What do you write about in a brand new blog? Lots of things have swirled around in my head, but I think I want to explore for a moment the relationship of different forms of creative expression and how one unrelated pursuit can strengthen and infuse another creative pursuit with more passion and power.
In my own case, I have always enjoyed art, woodworking, and photography. I never pictured combining them as my career until a series of life circumstances set me on a different path. It is a long story involving a layoff, a changing industry, and a personal gift I built for my daughter that sent me down the road I now travel.
I firmly believe that each of these creative pursuits helps me come to the other with a fresher mind, a new perspective, and renewed enthusiasm. When I am bogged down with one, a breather pursuing the other is often just what I need. A number of graphic designers are also accomplished musicians. Others are painters, sculptors, or potters.
But what about you? You might be thinking “I am not any of those things, I have no talents.” Even if that is true (and I doubt it) there is an inherent value in creating things with your own hands. A demanding job as a surgeon or busy executive could well be enhanced by time spent painting or creating. The quality of the creative work is secondary to the value you will derive from a step back from your daily pursuits and time spent using another part of your brain.
Think about Winston Churchill. While guiding England through the ravages of World War II he painted landscapes. Some would argue that it was a waste of his valuable and limited time as a leader for a nation in crisis. I would argue that it may be the very thing that preserved his mental state of mind and might have even played a critical role in saving his nation as it gifted him with clarity of mind he might not have otherwise had.
I encourage you to open yourself up to a new creative skill today. It may play a role in bringing you a richer, fuller, life.