The Creative Act and the Healing Power of Making Art

The image above is my visual summary of Amie McNee’s amazing TED Talk. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you watch it - it is soooo inspiring and so timely. I've added it below.

In the talk Amie makes the case for not just art, but creativity as a whole, and how, in the current chaos and turmoil that we are living through, creativity may just be the thing that saves us. I loved the talk as Amie covered many of the negative narrative that most creatives have to deal with (myself included), before launching into the real HUMAN benefits of creating something - even if it's just for ourselves.

Many people feel that taking time to be creative is an indulgence, it's selfish, childish, pointless - but it isn’t, as Aime argues in her talk - it's the missing pillar of self development, and as we spend more and more time consuming on our phones, we are slowly disconnecting from real life and missing out on so much of the real human connection that a creative act brings.

Like Amie, I would wholeheartedly encourage anybody who has inklings of starting a creative pursuit to just do it. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks - it's your thing. And if drawing is/was your thing (even if you haven't done any since art classes at school) I've decided to create a space for anyone who wants to make a start. My idea is in beta, but if you fancy hanging out and drawing with me on a Zoom call you can find more information here. In the meantime, get creating!!