creativity is Archives - Fine Art photography, fine art photo prints, canvas, wall art, macro photography, Spain

How can enriching experiences help you to upgrade your life?

Elena Sullivan — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 19:34:34 +0000

EXPERIENCE.

One word with a multitude of facets, different characters, and an unlimited choice of outcomes.

I wish I had known the positive side of “experiencing” sooner, but it wasn’t until I was thirty-one that I intentionally immersed myself in an experience that ultimately transformed my life. As a single, divorced woman with one suitcase, a backpack containing a camera and laptop, a one-way ticket, and only three thousand dollars in my bank account, I embarked on a solo journey abroad. With limited Spanish skills, I traveled around Spain for a month, eventually ending my trip in Cancun, Mexico, where I stayed for the next nine years. This enriching experience was the culmination of several years of personal growth and other challenging yet nourishing experiences.

It’s never too late or too early to have an enriching experience. Our backgrounds and cultural values shape the types of experiences we need at different stages of life. Yet, one thing remains constant: we all need to experience because it is the core of action—the essence of life.

Listen to my podcast “Trust the Dress”, the episode “How enriching experiences can help you feel happier and inspired.” Just press the Play button below.

What is Experience?

The meaning of “experience” (verb):

The process of living through an event or series of events.
Practical contact with and observation of facts or events; an activity one has performed.

I understand “experience” as an active and conscious process of doing something.

Research by Amit Kumar, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, shows that investing money in experiences rather than possessions makes people much happier. Kumar holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Cornell University and an A.B. in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University. His findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In the context of a “Fine Art Lifestyle,” experiences can include: visiting museums (like the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York) or theatres, exploring galleries, appreciating classical art, educating oneself, participating in art studios (painting, theatre, pottery, sewing, etc.), purchasing art, developing personal style, maintaining an organized home, workplace, and mind, practicing visibility, staying mindful, and engaging in other activities that offer an elevated, positive vibration.

It’s never too late or too early to have an enriching experience. Our backgrounds and cultural values shape the experiences we need at different points in life. However, one thing remains constant: we all need to experience because it is the core of action—this is life.

What is an enriching Experience?

To enrich means to improve or enhance the quality or value of something, to add beauty, or to make something richer, especially by adding or increasing a desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient.

An enriching experience is one undertaken with firm intention.

An enriching experience is an active process that you live through in reality. In contrast, a “borrowed experience” occurs when, for example, you watch a YouTube video of a travel blogger and perceive it as if you had been traveling yourself.

Do you want to upgrade your life? Activate your growth mindset by focusing on what you experience daily. Improve the quality and sometimes even the central theme of your experiences. By doing this, you stimulate neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience.

“Today, we define prosperity, being wealthy, we think it’s great to be able to pay people to do things, and be more automated and maybe just sit in our chair and press buttons. But I don’t think that’s the way our brains define prosperity. The richest scenario is a scenario in which a brain is an active player. When we engage in an experience, we are using certain areas of our brains, and if they are used in association frequently, they will build what we call neural networks. And so, you become more proficient and more efficient with these behaviors. But newly formed mental natural pathways are fragile, so repetition and practice are essential for a new brain map.” Kelly Lambert, behavioral neuroscience, University of Richmond.

Enriching experiences are meant to enhance the quality of your life – upgrade it.

Here are some stories from my personal life experience to better illustrate how it works.

In 2005, I graduated from Saint Petersburg University of Culture and Art with a Master’s Degree in Art. Unsure of how to apply my degree, I changed jobs several times over the next two years. By 2007, after extensive research and journaling, I discovered my passion for photography. I always carried my compact camera with me, capturing moments at every gathering with friends.

Soon after, I began learning the technical aspects of photography and upgraded from a compact Nikon Coolpix to a professional Nikon D70. This shift to exploring the artistic side of photography had a profound positive impact on my personal life. Previously, I saw myself merely as a merchandiser working in a store (similar to Walmart).

