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Workshop (work-shop.com.au):
short, afordable creative
courses with a diference.
Australian Writers’ Centre
(writerscentre.com.au):
learn diferent genres of
creative wordsmithing.
The School of Life
(theschooloflife.com): unusual
courses that teach everyday life skills.C
reativity is all about self-
expression – a way of putting
your personal mark on
something and using
diferent parts of your brain while you
do it. Research even shows that the
combination of these two things has
concrete wellbeing benefits.
“Getting absorbed in a creative task
can help still the mind and reduce
stress,” says psychologist Gemma Cribb.
“Creative self-expression has also been
linked to a decrease in depressive
symptoms, an increase in positive
emotions and ... even improvements
in immune system functioning.”
And while she doesn’t recommend
replacing your weekly gym sessions
with a crochet circle, Cribb does
recommend incorporating some kind of
creativity as a way of giving your brain
a break from everyday stresses.
Not feeling creative? Don’t worry.
Apart from the fact there are literally
hundreds of ways, if not more, to get
your creativity on – see right for some
of our suggestions – it ultimately
doesn’t matter how good you are at yourchosen activity; you can still reap the
benefits of giving it a go.
“There is no such thing as [a person
who is] ‘not creative’,” says Cribb. “Pick
something you are drawn to, then try to
engage in the process without thought
or judgement about what the outcome
is going to be. It’s not about producing
a masterpiece, it’s about mastering
peace of mind.”
If you’re not interested in the usual
creative outlets, consider these:FLORISTRY Learning how to
build beautiful bouquets based on
shape, colour and placement is one of
the most relaxing ways to unleash
your creative self.
STAND-UP COMEDY The feeling
you get from a room erupting inDid you know there
are proven health
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your brain?
laughter at one of your perfectly crafted
jokes is addictive – not to mention a
total adrenaline rush.
STREET DANCING Let your body
loose with street dancing. It is less
regimented than other forms of dance,
so it allows for lots of self-expression.
WRITE A CRIME NOVEL Obsessed
with true-crime podcasts? Get your
overactive mind into gear and start
writing your own mystery, complete
with a dodgy ex-boyfriend and a twist
no-one saw coming.Get
creative!