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| "Aspens", by Constance Brewer, acrylic on canvas 2010 |
So lately I’ve been thinking about creativity, and how
mental and physical creativity relate to each other - at least for me. I’ve
noticed that when I’m at my most creative knitting, spinning,
weaving, sewing—really anything to do with my hands—I’m also having a good day
at the writing desk writing poems and stories.
I went delving for research to back up my thoughts and came
across this –
“New research is pointing to a possible link between bodily
movement and creative thinking.
A rich body of recent work has suggested that such metaphors
may derive from an actual and intimate link between abstract concepts and
concrete experience, and that priming physical sensations can activate abstract
ideas.
What if physical experiences not only activate existing
knowledge, but also trigger cognitive processes that enlarge knowledge in
creative new ways?
Actual physical acts appear to activate the abstract
processes that overcome mental rigidity and make new connections—the nuts and
bolts of creativity. Something as simple as gesturing with alternate hands, or
literally getting out of the box, may eliminate unconscious barriers that
restrict thinking.”[1]
Of course many of the research articles wanted to talk about
physical exercise and the creative boost one might get from it. I postulate
that you don’t have to go for a run or do laps in a pool to get the benefit of
enhanced creativity. The physical act of crafting provides the stimulus the
brain needs to boost creativity. But crafting is creative itself, you say. It
is, but there are also elements of repetition in most crafting that leads to an
often zen-like mental state.
In knitting it’s the stitches of the pattern, in
weaving it’s the rhythmic back and forth of the shuttle, in lino block
printmaking it’s the continual cutting away of small pieces of lino from the
whole. All these repetitions become second nature after a time, and allow one
to let the mind drift into a higher state.
Creativity begets creativity.
I used to think I was a visual learner, now I think I was
mistaken, that I was a more kinesthetic learner, hence all the doodling in the
margins of notebooks and clicking my pen and bouncing in my chair. I had to be
engaged in activity before my brain switched fully on.
“Some experts equate the
benefits of crafting-induced flow with the experience of meditation.
Being involved in any
meaningful creative task that requires using your hands, according to
physician- writer team Carrie and Alton Barron, can help elevate your mood,
stimulate your senses, and foster internal well-being.” [2]
I come up with my better
poems when engaged in the simple act of weaving, or knitting. By putting my
body on autopilot, I find I can engage my brain in a more meaningful way. Without
the risk of tripping over my feet and face planting. How about you, what kinds
of activities engage your creative side?
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| "In Place" by Constance Brewer, watercolor, after a painting "Vanguard"by artist Stephanie Law |
