How to Use Creativity as a Portal to Greater Health and Fulfillment (Part 2)

Join me in exploring how nourishing yourself through creative practices can support your mental wellness journey.

In today's episode:

0:03 Creativity and Fulfillment

4:46 Empowering Self-Expression Through Creativity

13:29 Ways Creativity Influences Mental Wellness

16:11 The Connection Between Creativity, Intentions, and Goals

17:53 Creativity as a Source of Motivation and Life Satisfaction

21:47 Enhancing Your Intuition with Creativity

Creative expression goes far beyond art—it's the language of our innermost selves, capable of flavoring our experiences and most fulfilled lives.

🔗 Links & Additional Support 

• 💌 Get Deeper Support & Special Updates on the Unforked Newsletter 
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• Integrative Nutrition & Lifestyle Services
• Full Episode Shownotes & Transcripts

&, Thank you to YOU, the listener, for being here on this journey together.
 
Haley Schroth, RDN, LD, CPT, RYT, CMWC 

Integrative Dietitian Nutritionist for Optimal Mental Health & Physical Performance 

Transcript

Creativity and Fulfillment

Haley 0:03

Howdy friend . Welcome to unforked , an unfiltered holistic nutrition and mental wellness podcast for evolving folks that crave a delicious life of fulfillment . Haley , here I am , your host , a trauma informed functional medicine dietitian , holistic mental wellness coach and the founder of the fulfilled fork . On this show , we dish up insights and activations while learning about sustainable mind , body , soul , lifestyle practices . It's sweet , it's savory and it'll spice up your life . To stay connected , make sure you sign up for our unforked email list at thefulfilledforkcom . Forward slash links . Let's dig into the episode . Thefulfilledforkcom . Forward slash links . Let's dig into the episode . Welcome . Welcome back to the Unforked Podcast , my friend . I am so happy to have you here today . If you are new here , also a big fucking welcome to you .

Haley 1:03

Okay , today we are going to be talking about part two of our creativity as a measure of health , wellness and fulfillment . So today we are focusing on the creativity as a path to fulfillment . Last time we talked about creativity and nervous system regulation in more depth , and so today we're going to dive into the fulfillment piece a little bit more , because we touched on it briefly and I think it hosting a free yes , free training , and this free training is called Ignite . We are talking all about how to ignite your mental wellness transformation and how you can confidently step into your next level of health , whatever that is for you . And so , in this free and incredible training , we are going to be diving into the three foundational strategies to sustainably step into your next level of health with the utmost confidence and clarity . With the utmost confidence and clarity Because I want you to feel confident and clear about how to claim your most flavorful , fulfilled life . I want to bring you from a state of feeling unfulfilled . Maybe you do feel fulfilled , but you want to take it to your next level , no matter where you're at on that spectrum . This class is for you , it's for everyone , no matter where you're at on your journey . We are going to simplify your nutrition and mental wellness journey so that you can ditch the confusion and stress that is so fucking overwhelming in this field . It can be crazy overwhelming . So I want to make it simple for you , I want to make it clear , I want to make it potent . I want to help you get to your next level faster , in your health , in your wholeness , in your most flavorful , fulfilled life . Wonderful . Well , let's dive in , let's dive into creativity as a path to your most fulfilled life A flavorful one , I might add .

Haley 3:42

So we know that creativity plays a huge role in fostering our personal fulfillment and our overall sense of well-being . Creativity is either enhanced or dampened depending on our level of nervous system regulation , so depending on where we're at , and it changes throughout our lives , and it can even change throughout your day and throughout your week . It is never a stagnant thing . So something to keep an eye on is how creativity influences your overall feeling of fulfillment and your overall feeling of health and well-being . So we know that creativity can act as a very unique path towards self-discovery and deeper connection with your values and your life's vision , so your aspirations in

Empowering Self-Expression Through Creativity

Haley 4:46

life .

