9 Reasons Your Soul Needs Creativity
Thoughts on art, beauty, and living well.
A few mornings ago, I walked into my studio with no plan.
No pressure.
No deadline.
No expectation of creating a masterpiece.
I simply wanted to play.
I grabbed some colorful acrylic paint I had picked up in Florence, made a loose underpainting, scribbled over it with a marker, and started painting two coneflowers.
Somewhere along the way, I smiled.
Not because the paintings were turning out beautifully—but because I'd remembered something we often forget as adults.
Creating is good for us.
Not because we're trying to become famous artists.
Not because every painting belongs in a gallery.
Simply because creativity nourishes something deep inside us.
I've spent years teaching painting, and I've watched it happen over and over again. Students arrive hoping to learn how to paint flowers, but somewhere between mixing colors and making mistakes, something else begins to bloom.
Their shoulders relax.
They laugh more.
They stop apologizing for not being "good enough."
They begin to see the world differently.
Creativity doesn't just change the paintings we make.
It changes us.
Here are a few reasons I think every soul needs a little creativity.
1. Creativity gives your mind a place to rest.
Painting has a way of quieting the endless list of things we should be doing.
For an hour or two, the dishes can wait.
The emails can wait.
The world can wait.
All that matters is the next brushstroke.
2. Creativity teaches us to notice.
Artists learn to see things most people hurry past.
The lavender hidden inside a shadow.
The sunlight dancing across a flower petal.
The way morning light changes an ordinary kitchen.
The more we create, the more beauty we begin to notice everywhere.
3. Creativity reminds us that mistakes are part of the process.
Every painting has a messy middle.
Every single one.
Learning to keep going instead of giving up may be one of the greatest life lessons art has to offer.
4. Creativity keeps us curious.
What if I tried this color?
What happens if I loosen my brushstrokes?
What if I paint something I've never painted before?
Curiosity keeps us growing, no matter our age.
5. Creativity gives us permission to play.
Children rarely ask if they're talented enough to paint.
They simply paint.
Somewhere along the way, many of us traded curiosity for criticism.
Maybe it's time to become beginners again.
6. Creativity connects us.
Some of my favorite memories haven't happened in my studio alone.
They've happened around workshop tables, during retreats, and over shared meals with people who simply love to create.
Art has a beautiful way of turning strangers into friends.
7. Creativity builds confidence.
Not because every painting turns out perfectly.
But because every painting whispers,
"Look what you were brave enough to try."
Confidence grows one brushstroke at a time.
8. Creativity helps us see beauty everywhere.
Once you start painting flowers, you'll notice the wildflowers growing along the roadside.
Once you study color, sunsets become more spectacular.
Creating teaches us to pay attention.
And paying attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
9. Creativity fills the soul.
We spend so much of our lives being productive.
Crossing things off lists.
Meeting deadlines.
Taking care of everyone else.
Creativity asks nothing from us except that we show up.
Not to perform.
Not to prove ourselves.
Simply to enjoy the wonderful privilege of making something that didn't exist before.
And perhaps that's why it feels so restorative.
As I've gotten older, I've become less interested in making perfect paintings and more interested in living a creative life.
A life that makes room for beauty.
For flowers on the kitchen table.
For traveling to places that inspire me.
For learning new things.
For slowing down enough to notice.
For saying yes to experiences that fill my heart.
I don't think creativity begins and ends at the easel.
I think it's a way of moving through the world.
So whether your creativity looks like painting, gardening, baking, writing, arranging flowers, or simply taking the scenic route home…
I hope you'll make room for it.
Your soul will thank you.
Happy painting,
Kim
A Little Invitation
This week, give yourself one hour to create something just for the joy of it. Don't worry about whether it's good enough. Paint. Plant flowers. Bake bread. Fill a sketchbook. Visit a museum. Pick up a camera. Write in a journal.
Simply give yourself permission to begin.