This new passion set me on a path to becoming a professional photographer and artist. It required a significant change in my environment, so I redesigned the room where I lived with my first ex-husband. As I elevated my photography skills and started my own solopreneur photo business, I made a more crucial upgrade—leaving an abusive relationship. This transformation led to incredible personal growth and a deep sense of happiness.

My International Experience

In 2009, I began working at the Holiday Inn in Saint Petersburg, a city known for attracting many international tourists. Having lived and studied there for eleven years, I was excited about the opportunity. However, I faced several challenges initially, particularly with speaking English. Despite learning the language since I was five, I had limited speaking practice. Working at the hotel, first at the reception and later as a concierge, significantly improved my English and exposed me to international tourism.

Interacting with people from around the world broadened my perspective on life. I realized there are countless opportunities beyond my familiar surroundings and that the world is too vast and exciting to remain in one city. This experience made me yearn for more from life and ultimately led to a transformative travel experience in 2013.

I use the term “revolutionary” to convey the profound impact of these realizations. Born in the former Soviet Union, where dreaming of traveling abroad was viewed as inappropriate and almost traitorous, this shift in thinking represented a departure from my past and opened new horizons for me.

My Solo Travel Experience

I didn’t know how to travel solo until I tried it for myself. I had no idea how to find the best airplane tickets or book hotels until I did it on my own. I discovered how much courage I had only after traveling solo and moving to a new country. Through this journey, I rediscovered myself. My story would not have been possible without the truly enriching experience of traveling alone.

Experience Fashion and Style

Clothes are an essential part of our identity. There’s a difference between buying clothes on sale and thoughtfully combining items from your wardrobe to create an elegant look. For instance, during my healing process after my second divorce, I used elegant dresses to shift my self-perception—from feeling like a “female dude” to embracing my identity as an elegant, independent, feminine woman.

Enriching experiences are those that push you out of your comfort zone and foster personal growth. They go beyond the mundane, with diversity being a key element in making these experiences truly valuable.

What are "Fine Art Lifestyle" experiences?

I use “Fine Art Lifestyle” to encompass activities and experiences that can ultimately enhance and upgrade your life.

External experiences that can help elevate your life include:

Visiting museums
Exploring galleries
Attending theatre, opera, or ballet performances
Walking around the city, paying attention to architecture, and finding interesting details in buildings
Spending more time with positive people
Investing in healthy food
Exercising regularly and increasing your walking
Trying yoga and meditation
Learning a new language
Traveling to a country where you don’t speak the language
Taking painting classes, learning to play a musical instrument, and engaging in creative activities like making art, music, or sewing
Paying attention to the interior design of your home
Enhancing your environment (home and, if possible, work) with elements that boost enthusiasm
Incorporating vibrant colors into your wardrobe (black and white aren’t the only stylish options)
Experimenting with different colors, textures, and styles in your clothing, using Pinterest for inspiration
Adding colorful dresses or shirts to your wardrobe to boost self-confidence
Dressing up for yourself at home, not just at work. Practice matching different clothing items and avoid defaulting to black pants or a simple grey or blue dress. Be intentional about combining various wardrobe pieces.

Internal experiences that can help upgrade your life include:

Quit complaining
Smile and laugh more
Avoid gossiping or putting others down
Practice mindfulness
Focus on deep, slow breathing
Regularly ask yourself, “What do I want?”
Let go of the need to control everything
Before agreeing to something, ask yourself, “Do I really want to do this?” rather than just trying to be agreeable
Practice “Power Poses” as described in Amy Cuddy’s book, Presence

How can enriching experiences help you boost self-esteem?

Self-esteem is the confidence and satisfaction you have in yourself, reflecting your overall opinion of your abilities and limitations. Healthy self-esteem helps you feel good about yourself and see yourself as deserving of others’ respect.

For many years, I struggled with low self-esteem. Looking back, I see a younger version of myself who doubted her abilities and felt inferior to others. The constant comparison to others was a painful and futile struggle, as there will always be people who have something you don’t or who have experienced things you haven’t.

