When I was young, my parents encouraged me to be creative. I took violin and piano lessons, was active in our local theater, participated in arts camps and workshops with other children, and my mom always did crafts with me.
Sometime during high school, my creativity seemed to dwindle. I stopped playing music; I no longer participated in theater or art. My mind was on schoolwork and doing what had to be done. Little did I know, the lack of creativity in my life affected my well-being.
Luckily, college brings a different schedule, one where we have a little more freedom with our time. With all of the stress that college brings, creativity is my outlet. I have noticed that the more time I spend letting myself be creative, the happier I am. I encourage everyone to find a creative hobby.
I hear too many people saying, “I am not creative.” There is a very wrong worldview that reserves creativity only for those who are in the arts.
The word itself tells us the main point of creativity is creating. Most people assume that you have to be applying paint to canvas, writing a piece of music or scripting a play to be creative.
One of my favorite hobbies when I was younger was building model rockets and then launching them with my dad. He thrived when we were putting the rocket together and figuring out ways to make it better. I got the most excitement from painting and decorating it at the end.
For those who define themselves as “not creative,” try building models of rockets or cars, or working on an innovative project where solving a problem is at the center. Try a hobby like carpentry, where mathematics is the base of the activity, but you are still creating something new.
I find joy in painting, designing, coloring, writing and playing music. Painting canvases is something that is easily done in the dorm, and it is fairly inexpensive. Periodically, there are workshops offered in graphic design courses—stop by or sign up for an elective art class to gain a useful and creative new skill.
As the famous scientist Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Everyone has the ability to be creative, and I hope everyone will use creativity to bring happiness and relaxation into their lives.
