Notes on creative wellbeing 💌

Heliotropic: the growth or movement of a plant towards the sun. From Greek hēliotropion, from hēlios "sun."

For centuries, our culture has favoured logic and productivity over creativity, pushing aside imagination and play. Scholar Iain McGilchrist suggests this shift has contributed to many of today’s problems. Yet, in times like Ancient Greece and the Renaissance, both intellect and creativity were valued equally. Today, we see creativity as a luxury, reserved for artists. But it’s not—creativity is essential to well-being, like movement, rest, and connection. Without it, life loses its colour.

• Regulates the nervous system: Activities like singing, dancing, and drawing soothe the body, toning the vagus nerve.

• Teaches us to live better: Creativity thrives in play and process, not in control or perfectionism. It’s a perfect antidote to hustle culture.

• Restores balance: By engaging both hemispheres of the brain, creativity reconnects us to intuitive, holistic thinking, enhancing all areas of life.

• Provides an emotional outlet: Creation allows us to channel emotions into beauty, rather than suppress them.

• Aligns us with our unique expression: It taps into what makes us feel most alive, bringing us into greater alignment with our true selves.

• Opens a channel to deeper connection: Many ancient traditions see creativity as a direct link to our inner life force, deepening our connection to the world.

Heliotropic is a project exploring the ways we can rebalance into creative, right-brain, holistic ways of knowing.

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