hoity-toity angel

hilarysiegel:

cfrblog:

The link between creativity and better mental and physical health is well established by research. Creating helps make people happier, less anxious, more resilient and better equipped to problem-solve in the face of hardship.

Studies say that the stress of work is consuming many of us. And that stress can lead to weight gain, elevated glucose levels, upper-respiratory infections and cardiovascular disease.

The creative path can be an unconventional one, and choosing it may sometimes be a difficult pursuit.  To read about some creative tips from Tony Wagner, Innovation Education Fellow at Harvard’s Technology & Entrepreneurship Center and author of “Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World,” click here.

I feel like I just experienced exactly what is laid out in this article, especially the following points:

• Shut out the noise. At some point it’s time to stop blaming family, friends and life circumstances. Ultimately the path to innovation requires a certain kind of inner strength, a spiritual discipline. It’s important to cultivate the discipline of listening to yourself. Even if you have no support, the support that ultimately matters most must come from within you.
• Believe in yourself and your vision. Begin by making a declaration of yourself and your intentions. Put a stake in the ground by making a statement out loud in front of a mirror. Write about your passions in a journal entry, even on a piece of paper. We all have ideas and perceptions, but you can’t follow your dream and vision unless you can give it a voice.

• Redefine failure and embrace iteration. By now, you have failed — and probably more than once. And if you haven’t, you are probably playing it too safe.  We need to redefine “failure” as a society. “It has become a pejorative in our vocabulary,” Wagner says. No one wants to fail, and yet you can’t pursue passion and purpose without a great deal of trial and error and multiple failures.

• Engage in self-reflection. Wagner emphasizes the importance of establishing a regular mindfulness practice, through meditation, writing in a journal, walking, yoga or other pursuits.

  If the passion for and benefits of creativity are ageless, then imagination, creativity and innovation cannot just be a young person’s game.