Life's Great Mysteries - Why do we need a form of creative expression?

Not everyone likes to write, the way I and many of my family members do. However, as you get to know people, you realize everyone seems to have their own form of creative expression. I know a guy who restored an old 1940s pickup truck by meticulously replacing every part with a new part, then painting the truck his favorite color. We had a neighbor who spent endless hours modifying his family’s house and landscaping the yard. When he finally had it all done, they sold the house and moved so that he could start again on another house. Everyone tends to find some activity that allows them to express some creativity. Everyone wants to master some skill, or make something that pleases them or pleases other people.

Why not just exist? Why not sit on the couch and watch TV every spare moment? Wouldn’t it be easier to decide to never engage mentally in any form of creative expression? Wouldn’t it be easier to never make anything, or never master any skills?

I get great pleasure from crafting stories that I hope will entertain people. It is hard work, and each book requires countless hours of effort. I make some money from selling my books, but that is not really the reason I do it. I, like most everyone else, need a form of creative expression, and this is mine.

In solving this mystery, my first thought was that creative expression is an important component of our psychological development when we are children, and therefore we simply continue to like it as we grow older. But there may be more to it than simply holding on to a childhood tendency. It seems to be a universal part of our well-being. Throughout history, people have used dances, chants, pictures, and stories as a part of their healing rituals. Creative expression makes us healthy.

Perhaps a big part of it is that creative expression provides a glimpse into a person’s mind. It is a way of saying this is who I am. Perhaps we want to show the rest of the world who we are, or perhaps we want to discover who we are for ourselves.

Creative expression can be found almost anywhere...

Photo Credits:
- Garage painted with scenery - DepositPhotos