Your mental, physical, and financial health all stand to benefit from creative expression—are you giving yourself a chance?
Unused creativity is not benign. It metastisizes.
It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame.
~ Brené Brown
Sarah was squirming in her chair.
“I’m sorry. It’s my lower back,” she said. “I’m trying to find a way to sit so it won’t hurt.”
“How long have you had this pain?” I asked.
“Off and on for almost five years. It seems to be getting worse.”
A 45-year-old marketing professional, Sarah came to coaching feeling burnt out and overwhelmed. She described her lackluster life in detail and said she had lost her ability to land new business.
“I feel like I am shouting into the void,” she said. “Nothing is connecting, landing. The people I am attracting are complete time-wasters or worse—low-margin, high-headache clients. Basically, I think I need to reinvent my entire approach to marketing. And trust me, the irony is not lost on me.”
On the wall behind Sarah were two black-and-white photographs. One showed an image of a fishing pier, and the other showed an old lifeguard tower. Both were arresting, compelling.
“Tell me about the photos behind you,” I said. “I’m captivated!”
Sarah turned and stared at the pictures. “Oh, I took those when I was at the coast several years ago. Such a great trip. I wish I could go back.”
“Isn’t the coast about a 3-hour drive from you?” I asked.
“Yeah, but it might as well be 30 hours. It’s too hard to get away.”
“Are you still taking photographs?”
Sarah turned back toward me and looked off to the side. Toward an unknown place. “No, those images at the beach were the last ones I took,” she said.
As Sarah and I continued chatting, she explained that despite seeing a doctor, no clear physical cause for her lower back discomfort was found. She also revealed that she had always loved photography but had stopped because she didn’t think it was “practical.”
“Would you believe your back pain, lack of marketing traction, and your photography are all interconnected?” I asked.
Sarah returned her focus on me. “You can’t be serious,” she said.
“Very,” I said.
Creativity isn’t just a luxury—it’s an essential human trait that helps us process emotions, solve problems, and make meaning of our experiences. When this natural impulse is stifled, the consequences ripple through our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.
Our Need for Creative Expression
Dr. Brené Brown, a renowned researcher in vulnerability and shame, has spoken extensively about the perils of denying creative expression. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, she asserts, “Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame.” Brown’s work highlights how unexpressed creativity can fester, creating emotional blockages that lead to chronic stress and disconnection from oneself.
When creativity is bottled up, the energy it generates doesn’t dissipate—it stagnates, potentially manifesting as physical pain or chronic tension.
Engaging in creative expression is known to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that contributes to inflammation and pain. Conversely, suppressing creativity has been linked to increased tension in the body.
Creative expression is often misunderstood as something reserved for “artists.” News flash! We are all creative, and we are all artists.
Creative expression is how we innovate, solve problems, and connect with our inner selves. And, when we finally connect with ourselves, we connect with our clients. Our ideal audience can see and hear us and they march right toward us.
Dr. Brown’s work underscores that creativity is not optional; it’s essential. When we deny it, we’re not only turning away from a critical part of what makes us human, we are sabotaging our well-being and our ability to be heard whether we are an entrepreneur, C-suite executive, or a nonprofit leader.
“There’s no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t. Unused creativity doesn’t just disappear.”
—Brené Brown
Easy Ways to Reclaim Your Creativity
The good news? Reconnecting with your creativity doesn’t require grand gestures or artistic mastery. It’s about starting small and embracing the process, not the outcome.
Here are some simple ways to integrate creative expression into your daily life:
- Write Freely: Buy a little notebook and spend a few minutes each day jotting down your thoughts or exploring creative ideas.
- Make Something in the Kitchen: Is there a dish you’ve been craving? Why not make it? Take five minutes to look up recipes and choose one. Gather your ingredients, and have fun making a delicious meal. I made these braised beef short ribs on Christmas day and not only had a ton of fun, but it was also one of the best holiday meals I’ve ever made.
- Explore Color: Begin to notice which colors stop you in your tracks. Gather swatches of your favorites and collage them into pages in a journal. Add paint, crayons, or marks made with colored pencils to your pages.
- Listen to my podcast, The Courage to Live a Big Life
- Grab your discounted copy of my book, BUOYANT.
Join Me in The Sketchbook Entrepreneur Masterclass
If you’re ready to reconnect with your creativity and unlock its transformative power, I invite you to join me in The Sketchbook Entrepreneur Masterclass.
This 6-week, online class is designed to help you overcome the blocks that keep your creativity suppressed, cultivate a daily practice of creative expression, and transform your ideas into meaningful action.
Whether you’re looking to reignite a passion, explore new forms of expression, or simply rediscover the joy of creating, this masterclass will guide you step-by-step. Together, we’ll turn your unused creativity into a source of not only inspiration, but also healing, growth, and abundance.
A Call to Create
If you’ve been ignoring an inner nudge to create, consider this as your wake-up call. Unused creativity doesn’t simply go away—it transforms into something toxic. But it’s never too late to reverse the process.
The rewards of creative expression go far beyond the joy of the activity itself. They include better health, reduced stress, and a deeper sense of purpose.
And, expressing our creativity is the best way to boost our bottom line.
So pick up that pen, brush, or cooking pot and start.
And if you’re ready to go deeper and have a ton of fun with fellow explorers, join me in The Sketchbook Entrepreneur Masterclass.
Your bank account, happiness, and health deserve it.