As people, we yearn to be heard and understood. To achieve that, we then express ourselves in different ways; body language, spoken word, facial expressions, sign language, moods, and more. While these are common and widely used in our daily living, they often do not require much from us. We can share or react to what we think we know, understand, or have heard without the intention to grow or produce anything important. The connection between what we express and who we are is minimal and does not positively affect the lives of others. Not so with expressing oneself through creativity.
Generally, creativity is using imagination or original ideas to create something. As self-expression, it refers to asserting one’s ideas, feelings, or personality through creative art. That includes painting, colouring, writing, poetry, making music and crafts, and more. Speaking of creative self-expression, somebody mentioned how it makes our subconscious conscious and helps us gain power over our thought system. Creativity requires us to do a deep self-search and present our thoughts or feelings in an appealing way that is easy for others to comprehend. Something hidden inside comes to life and becomes apparent through our work of art.
The beautiful thing about creative expression is that we can draw attention and impact more lives than when we are expressing ourselves in ordinary ways. It enables us to touch other people’s lives and connect on a larger scale with those who might resonate with our messages. Expressions from deep within that often carry so much depth than many of us realize. The communicator pours out their heart with an audience in mind. Consequently, they can strike a chord better than if they did not have a significant purpose for their self-expression. Depending on the chosen method and purpose, creative expression can be educational, entertaining, empowering, and comforting to the audience, among other things.
Also, if you choose to express yourself creatively, be assured that your message will be passed down to future generations for example, read poems and listen to hymns from centuries ago. Interestingly, we still relate to most of them because they were written by people who were sharing experiences more sincerely. For some people, knowing that others have experienced almost similar things but lived on to tell their stories is enough to keep them going.
Below are the examples of some of the most common ways of expressing oneself creatively;
- Music – behind every song of any genre we listen to is someone who is trying to communicate something about themselves or life in general. From the deepest lyrics and tunes to the seemingly shallow ones, there is something to learn about the feelings and mindset of the artist. Some of the songs we listen to today were written by distressed people who were hopeful for a better day. Those songs continue to comfort people and give them hope today. The listener’s choice of music says a lot about what they are going through too. Music is also one of the most common ways for children to learn to express themselves, unleash their creativity, and learn how to explore and manage their feelings.
- Painting and drawing – from centuries ago, painting and drawing were used to express feelings, beliefs, and character healthily. It allows one to visualize their thoughts and feelings, enabling them to understand themselves better. This visualization of what is deep inside keeps one in touch with who one is as one embarks on a journey of self-discovery and embracing their uniqueness. Embracing who they are is vital to finding answers to their questions and consequently empowering ourselves. The result is often intriguing and thought-provoking to the viewer. For kids, their choice of colors and shapes reveals their character or feelings. Painting also helps children process their emotional experiences. Painting and drawing make one aware of things they did not know existed in their brains.
- Writing – apart from creating something that could be of value, writing can also be therapeutic. It allows one to pour out the heart through detailing every experience, good or bad. One rewrites the narrative of what they are experiencing to put down thoughts and feelings in a way they can resonate with. Doing this helps the person understand their world better and also calm down. Creative writing also includes writing poems, stories, and music, among other things. People have used creative writing to express how they feel about social, economic, personal, and political issues, among other things. There has been an increase in content about the way gender-based violence continues to destroy societies and take away freedom mainly from women. The idea is to get perpetrators to understand the impact of their actions.
- Motivational speaking – this is one of the most powerful tools ever to be used to change lives. It changes both the life of the listener and the speaker too. Motivational speaking is often done by people who have faced challenges and overcome them. They then express their strength through creatively packing their experiences in a way that helps empower others. Interestingly, motivational speaking continues to reassure the speaker too when they are facing more challenges.