The healing power of creativity
re-sharing "Makers heal"
Makers heal
Creativity is the means to mend
First published on September 12, 2022, as a paid subscribers-only story
In moments of crisis, people make things for those in need.
It's an act of kindness, a hallmark of humanity, to make for those who need help. Despair can drive us away if we let it. But making keeps us present, on the same page as part of one collective, humankind. Indeed, makers make peace. Makers heal.
Food is the most common (and most required) many times. Simply sharing a hot meal with someone in distress is comforting. And often, it's lifesaving. Time and again, we see those able and willing handing out bowls of steaming food to the less fortunate.
At the onset of the coronavirus global pandemic, there was a shortage of many items needed to combat COVID-19. Thankfully, makers of all kinds began creating to help. Hobbyist quilters sewed masks; manufacturers halted production lines to retool and make ventilators. From the individual to the small business, people stood up and did what needed to be done.
This story is not new. Harrowing accounts of wartime ingenuity abound, where average folks muster the skill and drive to help the good guys win. The story of Rosie the Rivetter during WWII exemplifies this more than anything. And in Ukraine today, people are making decoy missile launchers - made from wood and housepaint - to draw Russian fire away from their much-needed launch systems and, more importantly, their troops.
In times of grief, making is essential.
When loved ones pass, there's an outpouring of creative kindness. Friends make meals, craft cards, and create mementos such as photo albums. Others write eulogies for the deceased and recount stories of the good old days for the bereaved. We share, through making things, our love and sympathies.
Making can also restore relationships.
Disagreements and fights are inevitable. And nothing reinforces the angst like silence. But extending the proverbial olive branch as a very real hand-crafted gift can bridge the greatest divides. A simple card, perhaps with a good laugh or a homemade meal (yet again), can restore peace and harmony between any two.
In making, we make peace with one another and within ourselves. Creating helps us cope with life's ups and downs. Making provides a means to do something when it feels as if nothing can be done.
What we make may directly help, sustaining others, or it can be simply a thoughtful gift. What is made matters little so long as the gesture is extended - and accepted.
Making heals, no matter how grand or small that which is made.
Until next time.
JRC
Thanks J Robert your writing make me think as well feel good.