Haley 4:46

Let's talk about creativity as a powerful tool for self-expression first , which is very , very influential in living your most flavorful , fulfilled life right . If you don't feel like you are able to be your authentic self , you probably aren't going to feel fulfilled . So how is self-expression influenced by creativity ? We know that when we are in a creative state that allows you to articulate your thoughts , your emotions and your beliefs in divergent ways , so in unconventional ways , in out-of-the-box ways , in creative ways , and so through those various creative outlets that you may engage in , like art , music , writing , problem solving , gardening , cooking , whatever it is it could be building things like woodworking , things like woodworking , it could be working like mechanical type of things . So through those creative outlets you can channel that creativity , which is a channeling of your authentic self , so your self-expression , your innermost feelings , your innermost ideas , your innermost desires , and so it's another way that we can communicate to ourselves , most importantly , and also the people in the world around us , what it means to be us right . I think that's a very important part of health . That we don't really talk about is our ability to be self-expressed and our safety in feeling self-expressed .

Haley 6:29

It is only quite recently that I felt that I feel solid in my ability to have my fullest self-expression . It's quite recent , and I'm so glad that this episode is coming now , because the stifling of my self-expression is so near that I'm not going to forget what that was like , and when I think about that , I think about how I can resource myself for creative self-expression . So one of my mentors , laura , has really been helpful for me in this process , because she reminds me that . She has reminded me in times where I didn't feel okay to use my voice . I didn't feel okay to talk on this podcast . Right , I'd been talking about it for a while and it just wasn't time . I wasn't ready Because I didn't feel that in that moment I could resource myself . I couldn't take care of myself if there was a response to what I'm saying or if someone disagreed with me or whatever it is .

Haley 7:55

And one of the things in my work with her that I found so profound and eye-opening was as a woman , was , as a woman , how women in particular , and especially anybody who is historically marginalized so not just women , but people of color , lgbtq communities have historically felt unsafe in self-expression . So I want to talk about women in particular really quick . The episode is not going to be all about this , but I think it's an important point to mention , because the culture and patriarchy has historically made women feel inadequate , wrong , bad , and put them in danger even , and criticize them and attack them for using their voice , for self-expression , for being themselves . Right , it's a thing and it's really not that far behind us . And so , of course , we can see how this is a very generational influence and I mean the patriarchy is alive and well . It's different now . It's not the same as it was , but it very much . I've seen it very alive in many people and , yeah , it is a feeling of unsafety , and so how can you resource yourself into a greater feeling of safety and self-expression ?

Haley 9:34

And for me , one of those things was one having counseling and mentorship around around this topic so I could explore it with somebody else , explore it with somebody else , and I also needed to be cracked open to greater awareness of the issues . I didn't know . I thought it was just because why can't I feel self-express ? What is it about me ? What do I need to fix in myself to feel better about expressing my authentic truth , better about expressing my authentic truth ? What was it ? What did I need to fix ? What personal development shit do I need to dive into now ? Right , and having this really narrow , individualistic view is not always helpful . Yes , it's an important piece , absolutely , absolutely . But it wasn't until I opened up to to the greater systems that have historically oppressed voices of people like me . That's when I was able to say you know what ? Fuck that , fuck that . I nope . That is not in my value . Staying silent is not in my value .

Haley 10:50

And the words I want to bring right , the words I'm bringing to you now , it's to help . It's to help you to live your most incredible life , to feel incredible and amazing in your mind , body , to feel incredible and amazing in your mind , body and your soul . I want you to know the truth of health . This is something that I am so deeply invested in and something I so deeply value for myself and for other people . I want to bring the resources to you . I want you to know that you don't have to feel like shit . You don't have to live a blah kind of existence .

Haley 11:29

I thought that that's what I had to had to be stuck with for quite some time , years and years and years . And so since I figured it out and I went through a lot of trial and error and many years of research and a degree and certifications and all of this stuff , and many books right Like journaling oh my god , I don't even I don't even know how much time and effort and money I've spent on this , and so , since I have this ability , I want to be able to bring it to the people who need it . So it was really important for me to be able to use my voice . So the moral of this story because that was a tangent , for sure is that we need to be able to resource ourselves for self-expression . So it's not enough for me to just say creativity is a path to fulfillment .