Since my healing journey after my second divorce, I adopted an affirmation that has been transformative: “The only person I compare myself to is the person I was yesterday.” This approach has been very effective for me.

So, how can enriching experiences help boost self-esteem?

Enriching experiences involve doing things you initially thought you were incapable of achieving.

During my first divorce, I was plagued by countless low-vibrational thoughts that kept me trapped in fear. Questions like, “What if I can’t pay the rent? What if I get fired? What if no one wants my photography services? What if I don’t meet a good partner in the future? What if I made a mistake? What if I should have stayed with him because he was familiar? What if something happens to me when I’m alone and there’s no one to help?” and many more “What ifs” dominated my mind.

But guess what happened? My fears proved to be baseless.

I managed to pay my rent and even save money. I traveled, lived healthily and happily on my own, read extensively, and conducted photo sessions. I enjoyed an active social life, visiting museums, galleries, the theatre, and ballet. I also donated several boxes of black clothes from my marriage and refreshed my wardrobe with colorful pieces.

I doubted my ability to live on my own, but I succeeded. This experience was a significant boost to my self-esteem.

Magic happens when you take action!

Your body needs to experience things to convince your mind that you can achieve and deserve much more.

To make positive changes, you need to act.

It starts with a small, brave thought, and with the right environment and consistent reinforcement, it grows into a strong belief and actionable experience.

Here’s how enriching experiences can upgrade your life:

Elevate Your Self-Esteem: Engaging in new experiences can boost your confidence and self-worth.
Bring Positive Vibes: Novelty, when applied harmoniously across different areas of life, creates good energy.
Gain New Perspectives: Enriching experiences offer fresh viewpoints on life and reveal what’s available beyond your usual surroundings.
Clarify Your Goals and Mission: These experiences help you define your goals and personal mission more clearly.
Embrace Diversity: Differences enrich our experiences and help us grow.
Encourage Change: Repeating the same actions and expecting different results is futile. Enriching experiences highlight areas where you can make changes for better outcomes.
Revitalize Motivation: New experiences can reignite your drive and enthusiasm.
Move Beyond Survival Mode: Art and enriching experiences show that life has more to offer than just getting by.
Find Beauty Within: True beauty starts from within. The richer your experiences, the more beauty you’ll feel inside.
Nourish Your True Self: Enriching experiences are essential for nurturing and discovering your authentic self.

You can’t change your life by passively watching videos on social media.

You need real action.

Dream big and act on those dreams.

You don’t become a traveler by watching travel bloggers—you become one by experiencing it yourself.

Believe you can achieve your goals, take action, and you’ll upgrade your life!

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A short inspirational story about a personal challenge

Elena Sullivan — Mon, 06 May 2024 01:17:06 +0000

October 21, 2013. 8 PM

The doors slid open, and she stepped outside. Everything looked unfamiliar except the lights from the tall lanterns illuminating the main exit of the International Airport. This light is always the same, bright, warm, and welcoming.

Half an hour ago, the plane where she was one of the hundreds of passengers landed in Cancun, Mexico. Everyone clapped their hands and hurried to leave the plane.

She spent eleven hours in the sky, flying from one continent to another. The Atlantic Ocean somewhere below and the blue sky on the top maintained a picturesque equilibrium she needed to think about her life. A cozy seat near the window with a beautiful view of fluffy white clouds made it easier to relax.

She needed this peaceful time.

A short inspirational story continues...

She had only a one-way ticket when she checked in for her flight to Madrid. All the others she used while traveling around Spain on her own with one suitcase and a backpack.

A 31-year-old woman was exploring new places, walking and taking photos, having short-engaging conversions in a language she barely understood, and embracing as much of the new culture as possible. She was learning to enjoy a moment and kept moving forward.

An evening before the flight, she was sitting in a small bar near the prodigious Cibeles fountain in the heart of Madrid. It took six years to build it, and the first brave step was for the architect to envision this monumental masterpiece. Then one step at a time, one stone after another, and centuries later, it is still a great reminder of its creator’s efforts.

