Creative Wellness (noun) 

A practice rooted in the belief that creativity is an innate part of all of us, which must be nurtured both collectively and individually to thrive. It is based on the idea that wellness is not a singular or isolated state of being, but rather is a multifaceted, interconnected, and layered system including wellness within systems, self, and creative work.

In the past month here in the United States, we’ve just had the 212th mass shooting of 2022. (According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit data collection organization that tallies gun violence incidents.) The price of gas and most everyday items are at an all time high. (USA Today) Parents and those who care for children struggle to find formula on store shelves. The right for women to have autonomy over their own bodies is being debated and decided by politicians. So it seems like a strange time to talk about something like creative wellness. Creativity, entrepreneurship, and reaching any sort of wellness within any of it seems like something that’s just not important right now—and in many ways, it’s true. There are so many issues that deserve time and attention. There always has been, and my gut feeling is there always will be.    

Yet, it’s the same underlying conversations over and over again—in forums, online communities, and in-person conversations with fellow creative entrepreneurs—we’re exhausted. We feel a simmering dull sense of rage, grief, confusion, and even apathy, but can’t find the language to express why. We wonder why the long walks, making something just for fun, going on vacation, or having a slow morning isn’t leaving us with a sustainable sense of motivation, creative energy, or inspiration. 

I started to think this was no coincidence. How was is that nearly every creative entrepreneur I knew—no matter how much money they were making, how many years they had been in business, where they learned their skills, or how many employees they hired—had too much to mentally, physically, and emotionally carry?

It made me start to wonder what creative wellness even was, and how we think and talk about it. I genuinely began to wonder if it was attainable or even helpful, or just another phrase marketed to sell us things and distract us the underlying bigger picture. I got to wondering as a creative community, maybe if we started to think and talk about creative wellness in terms of a layered practice with foundations in our societal systems rather than an isolated state of being we could buy or self-care our way in to, it would start to make sense why we were frustrated and exhausted despite doing everything the experts were telling us.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t have answers, but I do know when we begin to have conversations about our creativity as a part of our whole selves who use that creativity in a complicated world, we can be gentler with ourselves and others. We can give ourselves grace when we don’t feel inspired and motivated rather than wonder what’s wrong with us and buy another planner. We can put our energy, dollars, and votes toward ideas that have the opportunity to make a far reaching impact. And most importantly, we can open up a dialogue and start to talk about a new model of creative wellness within our businesses, communities, and organizations.  My hope is that the free PDF handout outlining how I framework, think, and talk about creative wellness serves as a resource and a place to begin as you explore creating, defining, and diving into conversations around your own practice of creative wellness.