Episode 37: Nurturing our Well-Being Through Creative Practices
It was so, so interesting to meet with Cyrielle from Unschooling and Thriving to talk about the way creative practices support our well-being. We explored various ideas and understandings of creativity and discussed what it can look like in our own lives as well as in our children’s. We’d love you to join us for a listen!
We Discuss:
Curating and creating themes (with books, sensory kits, etc)
Cycle awareness
Recognizing the distinction between making things for our children versus creating for ourselves
The “bubble of creativity” and the benefit it brings to our entire being (some similarity to “flow” in learning)
Choosing repetitive and restful activities at times and more challenging projects when feeling more energetic and inspired
The range of creativity from visual art to things like reading and planning
That self-care can be deeper than physical grooming and treating ourselves
Soul care as a deeper “filling of our cup”
Differentiating between creativity and creative hobbies – beneficial in different ways
The role of movement and repetition in handiwork
Self-Determination Theory as it relates to crafting – autonomy, competence and relatedness
Engaging socially while also engaging with a craft
A range of hands-on creative activities from gardening to baking to soap-making to Lego building
Developing intention
Intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation
That creative practices are not necessarily as valued as physical exercise in relation to health and well-being
How the way people style or dress themselves can be a way of creative self-expression
Creative practice as stress relief and rest from anxiety
Physical movement during creative thinking
Breaking down the idea that creativity is separate from organization
Creativity as part of life – separate from creative hobbies
Engaging in creative practice without pressure of perfectionism
Process versus outcome and how the focus is different for different kids and adults
Kids being inspired to create something but feeling held back by fear or comparison
Reframing creative expression when we feel judgements of our kids cropping up
How to prioritize time for creative self-expression as a parent
Using the word “practice” rather than “habit”
Shifting our way of thinking of things so that time has been intentionally set aside for creative endeavours
Thinking about choices versus “shoulds” in the sense that we might choose to leave things that other people might assume need to be done in order to have time for rest and creative self-care
Creative rest
That sometimes rest needs to happen before creativity (can be hard to accept if we’re feeling time is scarce)
Communicating to family members, spouses, etc that we are being intentional about our creative time
That often our kids enjoy seeing our creativity and downtime and that if we see it’s a time that we feel we are truly needed, we can make the choice to postpone our own activity, but still make note of our own need as well
That taking time to create is a gift not only to ourself but also to our family
The difference between creating something freestyle versus following directions
Having conversations within marriages about expectations of the role we’re in or have chosen (a full-time mother doesn’t necessarily equal a housewife and a breadwinner doesn’t necessarily mean that working outside the home has included having time to be creative)
Resources:
Unschooling and Thriving (Workshops, Series and Online Community)
Craft Psychology: How Crafting Promotes Health, Dr. Anne Kirketerp
Episode 6: The State of Flow in Learning, Virtual Kitchen Table
Episode 8: Do We Deserve Joy? Unpacking Perspective of Joy in Home Education, Virtual Kitchen Table
Episode 12: Perspectives on Self-Care – for our children, for ourselves, Virtual Kitchen Table
John Muir Laws – Nature Stewardship Through Science, Education, and Art