Creativity helps

Our creativity can help us to create a new chapter in a transition.

When Henri Matisse was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to undergo grueling surgeries, it seemed to signal the end of his artistic career. He could no longer stand up, never mind hold a paintbrush. While the health crisis did in fact end his painting career, it also opened a whole new chapter in his creative life: while lying in bed he started making the remarkable bright paper cutouts that he’s so well known for today.

Transitions involve loss, but out of the chaos comes the exciting opportunity to build something new. We must allow ourselves to be creative and experimental while exploring these new possibilities.

Getting in touch with your own creativity can accelerate your healing after a crisis. Zach’s story is a good example of that. When the young veteran was permanently disfigured in a shootout in Afghanistan, he wanted to end his life. That changed, though, when his mother encouraged him to learn to cook. He poured his energy into grilling the perfect piece of salmon, and making fluffy plates of pancakes. He also started writing poems, and painting, channeling his frustration into wild splatters on the canvas. Zach’s flurry of creativity helped him to process some of the trauma he’d experienced during the war and start to forge a new identity for himself that wasn’t tied to being a soldier.

Creativity through writing is one of the most important tools we have in a transition. The act of writing turbo-charges the process of creating a new narrative, and allows people to feel a much greater sense of control over the past. In an experiment, psychologist James Pennebaker divided a group of people who had recently been laid off into two halves. He asked one half to write about the experience, while the other half didn’t write at all. Three months later, 27 percent of the people who had written about their experiences had found a new job, in contrast to 5 percent of those who didn’t write. Putting their stories down on paper not only allowed them to process their feelings, but it also allowed them to take actions that led to finding a new job. Whether we’re cooking, painting, writing, or salsa dancing, creative expression is one of our greatest lifelines in the wake of a lifequake.