We are all creative (even you!)
Special thanks to our Senior Psychotherapist, Lindsay Edwards, LPC, BC-DMT, PMH-C for this month's newsletter. We hope her wisdom resonates with you as much as it does with us!
Change is in the air! No matter if the shift is from Winter to Spring or from secure employment to job loss, what we know to be true - always - is that the only constant is change.
Thankfully, adaptation is the most common response to change.
When we adapt skillfully, we grow and sustain. To do so, imagination and creativity are required. But so many of us falsely believe that we’re “not creative”.
The contemporary notion of creativity is often regarded as a unique and valuable trait, reflecting an individual's imaginative capabilities and serving as a way to assert personal identity and vision.
However, in many ancient cultures and philosophical traditions, creativity was not merely an act of self-expression, but a sacred endeavor aligned with maintaining the equilibrium of existence. The concept of “cosmic order”—whether articulated as Ma’at in ancient Egypt, Rta in Vedic India, or the Tao in Chinese philosophy—embodies the principle that the universe operates in an intrinsic balance. From this perspective, creativity becomes an act of participation in this universal order.
The creative act, in its essence, involves recognizing patterns, addressing disarray and restoring balance, and preserving continuity by weaving together the past, present, and future. The act of creating bridges generations to ensure that traditions, knowledge, and values are transmitted and sustained. This approach resists the fleeting nature of individual expression in favor of timeless relevance and prioritizing the collective over the personal.
Reframing creativity as a practice of preserving intrinsic balance invites a shift in focus—from the pursuit of originality to the responsibility of stewardship. It challenges the modern emphasis on innovation and individuality, advocating instead for creations that harmonize with universal principles and contribute to the collective good.
Imagining is the other key to transforming change. Change begins with the ability to imagine alternatives. If we cannot imagine something different, we cannot build it.
Often in therapy, our clients imagine the worst. With those disclosures–ah-ha–we know that you can imagine!
Imagination is not just an individual act but also a collective one. Imagination is deeply tied to healing and liberation. By imagining ourselves and our communities healed, we set the groundwork for creating conditions where such healing can occur.
In a world increasingly marked by disruption and imbalance, adopting this perspective on creativity and imagination could offer a pathway to resilience. By anchoring our creative efforts in the principles of harmony, balance, and continuity, we reaffirm our connection to the cosmos and our role as co-creators within it.
To use creativity within this framework, consider the following approaches:
Align with Universal Elements: Strive to create in ways that reflect harmony, balance, and continuity. You might bookend your day with symmetrical rituals that foster stability and predictability, adhere to natural rhythms (adjusting sleep/wake schedules with daylight and nighttime or slowing your breath to the pace of the moving clouds above), or schedule time during the week to be part of the interconnectedness of life.
Focus on Restoring Balance: Identify areas of disarray or disharmony in your environment, community, or personal life. Use your creativity to address these imbalances, whether through visual art, storytelling, problem-solving, envisioning with another, or building supportive systems. Therapy can be a place to practice these efforts as a means of aligning your inner world with a healthier equilibrium.
Draw Inspiration from Family’s Traditions: Explore family histories and cultural traditions to connect with your roots. Study traditions that have brought continuity to your family lineage and help explain family heritage. If you don’t connect with your family’s traditions, study others that help you express and solidify your current values.
Foster Intergenerational Continuity: View your creative collaborations as part of a legacy. Create works that serve the present and provide guidance and inspiration for future generations. In therapy, you can construct a creative reinterpretation of family narratives to heal intergenerational trauma and establish a sense of continuity and belonging.
Create with a Collective Purpose: Shift your focus from personal expression to contributing to the greater good. For example, create posts, emails, letters, and verbal narratives that inspire ethical behavior; play music that brings people together, or design physical, virtual, or emotional space designs that encourage communal gathering.
Honor Cycles and Patterns: Observe natural cycles (like seasons, lunar phases, or cultural rituals) and let them inform your creative process. Aligning your work with these rhythms reinforces a sense of universal connection. Use therapy to notice your social, cognitive, emotional and physiological patterns.
Reflect on Your Role as a Co-Creator: Before engaging in any creative activity, reflect on your role within the larger cosmos. Consider how your creation contributes to sustaining or enhancing the balance of the world around you.
Restore Emotional Equilibrium: View emotions as part of a dynamic system seeking balance. For instance, validate and process feelings of grief or anger as necessary components of healing, while helping clients cultivate practices like gratitude or compassion to restore emotional harmony.
Imagination is a vital, radical, and collaborative tool for envisioning and creating the world we want to live in, especially in the face of adversity and in the context of healing desire. After exploring an inclusive view of creativity and imagination—one that fosters equilibrium by promoting harmony, balance, and continuity—we hope to have inspired your confidence to contribute creatively in achieving balance for yourself, your family, and your communities.
