When I grew up, I was surrounded by creatives. While my dad was an artist, my mother would make clothes and garden, and my grandfather was a woodworker. My grandad had a shed filled with wood and machines, as well as a darkroom for his photography. After my older brothers moved out, my mother had a sewing room, and my father had a place where he would sit and paint.
In these spaces, they were content.
Contentment creators.
This doesn't mean they were always happy in these spaces, as sometimes the things they were doing didn't work and they might get frustrated, but being creative is in itself, satisfying. Being creative isn't just having lots of thoughts though, it is also about being able to apply those thoughts to make something practical. Something real. It doesn't have to be a table, a dress or a painting though, because for me, it could also be an article. But the application of skill to create something new has personal value.
The inspiration for this article came from a client today, as through our discussion he was talking about making a place on his farm (he is an engineer by career though) where he can create some his ideas. Between salaried work and the farming, he hasn't had the time to create a designated creative space for himself, and through the discussion, he realised he should bump it up the to-do list.
Because, being creative is therapeutic.
It was an interesting discussion, because as we were talking I mentioned how in the past family houses often had creative spaces in them of some sort. A place where people could build something. But outside of the kitchen, today's homes are more constrained and designed for daily survival, not daily creativity. Even many detached homes are no longer built with a garage area that can serve as a creative space, and even storage is being cut down on.
And I think that this is a big part of the reason that people look to satisfy their creative selves, by buying stuff. But it isn't just a lack of space, it is also a lack of skill. Because if there isn't the space to learn a new skill, there also isn't the possibility to fall in love with creating using that skill. Back in the day, my grandad built his home himself out of necessity, as did many in Finland. But the ability to do this came from childhood learnings with parents and grandparents, and then the chance to practice, improve, and practice some more. It is much harder to do this when already in adulthood, because there isn't the foundation, nor the creative habit.
We are creative animals.
And as our own creativity is personally valuable (and perhaps necessary for happiness), we really should think about the options available to have our own Happy Space. Not a place on the couch where we can sit and comfortably consume the creations of others, but an area where we can be creative ourselves. It might be on the couch, but it is probably better to have a differentiated space if possible, just for the sake of habit forming.
Create what?
Anything.
Because what we are doing when we create something ourselves, is building ownership. Everything we create, whether it be a drawing, or painting a wall a new colour, gets our attention put into it. Our effort, our sweat, our work. It becomes ours. And because it is ours, we appreciate it more, look after it better, and take a sense of accomplishment from it. But also, even if it takes effort, we can enjoy the journey. When we buy stuff, even though we have worked for the money, there is very little journey involved and as such, most of the stuff we buy, is just another thing with a quickly fading enjoyment factor that is soon forgotten.
I am a big proponent of creativity, because personally and through observation of others, it seems to be where most people find their highest level of joy. Again, it can still mean hard work and frustration, but the process of creating, especially something useful or beautiful, generates a huge sense of accomplishment, as well as something that gives an immediate feedback. Much of the work we do today for money, doesn't provide the same even if creative - because most of the paid work we do, we aren't doing for ourselves, nor is it in service to the things we believe in. There are exceptions, of course.
It would be interesting to get some insight into your own happy spaces, or whether you have carved out a creative space for yourself at all. It isn't actually about the space, it could be a period of time, but those boundaries where daily life and creative life can be separated a little, can go a long way to getting the gains that come from creation. In my home, I have the space in the garage where I build stuff, and I have the space on the screen where I write and edit photos. My daughter has her room where she creates imaginary worlds and a piano on which to make music. But my wife doesn't have a space at all - and she doesn't create. She is creative at work, but doesn't create anything for the sake of creation, so she is not a personal creator.
I am going to have to ask her more about this.
She could be a great writer.
Would a space help her?
Probably. But having the space isn't enough, just like having a kitchen doesn't make a chef. It requires that consistency of usage, that ability to shut out the rest of the world, and focus attention on a more singular process toward a goal. A dress, a meal, a piece of music.
Do you have space in your life to be happy?
Taraz
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