loped down the beach with their people. And one evening I allowed myself to shift focus to only collect rocks that were shaped like hearts.
So I could share with a friend of mine who likes to [00:04:00] collect hearts that she finds in nature. This was a way of sending healing and hope and uplift to her She walks a difficult road this year, so I found that my walks were more meaningful if I allowed my focus to appreciate more, and while
I was tucked away in this beautiful scenery, walking and searching and breathing. I felt connected to nature to something larger than myself. I felt my inner creative stir and ignite with new ideas. I felt possibility and beauty and peace then. Then I came back from the solace of Lake Michigan.
Back to the world, to the news of last week
Before I left for Michigan, the world was already simmering and hot, but it seemed while I was gone, it ignited into a white [00:05:00] hot inferno. And here's what I noticed. Social media, the news, they keep our eyes locked into a narrow focus. It's a binary choice that we feel compelled to choose between. Which side are you on?
You need to pick, are you on this side or that side? Don't you feel compelled to make that choice and the war of details and fault well, that rages but answers and positive ideas and a reach towards unity right now that is stalled.
it's kind of like the Gaber block that used to cause me problems on my journey home on a long commute that I had at one of my old jobs when there was an accident. Everything slowed down to a crawl, both lanes. the one with the car wreck and also the opposite lane, that was perfectly clear.
But from that lane, that was perfectly clear. You could see the rack. [00:06:00] So both sides. Almost to a standstill for one main reason. It seems that we just cannot resist looking at the damage of an unfortunate event. All progress on the expressway would slow to a crawl, But you know what? Gawking doesn't fix the accident. Gawking doesn't help clear the debris. It just wastes time and it makes people angry.
That's what happens when we fixate on polarizing moments. We slow down progress to our destination, and we stoke anger because we blame others for causing the slowdown, even though we got to.
We all gok, we do, and we reduce our capacity for seeing beyond the immediate outrage. But here's what [00:07:00] evidence supports. We can shift from being the gap that slow down progress, and we can turn our gaze from the glare of conflict towards the generosity of possibility. And the good news is. Creativity can give us the strength to appreciate every day if we begin to choose to use it.
So during our time together today, let's explore how having a creative practice will give you real tools to lessen anxiety, soften rage, and help rebuild connection.
But first, let's look at a little bit of science. research in social Psychology shows us that meaningful interpersonal contact [00:08:00] when we meet people in respectful creative ways. That reduces, prejudice and it increases trust. And studies have found
that attitudes towards people who think differently than us. Well, they shift when we can see each other as full, multi-dimensional people rather than binary caricatures
and having a creative pastime opens our hearts and minds towards understanding others better. So when we share our creativity with others, it provides a safe place to observe and eventually admire that personalities and experiences that makes people different from our own beliefs.
Studies of community arts programs show increases in empathy and pro-social behavior in people from various backgrounds and beliefs, and that's a good thing. [00:09:00] When people share their creativity, they begin to see beyond categories and the labels that we lock ourselves into. Personal storytelling is especially powerful when we are in a creative community.
When people share lived experiences through their stories as opposed to abstract arguments that are posted through social media and memes, well, it helps folks see and feel common ground
research also shows that
moral, political divides. Begin to shrink. When people share their experiences about their own lives, their hopes, their fears, their emotional baggage, when we realize that we have things in common,
we celebrate the unity instead of
channeling the fear about what makes us different. [00:10:00] So let's do a little creative math, my friend. Contact plus Arts, plus story plus cooperative creative thinking equals powerful tools for hope, healing, and human connection. Now, I want to say this next thing very clearly.
I am not pretending that suffering or damage doesn't matter far from it. My friend, we all carry grief. We all carry frustration. We all carry fear and that's not going to change. But carrying them doesn't have to harden us. And again, creativity can offer us ways to mend our bruise and hardened hearts.
And if you've listened to this podcast in the past, you know that I always say. You don't have to be an artist to use creativity as a tool to make you happier and healthier. You do not need special materials [00:11:00] or supplies. You don't need an amazing dedicated studio space. These are wonderful things.
They're fun, but creativity doesn't need them in order to do good things for you. Also, my friend, you don't need to fix the world today or tomorrow. Through your creativity, you only need the willingness to widen your focus. You need the willingness to listen and participate with your creativity, with an openness that allows you to understand the creative authenticity that others have inside them.
So you might be thinking, well, all this sounds great, Beth, but you can't just make a daisy chain and suddenly erase the problems that we are dealing with in our world. And while I agree that may be true, here's the takeaway. No matter where your focus might be today, [00:12:00] there's room to make a positive shift using your creativity as a tool.
Now, you know. I love a good metaphor. So let's imagine taking a few of the bricks from a wall that you might've built that is keeping us metaphorically divided, and let's use these bricks to build a bridge. Not a huge one, but a bridge where you can start to walk towards understanding the unique creativity of all people.
Here's three building blocks that you can use to help build unity through creativity. Number one, emotion regulation. When we use our senses creatively through art and movement or crafts, we begin to calm ourselves in heart, mind, body and soul. Our heartbeat slows.
[00:13:00] Cortisol levels lower and stress is reduced. When our bodies are less reactive, our minds are more open to understanding and empathy, and that's a good thing. Number two, storytelling. Creative communities who share personal stories and encourage understanding life from other people's point of view. Well.
That helps shift from thinking of others as them to becoming someone who we understand, even if we don't agree with them completely. Creativity helps us appreciate the authenticity of others. And number three, cooperative strengths. When we find time to create. Today together, whether that is crafting and cooking, sketching, singing, gardening, [00:14:00] we build admiration and dependence and trust with the people that we create with.