She took one more sip of wine and wrote in her travel diary: “I feel this is a pivotal point in my life, and I must admit I am afraid… I have no job; I am a thousand miles away from my family and friends, and I don’t know anyone there. What am I going to do if my plan doesn’t work? What if I run out of money? How am I going to learn a language? I don’t know…now… I will figure it out when I am there. One thing I know for sure is that I am not going back.”

Her best friend, helping her pack, said: “You are brave! I hope you realize it!”

She answered: “Am I? I just know I want it! After all the drama I had in my life in the last two years, I feel a peaceful need for a big change. And it’s now or never!”

Seven months before that, she made her first international solo one-day trip to Helsinki, Finland. And later that month bought her first one-way ticket, which became the starting point of her big trip.

One word at a time, one ticket at a time, one step at a time. Tiny, graceful changes multiplied by hundreds of days per year will always give the result. But you start with one. Just one.

P.S. This inspirational story is based on real-life events that happened in 2013 with the author of this story – photographer Elena Sullivan.

When I landed in Cancun, Mexico, I had one backpack with a camera, a laptop, and one suitcase, where I stored all my life’s belongings. I knew little Spanish and had only 3000 dollars in my bank account.

I stayed in Cancun for nine years, built a successful photography business, learned Spanish, and was published in The New York Times.

One of the things I learned on that journey is that WE ARE ALL BRAVE!

That’s a power we all possess since we are born, but to turn it on, we need to act, and sometimes it means stepping into the unknown and learning new things.

In 2022 I bought another one-way ticket because every adventure needs a sequel.

Thank you for reading!

Get ready to be inspired as I discuss how staying curious, being creative, and saying “YES!” to adventures that involve exploring what’s behind the comfort zone helps develop courage, embrace one’s true self, and navigate life’s challenges. Join me in uncovering the power of these transformative experiences and discover how they can ignite your own journey toward confidence and fulfillment.

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Celebrate life in the Color Factory museum in New York

Elena Sullivan — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 20:32:52 +0000

It was evening and my fourth day of a solo female trip in New York City. After many hours of walking and exploring this buzzing megapolis, I returned to the West YMCA hostel near Central Park. I had a cup of warm camomile tea with an Italian pistachio Doughnut from Angelina Bakery. After my gustatory sense got fascinated with the delicious aftertaste, I crawled into bed and took my iPhone. Then, it was time to enjoy some silence and research online what more New York has to offer. I’ve already been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and (Moma) Museum of Modern Art, so I wanted to visit someplace less formal and more fun. Thirty minutes of Googling gave me multiple options, including SUMMIT One Vanderbilt and the Color Factory Museum.

Choosing between two was easy because I love vibrant colors; I recently got my certificate in Color Therapy Foundations, and the reviews and photos of the Color Factory were outstanding. So, without further hesitation, I booked my tickets online, opted for the 10.30 AM entry timeline, and I was there the next day by this time. At the end of the article, you will find detailed information about booking tickets to the Color Factory Museum NYC.

The Color Factory Museum NYC

The Color Factory is an interactive art exhibition founded in 2017 by event planner Jordan Ferney, artist Leah Rosenberg, and designer Erin Jang. Its first exhibition was in San Francisco, and due to its immediate popularity, it was extended to the last eight months. In August 2018, it opened in the SoHo neighborhood of NYC and became one of New York’s most colorful attractions.

When visiting the Color Factory in New York, be ready to be amused and color-energized.

Behind every door, there is something that will raise your wow-excitement level. Everything in this museum plays with your five senses. In one room, you touch a bright button; in the other, eat a colorful candy, then follow the Q&A map painted on the floor; then walk through a room where colors are changing the imagery displayed on the walls, then play on a musical instrument, listen to music and dance. And finally, slide down to a pool filled with light blue balls.

There are several rooms in the Color Factory Museum, each designed in a distinct way and offering an enriching experience. If you asked me to choose my favorite, I wouldn’t be able to because I like all of them, and each has something creatively special.

