Why Wednesdays? – Why Creativity Counts #2: It Makes You Smarter

A Note About This Feature:  Why Wednesdays is a Move Eat Create weekly feature determined to turn the mid-week doldrums upside down and celebrate things I love to do and blog about.  Currently, the focus is on creating and creativity.

Exercising the creative part of your brain is a great IQ booster.  I mean, I don’t actually have any research or statistics to present to you today to support my claim, but I’m pretty sure it’s true.  I’m CERTAIN that I could find some if you really wanted me to.

But for now, I will make this claim based on my own personal experience.  Because that’s valid in its own right . . . right?

As I see it, being creative provides me with a huge mental boost.  Making connections, thinking of things in new ways, learning new skills – all of these activities get my little neurological synapses firing away.  As someone who loves to learn and get education in various formats, I’ll also attest to the fact that exercising creativity is one of the best free (or at least low-cost) forms of education we can get. Learning in traditional environments is great, but as we get older, it’s often difficult to continue to get that sort of education.  It’s costly, we have other obligations on our time and, quite frankly, at some point, you may just learn the same things over and over again.

But, being creative – picking up a cook book, following along with an online tutorial, taking a community class, getting a book from the library on DIY – these avenues for learning are generally accessible and provide endless possibilities.  And I have no doubt that accessing these resources has increased my own mental capacity.

You want examples, eh?  No problem.  Here are a few:

Craft

You all know that I’m a knitter.  I bet non-knitters don’t realize how much math can be involved in the craft – I know I sure didn’t!  What happens when I see a pattern that makes a 22-inch circumference hat using size 8 needles and worsted weight yarn, with a cast-on of 96 stitches and I want to use DK weight yarn that I already own and make the hat for someone with a 19-inch head????  Math happens – that’s what!

Being able to make conversions such as these (and this is pretty basic one) is a great exercise in brainpower.  I have oodles of respect for knitwear designers who create complex patterns using an amazing amount of numerical-based talent.  It’s serious business.  I’m quite certain this extends to other crafts beyond knitting, as well.  Sewing, painting, drawing, sculpting, et cetera all can be improved by learning about other disciplines, such as mathematics and natural sciences.

Cooking/Baking

Cooking has taught me so much about the world.  When I’m looking at recipes and whipping up new meals, I often come across ingredients and dishes that are unfamiliar to me.  My curiosity naturally kicks in and off I go to learn about these items.  The tidbits and pieces of information that I have picked up about cultures, history (the history of certain foods – spices, salt, olive oil, etc is fascinating) and societies has enriched my general knowledge base time and time again.  And, you’d be surprised how many trivia questions you’ll be able to answer with what you learn!

Practicing Any New Creative Skill

I’ve accessed various methods for taking courses that have taught me new skills.  I’ve taken community ‘Learn to Sew’  and ‘Learn to Knit’ classes, used the Internet for online craft-related courses, and taken a local pasta making class all in the name of pursuing creative endeavors.  I haven’t become an expert at all of these things and likely never will, but I HAVE put my brain to work during each event.  Practicing a new creative skill, something that is generally unfamiliar to me, makes my brain work in different ways and builds new mental connections.  I may not be someone who enjoys making pasta dough from scratch on a regular basis, but learning about how the ingredients in dough react to one another, to temperature, to manipulation, this increases my knowledge of science.  Chemistry, my friends, was one of my least favorite subjects as a student – but teach me chemistry through food and cooking and I’ll learn more then I ever did in a high school laboratory.

These are a few examples in a whole world of creative activities that have enriched my mental capacity.  A personal goal of mine is to remember that there is always more to know.  There is always more that I can understand about the world and all of us in it.  My creative pursuits constantly help me to both feel smarter and more knowledgeable, but also remind me that I always have more to learn.

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Previous Entries in This Series:

Why Creativity Counts #1:  Because It’s So Much More Than You May Think

Here Is To Long Weekends and Letting the Creative Juices Flow!

I wish every weekend was three days long.

I know, I know – I’m sure pretty much all of you wish that, too.  I do realize that I am not alone here.  But I must confess that I have a problem – a serious problem.  You see, I’m a bit of a relentless, obsessive task master for myself and on any given weekend I will likely have created so many pseudo-important jobs for myself to complete that I have little time to relax (something I’m bad at by nature) and I end up harried and frazzled by the time Sunday night rolls around.  When a three day weekend rolls around, however, something almost magical happens.  That extra day gives me time to do all the stuff that I feel I need to, plus have some frivolous fun time, too.  This long weekend has been no exception.  I’ve been busy, but I am pleased to report I’ve done some pretty fantastic and relaxing creating.

