Over the past few months, I’ve had to be intentional about my own self-care — and for me, that has come through creative expression. Storytelling has always been my tribe. I found myself drawn to The Moth — sometimes just as an audience member, and once as a participant. They literally draw names from a hat, and it’s such a safe, sacred space to release. It reminded me how powerful it feels to share your story and to simply be heard.
Around the same time, I discovered the Sims Poetry Library — a space where I could create, breathe, and be surrounded by words and art. It reawakened something in me. I was particularly inspired by artist Faith Ringgold, whose life and work are featured in the documentary Paint Me the Way Out of Here. It tells the story of her 1971 painting For the Women’s House — how it disappeared from Rikers Island, was eventually rescued, and how her art has been intertwined with justice, healing, and the sacred power of creation.
Faith Ringgold once said, “The power of storytelling lies in its ability to connect and humanize.” That truth has stayed with me. These past months reminded me that creative expression isn’t a luxury — it’s how I breathe, process, and stay whole. It’s how I return to myself.
Creative expression is any way we let what’s inside of us take shape outside of us. It’s how we share our thoughts, emotions, and imagination — not always with words, but through movement, sound, color, rhythm, or action. It isn’t confined to painting, poetry, or the visual arts. It might look like walking in nature, cooking, gardening, hiking, scrapbooking, camping, decorating a room, playing an instrument, or even playing a sport.
What makes it creative isn’t how it looks — it’s how it makes you feel.
When you’re doing it, time seems to slow down. Your heart feels calm, your mind softens, and your spirit exhales.
Creative expression helps us stay connected to who we are and to what brings us joy. It’s more than a hobby — it’s a way of caring for your soul.
Five Ways Creativity Nurtures the Soul
It reconnects us to joy and play.
Before we were professionals, parents, caregivers, or community leaders, we were children who played. Creativity helps us return to that light.It helps us process grief and emotion.
When words aren’t enough, art speaks. Creativity helps us hold sorrow and beauty in the same breath.It offers a sacred pause from constant doing.
Not everything we create has to produce. Sometimes it’s enough to just be. Be creative to fill your spirit, not because it has to become a project.It renews imagination.
When we create for ourselves — without pressure — we stretch the muscles of imagination that help us see life with fresh eyes.It reawakens your authentic voice.
Your creative voice is your soul’s fingerprint. Only you can offer what’s in you.
It’s whatever helps you lose track of time — where your heart is at peace, your mind softens, and your spirit exhales.