We live in a time where we are encouraged to advertise ourselves as well as have side hustles to improve our careers. However, I believe that it is crucial that we have a creative outlet for ourselves and nothing else.
A creative outlet can be anything, it just has to be creative. For me, it is painting and building plastic models of tanks and other vehicles. As someone who struggles with stress management and anxiety among other things, my creative outlet has helped me significantly over the past three years by giving me an escape outside of media consumption. When we are creating something, it is a relaxing activity. Some studies have shown that creativity is able to improve mental health, especially in those with trauma. This year things are only going to get busier with most people on campus so managing our mental health is vital to success.
Having our creative outlets be something purely for ourselves are less stressful, you are not worried about deadlines and can work on them at your own pace. For me, when I have the chance to paint, I do not try to rush the process and some of my projects take weeks or even months to finish. That does not mean yours has to take as long, but having your own personal escape is something that I think we all have seen the value in during the pandemic.
As I have said, find something creative and do it for yourself. It can be anything, just make sure it is enjoyable and just for you
This blog post was written by Tyler Blanchard, Director of Community Service
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