Author: Megan Stewart

When we think about creativity, we often picture paint-stained hands, half-finished canvasses, or coloured pencils littered across a desk. While these forms of artistic expression are powerful, they can also feel intimidating, even unrealistic, when life is busy, overwhelming, or you’re just burnt out and don’t have the energy. To me, this is especially relevant right now, during finals season as the first semester of the school-year draws to a close before winter festivities can properly begin.

Not everyone has the time, energy, or space to sit down and “create” in the traditional sense. But what if creativity didn’t have to look like that? What if creativity already quietly lived in the things we do every day?

Why are we putting something as abstract and fluid as creativity and art into a box? Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about everyday rituals and how easily we overlook them as outlets of creativity. For me, this tends to look like cooking meals I find online, rearranging my apartment, and even choosing colour schemes for highlighters when I’m studying. We tend to think of these activities as chores or tasks to get through, rather than moments of expression. That being said, when we purposefully slow down and engage with them intentionally, they can become forms of creative therapy; gentle, grounding, and accessible to even the busiest of people.

 

Cooking as a Sensory Reset

Cooking, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated creative acts. It’s sensory, embodied, and rooted in the present moment. I’ve always loved turning on some music in my headphones and meandering through the grocery aisles. Getting lost in the possibilities is such a massive part of creating art, and even something as simple as grocery shopping and meal planning involves this if you focus on that.

There’s something grounding about chopping vegetables, mindlessly stirring a pot, and tasting as you go. You’re using your hands, your senses, and your intuition, all at once.

From a mental health perspective, cooking has a myriad of benefits. To name a few:

• It anchors your attention in the present moment, aiding in stress relief.
• It provides a sense of control and accomplishment
• It encourages mindfulness through engaging your senses such as smell, texture, and taste.

Even following a simple recipe can feel soothing when your thoughts are racing. And when you let yourself experiment, mixing spices, plating your food in a beautiful way, and adding ingredients you think might work well, it becomes less about productivity and more about creativity and play.

Cooking provides nourishment for your body, of course, but also for your nervous system.

 

Creatively Studying: Colour, Structure, and Control

I know what you’re thinking, and I get it! Studying is rarely thought of as a creative act, especially to those of us in school who oftentimes view it as a means to an end, but it can be!

Turning studying into a creative outlet, for me, often looks like choosing highlighter colour schemes, turning notes into mind maps, or organizing information in more visually aesthetic ways. Not only does this make overwhelming information feel manageable, but it’s a way you can fit creativity into your daily routine without feeling like you’re wasting your time you should be using to study.

Creative studying rituals can:

• Restore a sense of agency during periods of academic stress
• Improve focus and memory through visual organization
• Encourage self-compassion through allowing flexibility in what learning looks like
• Make academic work feel less punitive and more humane
• Lower anxiety by making abstract information concrete and visible

I’ve always found something calming about deciding how information will live on a page. Colour-coding, drawing diagrams, making flow charts, and mapping out ideas all visually transform studying from tedious, passive consumption into relaxing, active engagement. It reminds us that learning doesn’t have to be rigid and look the same as everyone else’s to be effective.

To every girl who was made fun of for drawing extravagant note titles, carrying thirteen different Mildliners, and assigning a colour to every type of important information; I’m done pretending that joy, creativity, and intelligence can’t exist together.

 

Redecorating, Decluttering, and Reclaiming Your Space

Redecorating and decluttering is often framed as a tedious productivity task, but it’s also deeply emotional. Our spaces hold memories, stress, and identity. Changing them, even in miniscule ways, can feel like hitting a reset button.

Rearranging your space or letting go of items can:

• Reduce anxiety and mental overload
• Increase feelings of control and mental clarity
• Support emotional regulation by intentionally creating calmer environments that “spark joy”, as Marie Kondo once said.

Choosing where things go, what stays, and what leaves is an act of self-definition. It’s saying to yourself, this space reflects me, not who I used to be or who I feel pressured to become. That’s a form of creative expression, whether we label it that way or not.

 

Creativity Doesn’t Have to Be Formal to Be Healing

One of the biggest, most unfortunate barriers to creativity, and even art therapy as a practice, is the belief that it has to look a certain way to count. That creativity requires time, talent, or training. But creativity isn’t about producing something impressive. It never has been. It’s about engaging with the world in a way that feels intentional and alive.

Everyday rituals remind us that creativity can be woven into daily life. They remind us that self-care doesn’t always mean bubble baths, facemasks, and bullet journalling; it can mean choosing music that matches your mood, allowing yourself to rest without guilt, or folding laundry slowly instead of rushing through it.

So if formal creative methods like sketching or sculpting feel out of reach right now, that’s okay. Start where you are. Let yourself slow down and see the creative potential in what you already do on a day-to-day basis. Because creativity doesn’t have to be loud, obvious, or polished to have therapeutic value, it just has to be yours.

