Creativity and Happiness

In 2011, when I began my blog, I called it Searching4Meaning. I chose that title because, honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about. However, exploring ideas I’d been thinking about, or ideas I would eventually about, at least gave me a place to start. (Ideas like… creativity and happiness!)

Here it is 2013, and the name of my blog may have changed, but all my old Searching4Meaning posts are still here. And, today I wanted to share a short, but Searching4Meaning-like thought with you. It has to do with Creativity and Happiness.

Have you ever noticed how it’s impossible to be unhappy when you’re in the midst of creating something you love!

For example, if you love to bake, baking a batch of super delicious cookies makes you happy. For a writer, like me, putting pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard) might involve some frustrating moments…but the joy I feel at the completion of a new chapter, or even a stunning paragraph, can make even the gloomiest day shine! It’s true.

My husband called me from the road yesterday. (He travels a lot for work) He asked how my day was. I told him it was great. I’d written a couple of posts for November and finished another chapter in my novel. I’d also exercised. I was feeling awesome. Then I remembered—the dentist’s office.

How could I have forgotten?

I’d spent the early part of the day in the dentist’s office. Bad enough—right? However, just before I got there, I received some bad news about a family member and, as a result, arrived at the dentist’s office in a foul mood. A majorly foul mood. You know those straws that suck the spit out when you’re leaning back with your mouth wide open listening to the soothing sounds of the dentist’s drill against your tooth…well, my mood was so foul I was like one of those straws, except instead of spit, I was sucking all the happiness out of the dentist’s office.

Hummm, happiness in a dentist’s office? Maybe I shouldn’t feel so guilty.

Anyway, by the time my husband called, I’d totally forgotten about my horrible morning, for I’d come home and spent the rest of the day writing—creating something new!

I’ve noticed this phenomenon before, but for some reason—maybe because I’m in a new environment, a new home—it’s finally starting to sink in. If you’re a creative person, as I am, being creative is one of the best ways to be happy. But not just being creative, being productively creative—creating something new. I still have to spend time editing and marketing my work. I still have to deal with the everyday stuff and the real-life problems. But, just a little creativity: a new paragraph, a new page or even a blog post—like the sun bursting through the clouds on a rainy day—can make all the difference.

As Oprah would say, that’s my “Ah Ha” moment. What makes you happy?