In challenging seasons, creativity can be THE thing that helps you move forward or grow through the experiences. 

What gets your creative juices flowing? 

Creating is counterintuitive. Just when it seems that things have fallen apart, reconnecting or connecting to your creativity can help you begin to restore a sense of yourself. 

I was totaled by the sudden end of my first marriage. It was summer and all I felt like doing was sitting on the back porch with a dog and a book. While this was sometimes all I could manage, it also felt like being stalled out. I had tons of feelings. Doubts, fears, regrets, uncertainties. There were no clear answers for those difficult moments. 

I was working too. I was working hard to keep myself financially afloat. While I didn’t have any answers, I did have at work to do. I accepted every single newspaper article assignment. I also performed as many funerals as I was asked to perform. I didn’t turn down any opportunity to work. I was expending a ton of emotional energy just to survive. 

It was summer. My back porch became my refuge. In the quiet of mornings or late afternoons I realized that I could tap into my creativity by really being present. 

One morning, it occurred to me that I wanted my space and time to feel a bit like summer camp. To have some creative energy that could carry me through the day. I started playing music, dabbling with some water paint I had, exploring Pinterest for ideas. I saw some inexpensive white sneakers that someone had used watercolor markers on to create a tie-dye vibe. I was totally attracted to the idea. 

The white sneakers were available down the street at Target. I bought the colored markers they recommended and began playing with them. The colors were vibrant, and the shoes suddenly felt just like the summer camp project I longed for. I have to admit that those shoes were what helped me start to make small steps forward. 

This activity led me to try other inexpensive playful things. I used materials I already had – for instance, I had these hummingbird wall stickers I’d never put up. The room that had been my ex-husband’s office had been empty for weeks. I toyed with putting those stickers on the walls. I gave myself permission to experiment with them installing them around the door frame to the room (inside) and the closet door too. It turned out that this tiny bit of creativity gave the room a different feel. I could begin to imagine how I might use it going forward.  

I did the same thing in what was now just my bedroom. I needed a creative change that would cost very little. First, I rearranged the furniture so the room could feel different. Then I found a comforter that was super inexpensive. It had different patterns on each side – a two-for. This simple purchase helped me claim the space as my own. 

While it would have been tempting to just trudge through those difficult days with my head down, tapping into my creativity gave me hope. 

I’m not saying that the hard went away. There continued to be challenges, the hard work of divorce, the effort of continuing to work while mourning, the isolation I felt as friends fell away. But. There was also glimpses of renewal – I could carry on. My life wasn’t totally over because my former husband left. I could start looking for renewing experiences that could lead me home to myself. 

It was the bits of creativity that enabled me to gain traction even on the hardest days. 

I would return home after working at a funeral and find myself more at peace with what was there. I could see glimpses of possibility. I could rest in the spaces. I could rest in my own creativity and imagination after years of struggle. While creativity can be a stretch, it can also be the beginning of essential renewal after loss. 

In what ways have you found creativity to be helpful during hard times? Write about your experiences here.