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Written by Madeline Zielinski

Having a sense of control is an important part of having mental wellness. Right now it feels like a lot of things are out of our control.

We lived in a mechanized world, where it seems almost everything around us is automized, part of a system, something that it’s someone else’s job to fix if it breaks. It affects the way we think about everything from the ability to or to not sew a broken button, to understanding our own mental health.

We also have access to infinite amounts of art and music through the use of technology. At no other point in history have humans had the ability to see, listen, and appreciate the music of the masters of these art forms. These are the works that sustain us through our lives, inspiring our emotions and memories. 

The unintended effect of being able to view and experience the most profound and powerful forms of art is that it causes a feeling of inadequacy of our own creations. Just because we are not masters does not mean that our work is unimportant. This is not a message of “someday you could be a master if you practice enough,” it is intended to be a message of:

Your work is already good enough.

Creating is not about it being the best there ever was. Creating is a part of being human. It gives us a feeling of control in the world around us. It gives meaning and beauty to the extreme emotions that come with the human condition.

I’m reminded of a quote from my favorite Kurt Vonnegut book, Bluebeard:

“…simply moderate giftedness has been made worthless by the printing press and radio and television and satellites and all that. A moderately gifted person who would have been a community treasure a thousand years ago has to give up, has to go into some other line of work, since modern communications put him or her into daily competition with nothing but world’s champions…. A moderately gifted person has to keep his or her gifts all bottled up…” 

Tips for creative outlets: 

• My number one suggestion is to do what you enjoy
• Youth MOVE National is collection vision boards all through 2020! Learn how to submit yours and see what others have submitted here
• Use what you have around you, you don’t need to spend a ton of money on art supplies to be an artist. 
• Gardening! Anything that gets you outside is good. Don’t have a space to garden? There are lots of low maintenance houseplants. 
• Tie-dying. It’s super easy, kits are not that expensive and can be found in most craft sections. Acid washing is easy too. ALWAYS do your research before ever working with any chemicals. And you can always hit me up with questions!)
• Support your friends and family’s own creativity! Maybe they have something they could teach you

What do you do to feel creative? Do you have any tips about how to celebrate the creativity of others? Leave a comment and let us know.