The clock has reached midnight on December 31st and you were faced with the always-challenging task of declaring (and sticking to) a New Year’s resolution! What was yours? Was it the same as last year’s? Did you already know as the words came out of your mouth, that it wasn’t going to happen? If you nodded your head yes, I want to challenge you this year to do something different.

Take a risk. Try something new. Let’s have a resolution do-over.

This year, whether or not you think of yourself as an artsy, crafty person, resolve yourself to cultivating your creative side! Why you may ask? Because creativity has the power to affect and transform your life in ways you haven’t thought of! As an art therapist, educator, business owner and new mommy I can tell you first hand that creativity helps me every single day. A few ways creativity can impact and benefit your life include; decreased stress levels, increased brain functioning, promotion of new perspective taking, and increased self-confidence. Try these simple things (at almost no cost) to becoming a more creative person:

  • Listen to music: be open to a new station on Spotify or scan the radio for a channel you never knew existed.
  • Write a letter to someone: not through an email, but pull out a pen and paper and send it snail mail.
  • Color: while those adult coloring books are not REAL art therapy, they are useful so try them.
  • Get out in the community: this could mean volunteer or take a walk to look at city murals.
  • Take a class: anything from cooking to art making.

Now imagine you’re watching the ball drop again, time is ticking down, 3, 2, 1,

What will you create?