Here’s a good question: Do you think you’re creative?   I have always doubted that I am. I’ve struggled with calling myself creative because I can’t draw or paint or make crafty things.  God forbid I call myself an artist!  This block has held me back for most of my life in creating “art.”

The truth is, I am a perfectionist– I never thought I was good enough to be a photographer.  Or, if I was praised for doing something well, I would feel pressure to keep up with my own high standards.  I put down my camera for many, many years because I wasn’t the “best” in my eyes.  Even though I won competitions, awards, and accolades, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I compared myself to others and would just give up on something I loved because of the self-imposed pressure to be perfect.

According to Picasso, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”  Yes, all the baggage we pick up throughout our lives creates fears, insecurities and doubt. The truth is, creativity is not an innate quality that someone is born with or without–  it’s a skill you can develop with practice.

Everyone is creative, everyone has vision, and everyone can increase their creativity, just as everyone can increase their musical or athletic ability with training and focused practice.  Making something is deeply satisfying: you become a creator, not just a consumer. Creativity can be like a peak experience: the same highs can be felt by exploring new places or falling in love.  When engaged with something creative, worries and cares fall away and are replaced playfulness and a sense of bliss.

I use the art of photography and my connection with nature as a spiritual practice more than a production of content.  I try hard to stay present and focused on what I am seeing and feeling when I am outside. What is most important is the ability to enjoy the process of creation. Every photograph I make has a piece of my soul. By slowing down and being present, I begin to search for more beauty in the world which helps me connect to joy and gratitude—a wonderful tool for healing and shifting out of stress.

I try so hard to leave perfectionism and self-criticism at home and remember it’s not about taking the perfect picture: it’s about having fun, putting my mind at ease and just be inspired by the beauty around me.  Even though I ambient creative, it’s the heart part, more than the art part.

The arts have been used as healing tools throughout the ages, but deeper understanding about the power of the arts and its impact on brain health is relatively new.   “Neuroaesthetics” is an emerging field of scientific study that offers research-based evidence that a variety of arts-based approaches may work to improve quality of life, mobility, mental health, speech, memory, pain, learning, and more.

These benefits come from making art, but they also occur by just observing or experiencing art.  It’s exciting because simple creative interventions could potentially lower the cost and burden of chronic disease, neurological disorders, and mental health issues for millions of people.

My father was a prolific painter and he started when he was 80 years old.  Learning various forms of painting techniques gave him new knowledge, new social activities, a renewed sense of purpose and an outlet for creativity which made him happy.  His brain was sharp until 95 when his heart finally gave out.  Through him, I saw the benefits first-hand of the power of the arts had on his health and wellbeing.

Research now makes clear that experiencing or creating art sparks a dynamic interplay among brain cells that spearheads billions of changes affecting our thoughts, emotions, and actions.  Any type of creative expression engages the brain’s neuroplasticity: when faced with different situations, our brains will continue to change and respond to environmental activity throughout our lives – and when mixed with art engagement, it can be incredibly beneficial for mental wellbeing.

This exciting new field of research has the potential to elevate the arts to a superpower in its potential for healing and wellness.  Some doctors have even begun prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.

Deep, rich aesthetic experiences offer the potential to bring us back to our evolutionary roots: to inspire us, move us, heal us and connect us.  It’s exciting to see that science and the arts are coming together to show us that we are, in fact, wired for art.