2.5 Creativity and wellbeing

What’s the relationship between well-being and creativity? How can you promote your well-being in different avenues of your creative life?

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What is u003cstrongu003ewell-beingu003c/strongu003e? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines well-being as being happy, healthy, and prosperous. Well-being researchers discuss different dimensions of well-being at the individual level—u003cstrongu003eemotionalu003c/strongu003e, u003cstrongu003epsychologicalu003c/strongu003e and u003cstrongu003ephysicalu003c/strongu003e (Martela u0026amp; Sheldon, 2019, Warr u0026amp; Nielsen, 2018, Fredrickson et al, 2015). People generally try to take care of their well-being in different dimensions of life, like work, family relationships and friendships.rnrnFor example, well-being can be reflected in:rnu003culu003ern tu003cliu003ethe ratio of positive and negative emotions you experience during a day;u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003ethe level of satisfaction with what you achieveu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003ephysical stamina.u003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernIn this sub-chapter, we’ll focus on the first two types of well-being and how creativity can enhance them in professional life.rnrnThere are some personal strategies related to u003cstrongu003eself-awareness u003c/strongu003ethat we can develop for a higher sense of well-being. For instance, Aalto University’s u003ca href=u0022https://www.aalto.fi/en/oasis-of-radical-wellbeingu0022u003eOasis of Radical Well-beingu003c/au003e suggests tools and strategies like accepting our emotions, cultivating self-compassion, frequent movement and high-quality connections.rnrnCreativity can lead to a sense of mastery and achievement. When you explore your creative identity and experiment, it can lead to a sense of meaning, self-actualization and authenticity. When creativity is understood as engagement in artistic activities, such as crafts, drawing, singing or dancing, it can generate positive emotions like awe, joy, gratitude, hope, inspiration and vitality.rnrnHere, our focus is on choosing u003cstrongu003ecreativity as a strategyu003c/strongu003e for living a life of purpose, meaning, and joy. In this sub-chapter, we’ll explore what it means to u003cstrongu003elive with creativityu003c/strongu003e and its impact on our subjective well-being.

Creative problem-solving and emotional awareness

What’s it like to participate in a daring project without prior experience? How does it feel during the project? How about when the project is over?

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u003ca href=u0022https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10400419.2022.2122371u0022u003eSmith et al., (2022)u003c/au003e found that experts whose jobs require creative thinking and skills experience fewer u003cstrongu003epositive emotionsu003c/strongu003e than people who use their creativity in their free time. This may be explained by the nature of work-related problems, which involve high levels of complexity and uncertainty. Identifying high-risk, daring problems that affect the lives of millions of people, solving unexpected and ill-defined problems, and implementing a new project are three types of work challenges that require creative approaches. Being in such a work situation means going through a creative process where emotions play a central role in finding the way to solutions.rnrnAt the outset, u003cstrongu003enegative emotionsu003c/strongu003e, like dissatisfaction and frustration, direct attention to the problems (Zhou u0026amp; George, 2001). Once the creative process is underway, u003cstrongu003epositive emotionsu003c/strongu003e help show when a solution works well, while negative emotions mean that something isn’t quite right and more exploration is needed. Overall, understanding and managing the emotions that arise during the creative process is essential to ensure that they work in the service of original and useful outcomes.rnrnSelf-awareness and u003cstrongu003eself-regulationu003c/strongu003e during the creative process thus influence the psychological and emotional well-being of the creator. In addition, throughout the creative process, experts may be driven by their need for u003cstrongu003eautonomyu003c/strongu003e, u003cstrongu003ecompetenceu003c/strongu003e and u003cstrongu003erelatednessu003c/strongu003e (Martela et al., 2023, Martela et al., 2018). Once the process is over, creators will enjoy a sense of accomplishment.rnrnThe more challenging and novel the problem is, the more highs and lows will be experienced in well-being. Being a creative problem-solver at work is a matter of emotional awareness and perseverance.rnrnPetrou u0026amp; Jongerling (2022) showed that, in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, incremental creativity at work was related to both employee well-being and performance, while radical creativity was primarily related to employee development. Radical creativity at work is not born out of satisfaction or feeling self-sufficient—quite the opposite, it may become a valuable strategy of proactively dealing with a crisis, even if it doesn’t always feel good.rnrnTherefore, leaders in organizations looking for radical creativity should encourage employees to break the rules in a way that protects employee well-being. For instance, Astro Teller, the head of Google’s innovation lab u003ca href=u0022https://x.company/u0022u003eXu003c/au003e, talked about the secret to making people feel comfortable in big, risky projects and exploring daring ideas in a u003ca href=u0022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t13Rq4oc7Au0026amp;t=109su0022u003eTED talku003c/au003e: u003cemu003e’Rather than avoid the mess, pretend it’s not there, we’ve tried to make that our strength.’u003c/emu003ernrnX’s mission is ‘to create radical new technologies to solve some of the world’s hardest problems.’ A team of inventors, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, works on the world’s toughest problems, like clean energy, food supply and healthcare. Even when experimental projects don’t go as hoped, the people involved in the project receive bonuses and positive reinforcement (Sawyer, 2017).rnrnCreativity is needed to solve ill-defined and novel challenges in the workplace. While such challenges come with uncertainty and face resistance and a storm of emotions, solving them leads to personal growth and a sense of achievement. Organizational support is valuable, especially when companies want their employees to engage in radical creativity.