Maybe healing doesn’t always come from making something new.

Maybe sometimes, it comes from noticing the art and creativity that’s already there.

The most damaging belief you can carry into your creative process is that everything you make has to be perfect. That it must be beautiful, polished, worthy of being displayed. But creativity isn’t about perfection, it’s about honesty. Maybe you’ve had a hard week, and all you want is to sit down and let it out on a canvas. But then you’re faced with the intimidating blank page, and suddenly, starting feels harder than whatever you’re trying to process.

Here’s the truth: everyone who’s turned to art for expression has felt this exact resistance. So what’s the difference between those who manage to create anyway and those who stay stuck?

They start.

That’s it. No magic. No secret. Just the willingness to begin, even if it’s messy, awkward, or emotional. Because the power of art doesn’t come from the outcome. It comes from the courage to create something imperfect. And sometimes, that’s more healing than anything else.

We are our own worst enemies. It’s so easy to get in your head and compare what you’re able to do with everyone else. That being said—how are we supposed to improve and more effectively express ourselves and channel our feelings into healthier outlets if we never begin? This isn’t to say all perfectionism is bad—it can be extremely helpful in certain areas—but creatively, it tends to halt us and that leaves us in a place where we’re unable to actually reap
the benefits that creative expression holds. This unrealistic idea that everything we ever create needs to be the best thing we’ve ever made or that it needs to be just as good as what everyone else is doing instills a fear of failure in us. It makes us feel as though we must not be good
enough. This fear or anxiety stops countless people from ever starting creative projects out of fear that they won’t get as much out of it as people who may be more creatively inclined. The trick, however, is that creativity actually requires experimentation and mistakes. We’re human, it’s the only way we’re really able to learn and discover what works best for us.

Creative expression is one of the most powerful tools we have. Whether you’re trying to manage stress, sort through big feelings, or just let something out when words don’t quite work, making something with your hands can shift everything. And the best part? You don’t have to be “artistic” to feel the benefits.

We see this so clearly in pediatric hospitals, where kids facing chronic illness turn to drawing, painting, and crafting as a way to cope. These programs don’t focus on making something perfect, they focus on helping kids feel. The goal isn’t to create a masterpiece, it’s to create anything that helps express what’s going on inside.

This kind of creative outlet reminds us that it’s not about being a “good artist.” It’s about what creating does for your heart, your mind, and your soul. When life feels overwhelming, creativity gives us a place to pause, process, and just be ourselves.

One of the biggest blocks to creativity is the belief that everything we make has to be “good.” But here’s the truth: art isn’t a performance — it’s a process. If you’re struggling with perfectionism, start small. Doodle in the margins, rip up old magazines and make a messy collage, write a sentence that makes no sense and just go from there.

Try having a “bad art” day, seriously. Make something intentionally silly or ugly. The point is to remind yourself that creating can be fun, light, even a little ridiculous. Shift your mindset: this is play, not a test.

Practice being kind to yourself while you create. Not every brushstroke or sentence has to mean something profound. Sometimes the most healing thing you can do is let your inner child come out and make something just for the joy of it, no pressure, no judgment, just play. Because sometimes, the most beautiful things are born from the parts of us we’ve tried to hide, especially the messy ones.

Last year, while scrolling through Instagram, I had a sudden realization – I hated my closet. This wasn’t because I didn’t have enough clothes or they weren’t trendy enough – in fact, my closet was overflowing – but because none of them felt like me. My entire closet reflected ideals I’d absorbed through various forms of social media – I needed to look skinnier, more interesting, more “put together”. All of which I believed would make me more palatable and easier to like.

Fashion is meant to be an outlet for creativity and joy – yet somehow, it became a mirror reflecting
everything I believed I wasn’t.

I remember dreading the return of low-rise jeans. I’d miss my baggy pants – the way they allowed my body to feel like a suggestion, not a spotlight. For some reason, I hadn’t even stopped to realize that I didn’t actually need to partake in these trends.

Growing up, (especially as a teenager), clothes were never just clothes. They were forms of silent judgement. When jean shorts stopped fitting after winter, it didn’t just mean I’d grown – it meant, in my mind, that my body was wrong. Crop tops were trophies for perfectly flat, toned stomachs. A way of showcasing you must’ve been on a treadmill for hours or hadn’t decided to peruse the grocery shelves and picked up a brownie instead of a fruit cup. Anything I put on my body when I was younger was a direct result of trying to convey a message to my peers. This wasn’t just my inner voice – it was school hallways, magazine headlines, and countless influencers on my For You Page with impossibly flat stomachs and expensive athleisure that always seemed to fit their bodies exactly.

