Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
Kurt Vonnegut.
- A creative outlet balances work and life
Creativity brings you into the moment. It takes you out of your thinking mind and guides you into your heart and soul. You feel good after being creative. You have given to yourself. You’re more productive when you go back to work. You sleep better. You begin to find yourself wanting to do other healthy things like eating nutritious food and exercising. - Creative outlets can be therapeutic
They can help you to express your feelings. They can be cathartic in that you get to put all your frustrations and stress, all your resentments and irritations into your creativity. You get to play – which allows you to free yourself of inhibitions and repression. - A creative outlet can help you build confidence
When you’re creative you get to know yourself in an intimate way. This can help you to feel connected to yourself which allows you to have a core “sense of self”. When you’re connected you can speak your truth. You can stand up for yourself. You feel you have the right to take up space. - Creative outlets can be liberating
We live in a left-brained world. So much of our days are spent sitting at a desk or using the logical part of our mind. The right brain is often left behind and we can feel out of balance or out of sorts as a result. Creative outlets can help you use parts of you that tend to get repressed in N. American living. You can free yourself and tap into the energies within you that are improvisational, spontaneous and playful. - A creative outlet can help you be authentic
When you express yourself, you are feeling into yourself in a way that is true to your real feelings. A creative outlet drops you into your body and out of your head. Writing, painting, sculpting and expressive art forms like singing, acting and dancing are all great options. You don’t have to be an actor to take my acting class for instance. I love working with non-actors.
See my article on the benefits of an acting class here:
/benefit-from-an-acting-class/
Cindy Tanas Actors Studio teaches acting classes for Theatre and Film in Toronto and the GTA, Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay.