Painting, writing, playing music or building something just for yourself can do more than pass the time. In one study, adults' levels of the stress hormone cortisol dropped after 45 minutes of making art, and it made no difference whether they had any prior experience. In another, young adults felt better the day after they'd spent more time than usual on something creative.
Both studies have their limits. The first had no comparison group, and the second shows a connection, not proof. But they point in the same direction, and they say something freeing: what counts is the act of creating, not how good the result is.
Pick a path based on where you are:
- If you don't think you're creative: a five-minute sketch.
- If you're stressed: some time with your hands, with no goal.
- If you only create when you already feel good: do it on an ordinary day.
- If your inner critic takes over: make something you're allowed to throw away.
A first step today: sketch whatever is in front of you for five minutes, and stop when the time is up, finished or not.
If you've been feeling low for a long time, talk to a doctor or health professional. Creating can be a support, but it doesn't replace help.
Painting, writing, playing music or building something just for yourself can do more than pass the time. Two studies point in the same direction: after a session of creating, stress hormone levels dropped, and after days with more creative activity than usual, people felt better the next day. In neither study did it matter how skilled the participants were. This article covers what the studies show, what they don't, why it often feels sluggish at first, and four paths depending on where you are.
Stress hormone levels dropped after 45 minutes
In 2016, Kaimal, Ray and Muniz had 39 healthy adults make art for 45 minutes, using materials of their own choosing. Before and after, the participants gave saliva samples to measure cortisol, a hormone that rises with stress. After the session, cortisol was lower, and the difference was statistically significant.
The most interesting part was what didn't matter. There were no differences between people with experience making art and those without, and none between the materials. In other words, the effect didn't require talent.
The study had no comparison group doing something else for 45 minutes, like sitting and reading. So it's impossible to say whether it was the creating itself, or simply a calm stretch of time, that lowered cortisol. It's a reason to try, not proof.
The day after
Conner, DeYoung and Silvia had 658 young adults keep a diary for 13 days. Each day, they recorded how much time they'd spent on something creative and how they were feeling. After days when they'd created more than usual, they felt more positively engaged and better overall the following day.
The reverse didn't hold. Feeling good one day didn't lead to more creating the next. That runs against the common idea that you first have to feel good to have the energy to create. In the study's data, the direction ran from creating to well-being. It's a diary study, not an experiment, so it shows a connection, but the direction is worth noticing.
The struggle is part of it
The participants in Kaimal's study also wrote about how the session had felt. Many described it as relaxing and fun, like losing themselves in the work. But several also described a process that started with a struggle and ended with things falling into place.
- The start You get going, often without a plan.
- The struggle It feels sluggish and doesn't turn out the way you pictured.
- It clicks Something takes shape, and you lose track of time.
- Afterward Calmer, and eager to do it again.
Based on the participants' own descriptions, not on a measurement.
It's easy to read the struggle as a sign that you're not creative, and stop right there. But it seems to be part of the process. The fact that it takes a while before something clicks, and that we often give up too soon, is covered in the guide to creative discipline.
Four paths, depending on where you are
If you don't think you're creative. For you if you stopped drawing in school and think you can't. Experience made no difference in Kaimal's study. Start with something so short that the result doesn't matter. First step: sketch whatever is in front of you for five minutes, and stop when the time is up.
If you're stressed. For you if you need to wind down. Give yourself some time with your hands, without any goal for what comes out of it: clay, paint, an instrument, a pen. First step: set aside half an hour a week for it, and put the time in your calendar.
If you only create when you already feel good. For you if you're waiting for the right moment. In the diary study, feeling better came after creating, not before. Do it on an ordinary day, even when you don't feel like it. First step: pick an ordinary weekday this week when you'll create for ten minutes.
If your inner critic takes over. For you if you can't help judging what you make, and this is the most demanding path, because the voice is your own. Make something you've decided in advance you're allowed to throw away. It can be easier to let go of your standards for something that isn't meant to be kept. First step: write or draw something tonight and throw it away without showing anyone.
If you've been feeling low for a long time, or the stress is so heavy that everyday life isn't working, talk to a doctor or health professional. Creating can be a support, but it doesn't replace help. If it's an emergency, call your local emergency number.
A first step today: sketch whatever is in front of you for five minutes, and stop when the time is up, finished or not.
This is the understanding and a first step. Atlas is where it becomes a habit. If you add Creative discipline as its own area, you'll find Five-minute sketch, Play without a goal and Write without stopping there as suggestions to make your own, so you can see over the weeks how often it actually happened. Try Atlas free for 7 days, and cancel whenever you like.