There was one room where I needed a partner to have a full experience. The way it works is both partners enter the room using different doors and then sit down at the table separated by glass. You can see each other but can’t hear. Then you put on the headphones and follow the instructions. I won’t tell you details, not to spoil your experience, which is worth the money and time getting there.

I didn’t have a partner because I was traveling alone, but thanks to the friendly staff at Color Factory Museum, who helped me and assisted me in this room, I got the full experience.

Visiting the Color Factory museum in NYC was my Alice-in-Wonderland experience. It reaffirmed my belief in the positive power of colors and showed me a different type of museum experience.

I was used to visiting classic museums like the Getty Museum in LA, High Museum of Art and galleries like Vinings, so I was happy to spend an hour and a half wandering in the Museum of Color NYC. I plan to visit the one in Chicago.

I’ve never had so much fun in a museum, and I highly recommend you visit the Color Factory Museum in New York and celebrate life in colors.

Cameras are all around the museum, and you can scan your ticket to have them take photos of you in the best spots. Then, the next day, they will email you the pictures you used when purchasing a ticket.

Color factory NYC tickets

Book your tickets online using Color Factory Museum’s official website The price is $37- $45, depending on the date.

The museum is located at 251 Spring St, New York, NY 10013

It’s opened Monday-Sunday 9 AM – 7 PM

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Watch this video about challenges of multilingual life in the USA

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How does creativity contribute to improving daily life experiences?

Elena Sullivan — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 20:08:04 +0000

Creativity is a realm of life to which I’ve always had a strong connection, and due to my artistic work, I practice it daily. I love to create; I love the feeling of freedom that creativity presents. The process of creating makes me happy, whether it’s writing an article, styling a brand photoshoot, doing flying dress photography, painting, which is my hobby, designing my websites, or combining clothes to fit my mood and goals for a day.

Creativity is the ability to create something new. Anything that allows to create beyond the borders of the known is what I associate with creativity. Have I always been creative? No, in fact, until I was 15, I didn’t appreciate creativity; I perceived it as something strange. That was the time of life when I wanted to be like the majority of cool kids, you know, that feeling of wanting to be accepted when you strive to be like everyone else. It took me many years to finally appreciate creativity and see it as a privilege; that coincided with starting my own photography business and later traveling halfway around the world with one red suitcase and a one-way ticket to Cancun.

Love podcasts? Listen to this episode on Trust the Dress.

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How does creativity contribute to improving daily life experiences?

When I moved to a new country where I didn’t know anyone and spoke a little Spanish, my creativity started blooming in every possible way. I was 31 when I made my adventurous trip, and I had to change my perceptions and lifestyle to adjust to a new culture, city, and country I which I will call home nine years. Being creative was what allowed me to stay there, start and grow a business, and enjoy living in an uncomfortable zone. In fact, personal growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone, do things and experience something completely new, challenge yourself. Creativity is one of the key elements in personal growth and an amazing process that unfolds your potential in a gentle way.

There are 5 benefits of creativity that are worth mentioning, but before I write about them, I want to share with you a story from my childhood that, until today, remains a great example of how I was exposed to creativity from an early age. It all started with my mom; she is the one who was always creative, and even nowadays, she keeps being creative as her health allows her to do that. The story I’m about to share happened when I was ten years old.

One day we came to visit my grandmom and stayed with her until late. We lived within walking distance of her apartment, but it was too dark to go back home, so my mom decided that it was better for us to stay and spend a night at my grandma’s apartment. And right before going to sleep, I remembered that I had one home task to do, and it was a painting. It didn’t have to be very elaborate; it could have been a simple painting on A4-size paper. But still, I had to present it, or else I would get a bad grade. I don’t know how it skipped my mind; it’s hard to remember now. But the fact is, it was around 10 PM, and I surprised my mom with the fact that I needed to present a painting for one of my classes at school tomorrow morning. As you might guess, we had to act immediately. There was a moment for us to get emotional and wonder how that happened, but the situation was there to stay until somebody found a solution. And it was my mom who did that.

If only things would be easier, right? But no, life is life, and sometimes it gives us lemons, and it’s up to us whether to make a lemonade or complain about lemons being lemons and not oranges. So, in my story, I had to have a painting in 9 hours, and we didn’t have any tools to paint. Neither did I have colored pencils, not watercolors or oils, nothing. Absolutely nothing. I had a backpack with all the books I needed for my classes in school the next day, but I didn’t need painting supplies, so I didn’t have them in my backpack. So, my mom, being a creative person, although she loves to deny it, found the most creative solution.

She walked around her mom’s apartment and found two colored pencils, several bottles of nail polish of different colors, and white A4-size paper. She put it all on the table and started drawing. She is not a professional painter, but she can draw really well. It took her 2 hours to finish painting, and the result was absolutely gorgeous. She drew a beautiful swan using nail polish and added some clouds around it. Can you guess how she created clouds?

She sharpened a blue pencil with a simple razor and then rubbed that colorful dust on the paper with a cotton pad. That’s how she got impressionist-style clouds around a swan; then, she used a blue pencil to paint some waves, making the illusion of a swan swimming in the water. I still remember that picture; it got imprinted in my mind. I was asleep when she did that; it was in the morning, when I was getting ready to go to school, that she explained how she did it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of that creative painting. I wish I could, cause I’m sure even nowadays it would still amaze me. But when I was ten years old, there were no cell phones with cameras; in fact, I got my first Olympus camera when I was 15; it was my grandma’s birthday gift. So, I didn’t have any means to capture my mom’s creative painting, which saved me from getting a bad grade at school and being emotionally overwhelmed by not completing homework.

My mom did that to help me, her daughter. This story lives with me as an example of the creativity that emerged in an instant under circumstances that required immediate action.

She created a beautiful painting with nail polish and two colored pencils. This proves that creativity is not about the quantity of something but rather about how you use what you have at your disposal. The abundance of materials is not a prerequisite for creativity; on the contrary, sometimes, the absence of something can fire up creative thinking. And the story I just shared is a good example of that.

When I was working on this article, I remembered a quote about creativity from Marca Antonio de la Parra, who is a Chilean playwright:

“Creating means giving life, and this implies an uninterrupted series of changes, a permanent renewal that tends to perpetuate it. Human creativity emerges as a survival mechanism. It is activated in the face of danger and emergency and is a way of resisting the unforeseen. It emerges from a crisis. From the moment in which a tear is recorded. From the limited experience.”

The way my mom acted perfectly illustrates this quote. And I agree with what Marco said; I experienced it in my creative photography work many times. Whenever I did a photo session in a limited space, I had to push myself to activate my imagination because I wanted to take beautiful photos. After some struggling moments, I always felt relief through emotional satisfaction. And later, seeing the results while retouching photos, I thought: “Well, although it was hard initially, I’m happy I didn’t give up, gently pushed myself, and allowed my creative impulses to guide me.”

I like to think of creativity in daily life as flowers you give yourself. It’s not that you have to have flowers, they are not crucial for survival, but they definitely add to the pleasure of life; they help to feel life.

They make me smile, stop for a while, and slowly inhale – exhale and appreciate the beauty of simple things, like flowers. I always have flowers on the kitchen table and in my studio. Just the fact that they make me smile is enough to make me want to have them. Flowers are beautiful, inspirational, and a great example of creativity in nature. They are different and beautiful in their own way.

The same as creativity. It’s beautiful in its own way. And you don’t have to be creative to survive; it’s not a matter of life and death; you can live without getting involved in creativity, but when you do, it adds so much flavor to life, adds colors, adds emotions, and feelings, it allows you to open for new experiences.

No matter how you engage in creativity (whether you are cooking, writing, painting, sewing, a being a mom of highly inquisitive kids ), if it’s something you create with your hands, applying your own skills, generating new thoughts, you can call yourself a creative person and enjoy the process and then the result of your creativity.

5 benefits of creativity in every day life

1.It simplifies the perception of mistakes.

