There’s so much to worry about at the moment – the safety of our family and friends, our mental health, our lack of physical movement, loneliness, whether we’ll be able to get loo rolls when we genuinely do need some...
But one expert is urging us not to forget about creativity. While it might sound like the last thing on your to-do list, CEO of 64 Million Artists, Jo Hunter, says that it’s vital now more than ever, and the benefits to our mental health and wellbeing could be hugely important. And it's not just about the children, who are home from school.
The company is launching a free-to-join creativity challenge, called Create To Connect – those who join will be emailed daily for two weeks with ideas of a fun challenge to get their creative juices flowing, using objects from around the home, or just your brain. From writing short poems to using loo rolls (supply dependent) to craft something fun, the company hopes the challenges (which might only take five minutes) will count as an important act of self-care.
‘In times like these, it can be really easy to shut down, feel isolated, get into a negative spiral,’ says Jo. ‘There are some really real challenges people are facing and also it's just an unsettling and scary moment where our instinct might be to withdraw from the world. We believe that everyone is creative and when we are creative we can make change in our lives and in the world around us. This is an opportunity for people to have some fun, try out some new things and connect with each other. All of the daily challenges can be done from home and are suitable for any age. They're silly and frivolous but they also give an opportunity to have a moment out of the current crisis and a bit of a breather. We're in this for the long haul, so we may as well be having some fun together.’
Challengees are encouraged to share their efforts on social media, creating a community, something we all might be feeling in need of. The company do a similar challenge every January. This year 30,000 people participated in the January Challenge – 98% of 500 people surveyed afterwards said the experience had a positive impact on their wellbeing.
‘We did a recent study with UCL of our 30-day challenges in WhatsApp groups of participants self-identifying as having low mood or anxiety and saw a clinically significant increase in mental wellbeing and a reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress,' says Jo. This is partly due to them doing creative activities, and also because they were reflecting and sharing with each other, creating moments of connection and vulnerability.’
For those of us only a few days into WFH-life, the challenge might sound appealing. ‘We can shift up our thinking by being creative. This can help us just feel more positive, or it can actually help us solve important issues we might be facing, rather than just looking at a spreadsheet and panicking.'
This is an extraordinary time and I think we need to respond to it by being extraordinary.
‘By being home we might miss out on our inspiration to be creative, or just get into a rut, or not think of new things,' she says. 'I think the most important thing is that we miss human interaction and connection and the most important thing about creativity for us is when we create stuff and share it. Something magic happens when we're prepared to share something we've made or be silly together, or talk about stuff we wouldn't normally. This is an extraordinary time and I think we need to respond to it by being extraordinary.'
Jo, from London, herself understands the importance of changing things up: ‘Creativity helps us get better acquainted with risk. I was always someone who hated doing anything unless it was perfect. I never joined new things unless I knew people, I never started new activities unless I knew I'd be good at something. It made me have so much underlying anxiety all the time.
‘When I started having panic attacks I knew something was wrong so I took 30 days off work and asked people to set me creative challenges to do. It was amazing how much it opened me up, introduced me to new things, made me feel ok with getting things wrong. I now get things wrong much more regularly but I feel fine about it! I think that makes me a better boss, a better mum and hopefully a better friend too.’
Nine things you can do to boost your creativity at home
[Sign up to the 64 Million Artists challenge](http:// 64millionartists.com ).
Make a virtual Fun Palaceover Skype or Zoom.
Join a Virtual Choir.
Have a family bake off competition
Tell a story line by line in a WhatsApp group
Invent a way to commute to work even though you're at home (Laps of the living room listening to a podcast?)
Check out these great TED talks on kickstarting your creativity
Use your skills to host a workshop for others.
Click here to pick some more options.
Read More: Working From Home And MissIng Your Colleagues And Your Routine?