The benefits of sport on people’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing are undeniable. So during the most strict lockdown periods, most of us practiced yoga with Youtube or took up social distance running. Experts everywhere encouraged us to keep moving, despite the unpleasant and stressful situations we were facing. But there weren’t as many voices claiming the importance of creativity to manage the hardships we were facing.
Last week we asked the members of Brandbuch’s network a very open question: how did creativity help you during these covid times? All our answers pointed the same way - creative activities like drawing, writing, cooking or knitting helped us all manage our frustrations, anxieties and fears.
This hypothesis has recently been explored by groundbreaking research commissioned by BBC Arts, with almost 50,000 people taking part. The results revealed that we get positive emotional benefits from even a single session of pottery, drawing or creative writing, and there are cumulative benefits from regular practice. And, when we’re facing discomfort and difficulties in our lives, creative activities can be particularly beneficial for our emotions.
Optimistically, today many of us keep feeling those positive benefits by staying loyal to our lockdown exercise routine. Maybe we should also stay creative and hands-on. Not as a short term remedy or chore, but as a proactive activity to enhance our happiness and emotional wellbeing.
The power of creativity:
It’s genuinely entertaining
Connects you with other people
Channels your feelings
Reduces stress levels
Boosts your confidence
Discover brandbuch’s network stories:
" During covid times I went back to drawing, as I did during my childhood and teenage years. I drew regular situations, fears, and the new normality as a way to express my frustrations and experiences. I used the daily evolution of the pandemic as a source of inspiration, interpreting it as an adventure where we were all part of the news we watched on television. In the moments of isolation and anxiety this helped me feel connected to the world. And it’s helped me to keep drawing today as a way of understanding myself and the world around me."
David
" During the pandemic I started painting Mandala with my daughter. I found out the process of coloring can be very relaxing and helped me reduce stress."
Melissa
" During the UK lockdown I was very impressed and surprised to find that most of the events I normally went to moved online and opened up to a bigger audience. To keep stimulated I did a lot of networking events and met people from all around the world, through lunchclub.io and my local network of creatives who meet every month for a digital social. I also took part in many seminars and creative poetry sessions as well as evening life drawings classes, all online. I loved being at home some evenings and me and my partner did a lot of silly collages and puzzles."
Ana
" Back then, any film was able to transport me to a place where the stories made me dream and escape from reality. After finishing the Netflix/HBO catalog in about two weeks, I think most of us realised how important the industries and professionals are who write, craft and tell stories. Can you imagine living in a world with no new films, tv shows or books?"
Marta
" After perfectly timing our first-born to arrive a week into the UK’s first lockdown, the creative industries helped fill the gap of the world our little man wasn’t getting to see. Whether it was nursery rhymes on Youtube to replace parent and child groups or Netflix documentaries on how babies work to help us limit the mistakes we were making, there was always fresh creative output to get us through."
Alfie