I continue to surprise myself with how much I enjoy creating things.  Until recent months, I never considered myself to be a creative person.  In fact, I thought of myself as quite the opposite.  If asked to describe myself, I likely would have included terms such as left-brained, analytical, and generally unimaginative.  For so long I associated creativity with the likes of high school art class – painting, drawing, chalk, and magazine cut-out collages.  (By the way, I was REALLY bad in high school art class.)  This belief about what constitutes creativity was one of the few ways in which I was so very close-minded.  Happily, I have recently discovered that creativity emerges in a multitude of ways – many of them having nothing to do with a sketchpad or easel.  For me creativity has been manifesting in baked goods, knitting (of course), sewing, liqueur-making (yum), and bath scrub (yes, bath scrub).  Here’s what I’ve been up to:

1)      Crafting

Who knew I would ever be a modern crafter?!  But, I am – proudly.   There is, of course, my knitting.  I am currently starting on holiday gifts (I know it’s early, but I’m a planner) and I hope to get my TARDIS shawl cast-on tonight.  I’ve been positively itching to get that shawl on my needles.  Allons-y! (Any Doctor Who fans out there??)

In addition to knitting, last weekend I took my first sewing class and I must say that it was amazing.  Honestly sitting in front of a sewing machine was a bit intimidating, but completing my first (albeit very simple) sewing project was so exhilarating.  I have successfully created a small, but functional drawstring pouch.  I have no idea what said pouch will hold, but it will certainly hold something.  Spurred on by my new found inner-seamstress, I have promptly purchased some fabric to go back and sew up my second project (more on that another time.)

I am already trying to calculate how long it will take me to save up for a Bernina.

2)      Baking

This weekend I made this marbled banana bread.  It came out quite beautifully and very tasty.  It also happens to be a great option for a fairly healthy bread/loaf, and, its vegan.  I am not actually vegan, but I have found that I quite enjoy vegan baked goods.  In general, they strike a nice balance between indulgent and healthy.  Between sweet and sugar-overload.  In my neighborhood, I have become quite smitten with vegan pastries from Sweatpea Baking Company.  I am pleased to learn that I, too, can create a delicious vegan snack cake in my kitchen.  This banana bread totally fits the bill.  Whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, ripe bananas and brown sugar (my favorite of all sugars) combine here to make a satisfying and non-sugar coma inducing treat.

3)      Making Liqueur

I am very fond of rhubarb.  I am also very fond of a tasty cocktail.  Enter rhubarb liqueur.  When I came across a recipe for making a simple rhubarb liqueur at home (with vodka, a homemade simple syrup, and Grand Marnier as the other components) I knew I needed to give it a try.  Now I haven’t been able to try this yet, as it takes 2-3 weeks to infuse, but I am anticipating shaking up a refreshing drink on a warm summer day.  Maybe a rhubarb-flavored gin fizz?  Or a rhubarb mimosa?  So many possibilities.   I’ll let you know.

4)      Shower Scrub

Homemade exfoliating bath scrub that leaves my skin super soft and smelling just as I choose?  I will have that, please!

I picked up Weekend Handmade by Kelli Wilkinson from the library a couple of weeks ago.  This book is full of diverse, modern, useful projects that can be completed quickly and (generally) on a budget.  Several of the projects have caught my attention, but my first to tackle was making my own shower scrub.  I am a sucker for a great smelling bath/shower/body products, but my budget rarely permits me to indulge in the ones I really enjoy.  I find that so many of the more affordable ones smell too factory-produced, over-the-top, and artificial for my liking.  So making all natural scrub to suit my preferences was a project right up my alley.  My first batch has been prepared with a delightful and energizing blend of grapefruit and sweet orange oils, with just a touch of vanilla for sweetness to tame the tart citrus scents.  It was so simple to make and is every bit as effective on my skin as anything I’ve ever purchased.  I anticipate making many, many batches of varying scents and styles in the future.

It’s been really fantastic to have some time to be creative.  My senses are pleased.  My mind and body have been fed well and I know there is more to come.   So, here is to long weekends, leisure time, and an active mind!