How can you cultivate creativity?
Research suggests that creativity can increase positive emotions, boost cognition, and even support our immune system.
The great news is that creativity can be practiced and expressed in a variety of different ways.
Get your creative juices flowing with these ideas and start reaping the benefits for your body, mind, and soul.
Get creative in the kitchen
Do you have a recipe that you’ve been meaning to attempt one day?
Now is your chance!
Tap into your senses (smell, sight, and taste) and even unleash creative ways to ‘spice up’ your creation. This could involve adding ingredients to enhance the flavour or visual appeal, or substituting based on what you already have in your pantry or garden.
Plus, there’s no doubt your loved ones will welcome the taste-testing opportunity.
Learn the art of flower arranging
With flowers blooming around us, there is no better time to explore the accessible and inexpensive hobby of flower arranging.
Take a walk through your garden or neighbourhood to collect flowers and greenery.
Then, sit down and explore the various ways that the blooms can be layered and arranged in a vase. Along with offering a sense of accomplishment, the finished bouquet can double up as a beautiful home decoration or a thoughtful gift.
READER’S TIP: Good Lives Magazine reader Helena shares her tips for pursuing the art of flower arranging.
Create a scrapbook
Scrapbooking can take you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Why not involve your family and share your photos, old greeting cards, postcards, and memoirs? The end result can be a beautiful and meaningful masterpiece of memories to hand down to the younger generations for years to come, conserving all the special moments in your life.
Scrapbooking not only improves your cognitive skills but can be done socially in a group and can be a long-term creative project.
Make a terrarium
Bring the outdoors indoors and create a mini garden in your own unique way.
Terrariums are tiny ecosystems housed in a glass container that holds soil, plants, natural foliage, and ornaments. They take time and patience.
Why not find natural elements along your daily walks to add to your little glass garden?
Learn to play a musical instrument
Learning an instrument can be one of the most creative and life-changing hobbies you’ll ever experience.
And it’s never too late to start! Plus, unleashing your musical expression later in life can support increased memory, coordination, and mood.