Haley 12:28

Creativity is a path to self-expression Because it is , and that's true . And also it's true that self-expression is not something that people automatically feel safe in their bodies to do . It's not always safe their bodies to do it's not always safe . It's fucking terrifying sometimes to put our beliefs out there in our life experiences and tell people , hey , this is the truth or this is a truth , this is my truth , because there are no like , ultimate like . What's the ultimate truth for me is going to be different than the ultimate truth for you , right ? So , that being said , contemplate on how you can resource yourself for greater self-expression . All right , so let's get back into creativity and how creativity is a powerful tool for self-expression .

Haley 13:28

So

Ways Creativity Influences Mental Wellness

Haley 13:29

I talked a little bit about how , in my story , in my experience , I had to have the safety to engage in those creative pursuits , and so that's one aspect . The other aspect is actually engaging in the creative pursuit can help you communicate your innermost feelings . It can play an incredibly important role in shaping your identity and your sense of self . So when you are exploring creative outlets , you can not only tap into that creative potential that you have , but you're also exploring different facets of your personality . You're discovering hidden talents . Perhaps You're developing different talents because a lot of things we're shit at when we first start right and then we just get good at it . And you're also cultivating that deeper sense of who you are , so that identity and an understanding of your values , what matters to you ? What are your beliefs ? Who are you ? What do you want out of life ? Who are you ? What do you want out of life ?

Haley 14:46

One way that I have done this in particular , no-transcript and these self-portraits have helped me to explore different parts of myself that I didn't feel safe to bring out or I didn't know existed in me , even Like what even is this for me ? What is this feeling in my body ? So that is just one example , one way where you can engage in that creative pursuit . So for me and I will add that it's also like journaling and writing . That's another thing I do to one enhance the safety in my body for creative self-expression and just self-expression in general is through journaling and self-portraits . So that is something that I use to bring safety into my body , along with other nervous system regulation techniques and just generally how I take care of myself and my body and my relationships , all of those things right . So we're going to shift gears now into creativity and in your goals , in achieving your goals .

Haley 16:10

Creativity

The Connection Between Creativity, Intentions, and Goals

Haley 16:11

is a driving force of motivation , innovation and resilience when you are pursuing your most flavorful , fulfilled life . Yes , there's a huge relationship between creativity and achieving your intentions , goals and desires . The creative thinking aspect it helps you in that pursuit of fulfillment and not pursuit , as in you're always chasing and chasing and chasing , but in the steps you are taking towards fulfillment in a way that is able to foster innovative solutions , creative strategies , like creative strategies for you to be sustainable in your actions towards health , like how do you make healthy eating sustainable for you ? How do you make your creative practice sustainable for you ? How do you make movement sustainable for you ? Creativity can greatly help in answering those questions . We can approach from those unique angles and that helps give us a sense of purpose , a sense of direction , and it guides you towards actually setting the intentions , setting the goals and accomplishing those goals and intentions in ways , I might add , that align with your passions , your values , all the things .

Haley 17:51

So , with the creativity , you're

Creativity as a Source of Motivation and Life Satisfaction

Haley 17:53

also bringing excitement . You're bringing your personality into all of your actions and endeavors in your life , and that's what can help , that is an internal source of motivation when it feels fucking good to engage in the activities that move you towards your next level . That moves you towards your fulfilled life , that moves you towards greater health and wellness and greater personal power . Right so , when you embrace your creativity , you are enhancing your self-expression . When you do it in a safe way right Safe in your body , and it also empowers you to navigate challenges and the complexities of life with confidence , purpose and that internal belief that you can achieve it . You can get there . That's what creativity does for you . So you can see now how creativity is an incredibly powerful indicator of mental health , emotional health , physical health , wellness , fulfillment . It engages you to express your thoughts , your emotions , your experiences in unique and meaningful ways , and it helps you find sustainable , creative tools and ways of living out your most fulfilled life through the highest alignment for you . Right so , through your values and your beliefs and your why , we can also see how engaging in creative pursuits reduces that stress , reduces the anxiety , can reduce depression and it promotes a sense of calmness and well-being and also it makes us feel good .

