We are just a week away from the National Scrapbooking Day! (nex Saturday, May 5)... and how many times have we talked about this great hobby that motivates ourselves to create, imagine, show our work and relieve stress? Ah! Scrapbooking is a blessing! It's incredible how can one "disconnect" from negative thoughts and stressful situations when creating. Most of my scrapbooking friends did not even know they have a talent or the passion for scrapbooking until they tried it. And something I have always shared with you is that when this hobby starts to be stressful, then it stopped being a hobby. I believe scrapbooking has got into my life to stay.
My new friend Melanie has written a great guest post for all of us, and I hope you enjoy it as well as I did, and can share with people in your lives so we continue fighting against this horrible disease called cancer. I love these words from Melanie: "Every illness has its limitations, but I firmly believe that positivity and creativity go hand in hand on an individual’s path to healing and quality of life."
*******
Creativity and
Inspiration: Overall Wellness (by Melanie Bowen)
A cancer diagnosis should not hold you back from being a whole person. Creativity can be an outlet to channel fears and frustrations about diagnosis, treatment and other obstacles into a positive form to share with the world. Many great artists battled with cancer and used an art form to release stress. In fact, Ansel Adams, one of America’s famous artists battled with cancer and used photography as his outlet. Ansel Adams left an incredible mark on the world with black and white landscape photography. His artwork continues to impact the world even today. Use Ansel’s story as inspiration to begin your journey to creativity and greatness.
How Creativity Helps
Being creative does not mean you have to be Ansel Adams or famous at all. It is simply a way to relieve stress and participate in an activity that is fun. Photography, scrapbooking and crafting can help people feel better about their prognosis and produce artwork that is meaningful or aesthetically appealing. Some people sell their creations to raise money for cancer research or their own cancer treatments. Other people simply create for fun. Either approach to creativity is effective.
The activity should serve as a stress-reliever and not a chore. If the activity is no longer fun, try another creative outlet. There are so many ways to be creative and inspire yourself and others. The point is to nurture your spirit, provide an outlet for inner expression and work towards a goal that diverts your attention away from constant focus on your health and treatment.
Most patients know that mood can affect stress level which may trigger the release of hormones in the body which may be adverse to your condition. Creativity can keep stress levels down and help the body’s natural mechanisms fight cancer. With a creative outlet, your quality of life will improve significantly. You will feel inspired, and you will heal faster as you improve your outlook on life.
Ideas for Creative Outlets
Photography: Buy a camera and explore your area or the world to find interesting subject matters. There is so much beauty and inspiration in the world waiting to be captured on film. Everyone is inspired by something different. Whether inspired by landscapes, inanimate objects, or portraits of people, select what inspires you and share your inspiration with your friends, family and supporters.
Scrapbooking: Take your photographs and make a scrapbook of memories. The scrapbook can be akin to photojournalism. The scrapbook can describe your journey, another person’s journey or something totally unrelated to illness. Scrapbooking is recommended for anyone. whether you have breast cancer, diabetes, arthritis or mesothelioma prognosis—the final product can be a gift or just stored for memories.
Crafting: Crafting is an excellent idea. People can make personalized bath salts, lip balm, crocheted blankets or knitted scarves to promote pampering The repetition of making something can help to divert your attention to something other than your condition. Your final product will provide a sense of accomplishment.
A cancer diagnosis should not hold you back from being a whole person. Creativity can be an outlet to channel fears and frustrations about diagnosis, treatment and other obstacles into a positive form to share with the world. Many great artists battled with cancer and used an art form to release stress. In fact, Ansel Adams, one of America’s famous artists battled with cancer and used photography as his outlet. Ansel Adams left an incredible mark on the world with black and white landscape photography. His artwork continues to impact the world even today. Use Ansel’s story as inspiration to begin your journey to creativity and greatness.
How Creativity Helps
Being creative does not mean you have to be Ansel Adams or famous at all. It is simply a way to relieve stress and participate in an activity that is fun. Photography, scrapbooking and crafting can help people feel better about their prognosis and produce artwork that is meaningful or aesthetically appealing. Some people sell their creations to raise money for cancer research or their own cancer treatments. Other people simply create for fun. Either approach to creativity is effective.
The activity should serve as a stress-reliever and not a chore. If the activity is no longer fun, try another creative outlet. There are so many ways to be creative and inspire yourself and others. The point is to nurture your spirit, provide an outlet for inner expression and work towards a goal that diverts your attention away from constant focus on your health and treatment.
Most patients know that mood can affect stress level which may trigger the release of hormones in the body which may be adverse to your condition. Creativity can keep stress levels down and help the body’s natural mechanisms fight cancer. With a creative outlet, your quality of life will improve significantly. You will feel inspired, and you will heal faster as you improve your outlook on life.
Ideas for Creative Outlets
Photography: Buy a camera and explore your area or the world to find interesting subject matters. There is so much beauty and inspiration in the world waiting to be captured on film. Everyone is inspired by something different. Whether inspired by landscapes, inanimate objects, or portraits of people, select what inspires you and share your inspiration with your friends, family and supporters.
Scrapbooking: Take your photographs and make a scrapbook of memories. The scrapbook can be akin to photojournalism. The scrapbook can describe your journey, another person’s journey or something totally unrelated to illness. Scrapbooking is recommended for anyone. whether you have breast cancer, diabetes, arthritis or mesothelioma prognosis—the final product can be a gift or just stored for memories.
Crafting: Crafting is an excellent idea. People can make personalized bath salts, lip balm, crocheted blankets or knitted scarves to promote pampering The repetition of making something can help to divert your attention to something other than your condition. Your final product will provide a sense of accomplishment.
****
Show your solidarity by leaving your comment here for Melanie, and if possible link this post in your blog so we can reach even more people. Thanks.
This is something that always help me when I feel low, go to my craft area, and try to create. Thanks for the reminder, sometimes we need it.
ReplyDelete