When we rely on the unique talents of others to compliment our talents, then the differences we see in others become strengths, not threats. Imagine a group of superheroes. They become more valuable to a needy world by combining their authentic powers.
they come together. To combine their strengths to create the power that is needed to make the world a better place. So each of these three building blocks, emotion regulation, storytelling, and cooperative strengths, will they help us move from suspicion about the differences we see in others towards understanding and celebrating the unique talents of the people that we meet.[00:15:00]
Now I realize that this is not a magic potion that is going to solve the problems of the world by tomorrow,
But like a butterfly kiss, this kind of creative action is going to start a ripple that can eventually make a sizable shift. Now let's pause for a moment for a quick word from our sponsor.
This episode is brought to you by Silva Solace, an intimate, creative health retreat that I am leading this fall that focuses on your creative resilience and whole body health in heart, mind, body, and soul. So if you've been craving a moment of solitude. A space where you are seen and heard where you can reignite your creative spirit.
Silva Solace is where you need to be this fall. It is built [00:16:00] around gentle practices that will renew your health through core care, creative care, and through community. details for this all inclusive. Five star pampering of your creative spirit is in the show notes. if part of you is longing for a space to heal, this retreat is for you To find more information, go to the Silva Solace website at
Www dot bdi create Do today back slash silva. And Silva is spelled S-Y-L-V-A. There are a couple spaces. Still available is one of them. Yours, reserve your space today. Your creativity will. Thank you.
Now the key to using your creativity to embrace unity in our [00:17:00] world is best accomplished by belonging to a creative community. Finding a creative community is as easy as reaching out to your neighbors or parents of some of your children's friends, Or to make life really easy, consider joining the Create Day membership.
In the membership. We are always working through creative prompts and activities just like the ones I am sharing with you today. You can test out the membership by signing up for one month and then see how your creativity grows and surprises you. Now here are some creative ideas that you can try this week.
These are practices that encourage creative bridge building through community. So number one, a story circle with a crafted prompt.
So inside your creative community, I want you to share this [00:18:00] prompt. Tell a story about a kindness that you once received that felt unexpected. Consider this story. You can share it through conversation or through written word or create art or a craft that will help narrate the emotions that your story conveys.
But the key to this exercise is that you listen without interruption to the stories that others will share as much as you concentrate on telling the story that you choose to share for yourself. Number two. A collaborative banner or mural. So here you're going to invite a few neighbors or friends to each contribute to a panel that will be part of this banner or mural.
The challenge here is to refrain from political opinions. Instead create your mural to illustrate how you can [00:19:00] share kindness and care. Through your authenticity and your unique talents, and then you're going to
display this combined banner or mural in a shared space for a week. The blending of these panels, my friend, will amaze you more than you can imagine. Prepare to be awestruck. Number three, appreciation and a gratitude swap. So here you're going to write a note to each person in your community about how you value their unique talents.
Everyone is going to do the same thing. Write a note to each person in your community. Then together as a group, you're going to individually celebrate each person in your community by sharing your collective thoughts towards that person. Showcasing the authentic personalities and talents of each person [00:20:00] in your community is going to elevate the group's bonds towards one another, and it will raise up the inclusivity of each individual's unique strengths and perspectives.
The act of sharing differing opinions as strengths, well that opens doors to better understanding. And then last, number four, I want you to get out of your comfort zone and go on retreat. Do this with your community. Or choose a retreat that will introduce you to a new community. Nothing builds stronger bonds than being in a special space of solace with a creative community where you can concentrate on your creativity and form lasting bonds of friendship, and then take your newfound strength out into the world to do good things.
All by using [00:21:00] the superpowers that you've discovered together during your retreat, and I suggest a perfect way to experiment with this is signing up for Sylva Solace this fall. Again, the show notes will take you directly to a live link, so, oh my goodness. We have covered a lot of creative ideas today.
Let's take a quick breath and recap how you can find those subtle creative shifts to help ease stress and to start building unity in our polarized world. first. We discussed meaningful contact.
Remember, even small, respectful encounters with others who are not a cookie cutter of who you are and what you believe. this kind of meaningful contact reduces prejudice and increases empathy towards people who are different from your slice of the world. [00:22:00] We also talked about sharing creative spaces and stories.
When you share space with others,
It allows you to see others as people with similar fears and hopes and dreams instead of someone that is on opposing side or even worse. Considering someone to be the enemy that we choose not to know. And then we also talked about sharing perspectives. This builds flexibility and empathy and understanding.
When we can walk a mile in someone else's proverbial shoes, we can begin to understand people who are not that cookie cutter of our own beliefs and experiences. So again, my friend, this doesn't mean that you have to agree with everyone all the time, or completely change all the beliefs you have. But when you use your creativity wisely, there's a [00:23:00] really good chance that you will realize that you can live peacefully with most people.
So my friend. These are small shifts that are not only easy to do, but they're actually pleasant, creative activities that you will enjoy. And all you need to do is just take a brick from a wall that you've built and put that brick towards building a bridge where we can meet in the middle.
After all my friend compromise that is meeting in the middle and the middle is where the bridge arches closest to heaven. now, before you leave our creative chat today, I want you to take this with you. We do not have to sustain every social media headline, and we don't have to let every political storm define who we are.
Creativity reminds [00:24:00] us that we are not a binary world of right or wrong of us versus them. You, my creative friend, are a tapestry of feelings, memories and hopes. You are a unique personality. But so is the person across the aisle from you. So let's consider moving a brick from our wall that is dividing us and begin to build that creative bridge
So that we can make that shift, that will let us fully enjoy all the unique characteristics that the world has to share with us. See what happens when you give the world a little more of your beautiful curiosity. Share a bit of your
creativity with someone this week and whatever, or wherever you choose to make your creative shift. Remember to stay [00:25:00] creative, my friend.