From my personal experiences in creative endeavors, I feel like very often, creativity invites you to make a mistake and savor it and learn from it.

Creativity is exploration, experimenting, and learning. It’s a constant, moving process. It’s a desire to learn and create something new. And when you create something from nothing, from zero, you can’t know everything, and you are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them and have fun doing that because mistakes are part of life.

Recently, while reading a book about “Aesthetic Intelligence” by Pauline Brown, I realized that there is a different, elegant way to look at mistakes and what if we perceive our mistakes not as mistakes but as historical chapters of our story. What will you say about such a description of mistakes? It makes them more important and adds some flavorful, creative sparkles, and shows a recipe for a cheerful lifestyle.

2. It's freedom from the steel cages of perfection and other unrealistic standards.

In fact, creativity has no standards, and that’s one of its sweet and pleasing qualities. Creativity is not a mathematical equation or some chemical reaction. So you don’t have to follow directions to get a result. Like Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun” I love this quote. It’s short but up to the point.

When intelligence is having fun creating, there is no place for perfection and other unrealistic standards.

Think about a standard or perfection as a top or the bottom; either way, it’s some kind of a barrier in your life. Trying to fit some standards mean you are walking a road that’s already exists instead of creating your own; when you allow creativity to guide you and feel open to the uncertainty and discomfort of a creative process, then you free yourself from unrealistic standards and someone else’s expectations.

3. It nourishes your mind, spirit, heart, and, thus, body.

The process of creating is pure and genuine. When you create, it feels like you give away something, but you receive it at the same time. Whether you give away your time, supplies, information, or something else, it’s mutual. You receive knowledge, pleasure, whether it’s emotional or aesthetic, experience, and sometimes monetary benefits, but you always get something back. It’s the law of the Universe; you receive what you give.

4. It can elevate your confidence.

You can automatically raise your confidence when you learn new things, receive new knowledge, and expand your wisdom. In our world filled with superficial standards and obsessed with results, it might be hard to believe that just knowledge, wisdom, and experiences can lift up your confidence. But it certainly can; the only way to prove it is to experience it. Nor is confidence passed in DNA, neither it automatically inherited from parents.

We are all in charge of growing our confidence, which comes NOT from owning bigger houses and more cars but from versatile experiences, overcoming challenges, learning from mistakes, not giving up, and continuing despite storms and circumstances. And creativity helps to see challenges from a more cheerful perspective.

5. It helps to maintain the balance in life.

I think you’ll agree that it feels good to have a nicely decorated home, nice clothing, a car, and stay at nice hotels when you travel, but life is not only about consuming. The energy of consumption is the opposite of creative energy. Consuming and creative energy are like two different poles, like cold and hot, rain and sunshine, and thought both of these energies have to be present in life; to feel happy, we have to balance them. And thus, creativity needs to be present to maintain that balance.

There’re two books about creativity that I highly recommend for all of you who want to learn more about creativity.

First is “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, an easy read and extremely inspirational. I read it several times, and reread certain pages from time to time to relax and let my creative juices flow.

The second book gives a broader understanding of creativity from a scientific perspective. It’s “Creativity, the Psychology of Discovery and Invention” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I’m still in the process of reading it, and I’m on page 85. I take it easy because the language he uses to talk about creativity is more complex, making the context of the book very rich, and it takes time to process it, but nonetheless, it is very interesting and insightful.

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How can enriching experiences help you to upgrade your life?

What is Experience?

What is an enriching Experience?

What are "Fine Art Lifestyle" experiences?

How can enriching experiences help you boost self-esteem?

Peony Dreams III

Peony Dreams II

Peony Dreams I

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Peony Dreams III

Peony Dreams II

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How does creativity contribute to improving daily life experiences?

How does creativity contribute to improving daily life experiences?

5 benefits of creativity in every day life

1.It simplifies the perception of mistakes.

2. It's freedom from the steel cages of perfection and other unrealistic standards.

3. It nourishes your mind, spirit, heart, and, thus, body.

4. It can elevate your confidence.

5. It helps to maintain the balance in life.