Our generation has had more access to the world than ever before – and while this can bring a multitude of good things such as better education and worldly awareness, it can also lead to us feeling trapped in our own skin when we’re fed thousands of videos of people with bodies we wished we had. Even trends like the “clean girl” aesthetic make us feel like we’re somehow failing.. It’s difficult to remind yourself that not everyone is actually fortunate enough to wake up at 6am and start their day with an unnaturally green smoothie and an expensive pilates workout. It makes us feel as though we are the ones doing something wrong. The pressure to look “effortlessly perfect” and fit in with those surrounding us, especially over the internet, can become all-consuming. The generation of teenagers currently have the highest rates of body image issues, even in the face of the “self love” movement. Taking small steps towards reclaiming our identities and self-perception is the key to moving in a positive direction regarding body-image and self-appreciation.

But here’s the twist: I decided to stop letting fashion dictate how I should feel about myself – not by changing my body, but by reclaiming style as something playful, expressive, and mine. Fashion standards may impact mental wellbeing, but creativity has the power to flip the script and put us back in charge of our perception of ourselves.

Growing up, I spent most of my childhood wearing princess dresses sewn by my grandma and cutting my own hair. The first time I’d decided to reject the standards around me was when I’d made the decision to dye my hair various shades of the rainbow throughout highschool. That was the first decision I’d ever made because I liked it rather than thinking everyone else would find it appealing. I couldn’t believe making a decision because I wanted to would bring me so much joy – I felt oddly powerful.

Creative expression, whether this is in the form of choosing patterns you like, dying your hair an unnatural colour, or wearing bolder colours than is considered “socially acceptable”, has infinite benefit. Studies have shown that creative expression, especially in fashion, is linked to reduced anxiety and depression, improved self-esteem, and an increase in positive body image. Our bodies should be viewed as a canvas, not a cage. Once I discovered this, I spent hours delving down the rabbit hole of Pinterest, curating inspiration boards for things that felt like me rather than what was currently trendy. I never thought of fashion as a creative outlet, but I soon realized that embracing brighter colours, distinctive belt buckles, and unique patterns was the key to feeling more like myself in my own skin.

So if you’ve ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw – try inventing your own rules. Walk into a secondhand store and let yourself gravitate toward the sequins, the loud prints, the pieces that make you smile for no logical reason. A weird accessory. A pair of pants that make you feel like you. Dress not for approval, but for joy. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. The first step is seeing fashion not as a way to conform, but as a way to speak – to say, this is me. Remember, our bodies aren’t cages – they’re canvases. And you’ve always been enough.

What if fashion wasn’t about fitting in, but about breaking free? Maybe the most radical thing we can do is dress for ourselves – joyfully, unapologetically, and without permission.

In Calgary, where winters stretch on for seemingly forever and unpredictable weather surrounds us, staying connected to nature can be a challenge. That being said, nurturing this connection is becoming increasingly crucial for mental well-being. Being present in the natural world doesn’t have to be this long-winded activity and can be as simple or immersive as desired. The benefits of immersing yourself in nature can come from a range of experiences — from simply observing and strolling through green spaces (like the Devonian Gardens on the top floor of the Core Shopping Centre!) to more hands-on practices like tending to a garden.

The different kinds of activities engaged in bring different benefits. For example, simply observing a garden and immersing yourself in a green space tends to help lift mood, while engaging actively in activities like gardening or flower arranging helps encourage mindfulness, physical health, and creativity. These kinds of practices have been coined Therapeutic Horticulture.

Physically, gardening helps provide a relatively stress-free form of exercise, helping support mobility and reduce stress. This can be an extremely effective form of exercise for those with limited mobility or older groups that are looking for a new, innovative way to stay more connected to both their bodies and minds. Activities like gardening or flower arranging also tend to come with a sense of community and opportunities to connect with others in lower stress environments through engaging in a shared activity. The more intensive forms of therapeutic horticulture like gardening have also been shown to significantly help provide purpose to the lives of older individuals who live in care homes or chronically ill and disabled individuals who may spend significant amounts of time in spaces like hospitals.

While initially we may not think of flower arranging as a standard artistic practice, the process of selecting colours, shapes, and textures when doing an activity like this mirrors several other artistic practices that we know and love in the therapeutic settings. These practices offer a gentle, restorative, holistic path to healing — and a way to cultivate resilience and joy through being physically present in nature.

The real beauty of these practices lies in their accessibility. The activities can be adapted to suit the needs of such a wide range of people and can be used in combination with other forms of therapeutic practices. Whether tending to a backyard garden, arranging fresh flowers from a market, decorating a windowsill with plants, or drying out an old bouquet of flowers to liven up a living space, these kinds of small acts connect us more physically to nature and the world surrounding us — helping us be a part of something larger than ourselves.

Through fostering community gardens—or encouraging people to create green spaces at home—we can help further bridge the gap between artistic expression and mental wellbeing. In Calgary, where the landscape may not always feel like it cooperates, these practices remind us that growth, restoration, and beauty are always within reach—and often, right at our fingertips.