Haley 20:11

I don't know about you , but I impress myself . I impress myself a lot when I'm creative , like I did a self-portrait earlier this week and , oh my god , it was a whole session . Oh my god , I am still just giddy about it . I am so proud of it the best self-portrait session I've ever done . Those are , honestly , those are probably the most authentic portraits I've ever seen of myself . They're incredible , incredible , right . They feel so good and so , yes , it reduces stress and anxiety and depression , but it also it doesn't just reduce it . It enhances your overall sense of fulfillment and well-being . And it can also creativity can also bring more purpose into your life , as you can see through the examples of the goals and how can you find creative solutions , and that is what brings you into a greater sense of resilience in your life is often through this creativity and this ability to adapt , and that brings us to a more meaningful and satisfying life . And we also talked about how , when we cultivate our creative interests , it can help us tap into our innermost desires and our passions and guide us towards a path of self-discovery and personal growth , and guide us on that path , not even just towards the path , but on the path ,

Enhancing Your Intuition with Creativity

Haley 21:47

the path , but on the path .

Haley 21:47

I want to add one last piece here , and that is intuition . Creative practice is an incredible way to strengthen your intuition . An example would be intuitively choosing a meal that you would not usually make , perhaps Channing that intuition to choose a meal to cook and that engages greater thinking and like creativity . I don't know about you , but I love . I love meals and spicing them in different ways and adding different foods to them . How can I make this more satisfying and more nourishing , both physically , like through taste , aroma , all the things through our senses , but also through health ? So that , my friends , is how we can use creativity and how creativity is a path to fulfillment in our lives .

Haley 22:47

Let me know what you thought of this episode . I would love to hear from you . I haven't heard conversations about this before . So , yeah , I would absolutely love to hear what you thought of this episode of part one as well . Let me know what takeaways , breakthroughs you have . If you have any questions , please yeah , please submit your questions . Email them to me . The link is in the show notes With your question .

Haley 23:16

You may have a chance to have that question answered on a podcast episode , like an in-depth episode . So absolutely , ask away . What an incredible opportunity , right ? So , with all of this , this creativity chat is directly linked to the free training that I am teaching . It is directly linked because it is bringing you to your most flavorful , fulfilled life , right ? It is an incredible aspect , incredibly important aspect , I might add to ignite your mental wellness transformation , like creativity is a portal to mental wellness , to greater health , holistic health , all aspects . It is a portal to confidence and self-expression in that next level of health for you . So I would absolutely love to see you in the free . Ignite your Mental Wellness Transformation training . That can be found in the show notes .

Haley 24:30

And yeah , I'm complete . That's all I've got for you today . I hope you have a fantastic day . My friend Can't wait to see you on the next episode and thank you again for being here . I'm so , so grateful . Oh wait , one more thing . I do want to add that if you rate and review the show , send me a screenshot of that rating or review and I will gift you with cash . I will gift you with cash , essentially , that you can use towards mental wellness coaching with me . So if that is of interest to you , go ahead , sign up .

Haley 25:08

I have introductory appointments for any new folks coming into my coaching world . You can hop on to that initial appointment and get a good chunk off , right ? I want to thank you , in a way , for being here and for wanting to continue this work . I want to celebrate that with you . So that is my celebration to you when you take that next step and sign up for any of the holistic mental wellness coaching in my world . That link is also in the show notes . Wonderful , okay , actually . Have a great day this time . I promise there's no more . I'll see you next time , friend . Thank you for listening to Unforged . You can find all resources and links from this episode in the show notes at thefulfilledforkcom forward slash podcast . If you enjoyed the episode , we'd love if you'd send it to a friend and rate and review the show on either Apple Podcasts or Spotify . Then email us a screenshot of your review to howdy at the fulfilled forkcom for a one-time credit to use towards our wellness services at the fulfilled fork Chat soon .