Creative hobbies and well-being

Studies show that creative hobbies promote well-being in many ways.

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What artistic activity have you performed lately? Was it work-related or a hobby?rnrnArtistic activities are centred around an artistic skill, such as drawing, design, creating music, photography, visual arts or writing. A u003cstrongu003ecreative hobbyu003c/strongu003e can be an artistic activity, but it can also be any activity you engage in creatively as a pastime. It may be a distraction from other worries, or it could be a way to develop your creative identity in a way isn’t available in your professional life. Irrespective of the motive, it’s about enjoying a creative activity without expecting to be paid for it or gain recognition as an expert.rnrnHaving a creative hobby enables emotional well-being through the experience of positive emotions and psychological well-being through a sense of meaning, purpose and competence (Smith et al., 2022). For instance, Silvia et al. (2014) examined a sample of college students, about one-quarter of whom were majoring in the arts. They found that the individuals who reported doing something creative during a typical day—drawing, writing, creative cooking, etc—were more likely to feel happy and active.rnrnConner et al. (2018) had similar findings. Doing an artistic activity led more positive emotions on those days. According to Richards (2010), creative activities are both a cause and a sign of well-being.rnrnYou may be already going to the gym or running for physical health. But are you ready to dedicate some time to a creative hobby in the name of emotional and mental health?

Aligning your creative identity with your work role

How well does your creative identity align with your professional role?

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Creative identity is about seeing creativity as the core of who you are and what you do. When you’re aware that you’re a creative person but your professional role feels disconnected from your creative identity, your development can get stunted (De Valverde et al., 2017). You may feel frustrated and disengaged from work.rnrnLuckily, these negative feelings can be excellent motivators for setting a new career goal so you can feel like the right creative person in the right job (u003ca href=u0022https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-8680-7u0022u003eVelcu-Laitinen, 2022u003c/au003e). Four lines of inquiry can help find a specific way to express your creative identity:rnu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eDo you think you’re a creative thinker who loves taking initiative? You may want to look for entrepreneurial jobs within a company or even start your own business.u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eDo you think you’re a resourceful person who likes to motivate people to get things done? You may want to take on a leadership role.u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eDid you discover an artistic skill that you’re ready to exercise as a pro? You might want to look for a job in a creative industry.u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eDid you tap into some knowledge area that you absorb like a sponge? You might be interested in getting recognized as a niche expert.u003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernOften, the satisfaction and sense of meaning a creative individual gets depend on the possibility of realizing their creative identity in a specific work environment.

