It might sometimes be tricky to put an exact name to what organisations like Curious Motion do for our communities. We’re a creative movement organisation, but we don’t class our sessions as ‘exercise’ or ‘fitness’; our work is centred around the entire wellbeing of a person, and that’s not always about their physical body. On the other hand, we’re not a specialist mental health organisation, and we don’t provide specific treatment for mental health conditions. So what category do we fall under?
Creative health! A fascinating term that’s being used more and more to describe the kind of work that organisations like us do.
The National Centre for Creative Health released the Creative Health Review in late 2023, an enlightening and hopeful read. The review mentions multiples projects where arts and creativity have been used to support participant’s overall wellbeing, and the National Centre for Creative Health website makes a clear statement that:
‘Active engagement with the arts and culture, whether through our own creative practice or through our enjoyment of the creative practice of others, is beneficial for the health and wellbeing of us all.’
In western society, it’s the norm to think that our body and mind are separate entities, and that to prevent ill health all we need to do is exercise, eat well, sleep well, and when disease does occur, get physical treatment for our symptoms. And while all of these things are very important and should not be underestimated, they’re part of a bigger picture.
Creative activities can positively influence our mood and mental wellbeing and this can have a direct impact on our health as a whole. Not only this, but if we’re feeling happy, we’re more likely to be motivated to do things, such as maintain a sleep schedule and move our bodies, that help maintain good health. This in turn makes us feel happier… and the cycle happens again.
I recently read a fantastic book called ‘Happy Mind, Happy Life’ by Dr Rangan Chatterjee (you might have heard him on Radio 2!)
He writes:
‘…stress is implicated in about 90 per cent of what a doctor like me sees on any given day…
…when we feel truly and deeply happy in our lives and with our lives, the knock-on consequences for our health are profound’
The book mentions multiple studies on the effect of happiness on overall health. One study involved scientists first assessing the overall positivity levels of a group of volunteers, and then exposing them all to the common cold virus to see who was most likely to get sick. Three times the number of people who reported lower levels of happiness got sick compared to the happy participants. This would suggest a link between our happiness levels and our immune system.
We might say that access to creative activities that support our happiness is not only a pleasant thing for communities to have, but an important piece of the puzzle in preventative healthcare. It might even help reduce the pressure on health services such as the NHS, and it’s why the idea of social prescribing, when patients are asked to take part in activities like yoga, dance and singing rather than solely being prescribed medication, is in my opinion, a very positive concept.
It’s worth mentioning, before I finish, that happiness is not a destination, but rather a journey, something that is flowing and never quite constant. It’s not necessarily something to actively strive for, but something to experience… for example when we socialise with others, or do what we love.
So whatever creative activity gives you that burst of happiness, painting, photography, movement, know that when you make time for it, you’re helping to take care of yourself, in more ways than one.
To quote the Creative Health Review:
‘Creative health is not just a nice to have, but fundamental to a healthy and prosperous society.’
