Hearts'Arts

Creativity:
Your Renewable Resource Within!
The primary therapeutic value of creative self-expression lies in its being
process-oriented versus product- or performance-oriented. That is, the actual
process of making art, versus what the art actually ends up looking or sounding like, is
a key characteristic of creativity's transformative and healing power within you. Just
imagine being able to express yourself authentically without the peanut gallery telling
you it's too "this" or too "that!" This shift in attention from the future (the product) to
the present (what you're doing in the moment) permits a full experience of your vital
self in action, in real time.

* Creativity allows you to... experiment without being criticized, re-acquaint yourself
with your senses, create a reflection that is unique to you, regain a sense of control
over your immediate environment, generate new skills for communication and
emotional risk-taking, open your mind to new ways of perceiving your self, your loved
ones, and your community, and much more.

* Creativity taps into your essential life-force within, thereby acting as a conduit for
self-discovery and healing: your renewable resource within.

* Creativity engenders the personal characteristics of openness, spontaneity,
playfulness, and a sense of self as lovable.

* Creativity through the arts is a multi-modal and multi-dimensional experience,
meaning that the arts meet you where you are, in all of your complexities and
uniqueness.

* Creativity taps into the arts' use of symbolic, nonverbal language, thus providing
both an abstract and a concrete means for self expression.

* Creativity and disciplined imagination have been applied successfully to achieve
amazing results in the business world, in professional sports, and the health fields.
What we have observed behaviorally is now being verified through neurological
research. And while you may not have a future playing basketball with the Lakers, you
can apply the same mechanisms that help the pro's overcome their mental obstacles
such as self-doubt and fear. The benefits of regularly exercising one's imagination are
available to ANYONE!