u003ch3u003eu003cstrongu003eReferencesu003c/strongu003eu003c/h3u003ernBeghetto, R. A. (2006). Creative self-efficacy: Correlates in middle and secondary students. u003cemu003eCreativity research journalu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e18u003c/emu003e(4), 447-457.rnrnBerkman, E. T. (2018). The neuroscience of goals and behavior change. u003cemu003eConsulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 70u003c/emu003e(1), 28-44. u003ca href=u0022https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cpb0000094u0022u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000094u003c/au003ernrnConner, T. S., DeYoung, C. G., u0026amp; Silvia, P. J. (2018). Everyday creative activity as a path to flourishing. u003cemu003eThe Journal of Positive Psychologyu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e13u003c/emu003e(2), 181-189.rnrnDe Valverde, J., Sovet, L., u0026amp; Lubart, T. (2017). Self-construction and creative “life design”. In u003cemu003eThe creative selfu003c/emu003e (pp. 99-115). Academic Press.rnrnFredrickson, B. L., Grewen, K. M., Algoe, S. B., Firestine, A. M., Arevalo, J. M., Ma, J., u0026amp; Cole, S. W. (2015). Psychological well-being and the human conserved transcriptional response to adversity. u003cemu003ePloS oneu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e10u003c/emu003e(3), e0121839.rnrnKarwowski, M., u0026amp; Lebuda, I. (2016). The big five, the huge two, and creative self-beliefs: A meta-analysis. u003cemu003ePsychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Artsu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e10u003c/emu003e(2), 214.rnrnMartela, F., Ryan, R. M., u0026amp; Steger, M. F. (2018). Meaningfulness as satisfaction of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence: Comparing the four satisfactions and positive affect as predictors of meaning in life. u003cemu003eJournal of happiness studiesu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e19u003c/emu003e, 1261-1282.rnrnMartela, F., u0026amp; Sheldon, K. M. (2019). Clarifying the concept of well-being: Psychological need satisfaction as the common core connecting eudaimonic and subjective well-being. u003cemu003eReview of General Psychologyu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e23u003c/emu003e(4), 458-474.rnrnMartela, F., Lehmus-Sun, A., Parker, P. D., Pessi, A. B., u0026amp; Ryan, R. M. (2023). Needs and well-being across Europe: Basic psychological needs are closely connected with well-being, meaning, and symptoms of depression in 27 European countries. u003cemu003eSocial Psychological and Personality Scienceu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e14u003c/emu003e(5), 501-514.rnrnPetrou, P., u0026amp; Jongerling, J. (2022). Incremental and radical creativity in dealing with a crisis at work. u003cemu003eCreativity Research Journalu003c/emu003e, 1-17.rnrnRichards, R. (2010). Everyday creativity. u003cemu003eThe Cambridge handbook of creativityu003c/emu003e, 189-215.rnrnSawyer, K., (2017). Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration (Revised Edition). u003cemu003eBasic Booksu003c/emu003e.rnrnSilvia, P. J., Beaty, R. E., Nusbaum, E. C., Eddington, K. M., Levin-Aspenson, H., u0026amp; Kwapil, T. R. (2014). Everyday creativity in daily life: An experience-sampling study of “little c” creativity. u003cemu003ePsychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Artsu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e8u003c/emu003e(2), 183.rnrnSmith, K., Pickering, A., u0026amp; Bhattacharya, J. (2022). The creative life: A daily diary study of creativity, affect, and well-being in creative individuals. u003cemu003eCreativity Research Journalu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e34u003c/emu003e(4), 460-479.rnrnVelcu-Laitinen, O., (2022). How to Develop Your Creative Identity at Work. u003cemu003eApressu003c/emu003e.rnrnWarr, P., u0026amp; Nielsen, K. (2018). Wellbeing and work performance. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, u0026amp; L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. DOI:nobascholar.comrnrnWaters, L., Algoe, S. B., Dutton, J., Emmons, R., Fredrickson, B. L., Heaphy, E.,u0026amp; Steger, M. (2022). Positive psychology in a pandemic: Buffering, bolstering, and building mental health. u003cemu003eThe Journal of Positive Psychologyu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e17u003c/emu003e(3), 303-32.rnrnZhou, J., u0026amp; George, J. M. (2001). When job dissatisfaction leads to creativity: Encouraging the expression of voice. u003cemu003eAcademy of Management journalu003c/emu003e, u003cemu003e44u003c/emu003e(4), 682-696.