Creativity as a Lifeline

Join host Marie Greene, founder of Olive Knits and the Knit Camp app, for today's friendly chat about leaning on creativity as a lifeline during times of stress. 

Mentioned in today's episode: Poems not Bombs, Knit Camp, and sign up for Marie's newsletter for details on her upcoming Creative Journaling Workshop (March 2025). 

Until next time, friend. You've got this!

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Transcript

Welcome to a new season of Good Enough Creative, a podcast for creative people. 

Hi again! Welcome back. I’m so glad you’re here.

I’m your host, Marie Greene, founder of Olive Knits and Knit Camp - and the author of six books on knitting. 

In today’s episode we’re talking about leaning on creativity as a tool for resilience. And to start - I want you to think back to some of the creative things you’ve done throughout your life. What led you to them? Did you take up knitting after a job loss? Did you start writing after a big move where you didn’t yet know anyone and felt alone? Do you remember what was going on during some of those periods of your life? Were there hard times? And can you remember times that a craft or a hobby was a welcome distraction? Maybe it helped you get back on your feet or find yourself again?

Your art - that thing you love to do, that might sometimes feel like a guilty pleasure - it’s more than a cute little hobby. Your creative outlet can be a lifeline. Art has gotten you through hard things before and it can do it again. The secret is that we have to move toward it, even when we’re uninspired and art feels frivolous. It’s not. It’s so much more important than we might realize. 

Looking around, there are some terrible things going on in the world. And I find myself wanting to somehow make a difference, but also feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Have you ever felt that? Are you feeling that right now?

There are times when crisis, loss, or the weight of world issues, can feel so heavy that we find ourselves getting stuck. Uninspired. Not motivated to create. Lacking the energy to even pick up our knitting needles. And when we do try to make something, we might struggle to get into the flow. I know that feeling. So I want to talk about how we can use creativity as a lifeline - to stay connected to ourselves and others, to feel empowered, and to cope during difficult times. 

I think it’s important to start out saying that creativity isn’t just about making pretty things. It’s a tool. A comfort. A way to process what we’re going through and come out on the other side a little stronger. Creativity might have very little to do with the thing you’re actually making, and be more about that process - of showing up, of making something with your hands or your mind, and putting one foot in front of the other, even when everything around you is uncertain. 

Creativity is an amazing resource for taking back your power. 

I’ve personally leaned on creativity in some of my hardest moments. It’s helped me work through emotions I didn’t have words for, given me a sense of control when everything else felt unpredictable, and—most importantly—reminded me that even in the midst of struggle, there’s still beauty. A great example of this is the organization Poems not Bombs in Odesa Ukraine - it’s a poetry studio for children living through the war, teaching them to process what they’re feeling through poetry. There is something so powerful about that idea - the idea of a poem having power, because it does. And so does painting. And knitting. And writing. And weaving. Whatever art you’re called to, there’s a source of power and strength there. 

I’ve added a link to Poems not Bombs in the show notes, if you’d like to learn more about their work. https://poemsnotbombs.org/ 

So let’s explore how *why* creativity is so powerful when we’re struggling.  

When life feels uncertain, I tend to crave stability, something to hold onto. And I suspect I’m not alone in that. And creativity—whether it’s knitting, painting, writing, cooking, or gardening—it gives us a sense of *control* in a world that often feels chaotic. It’s something we can wrap our hands (or minds) around and cling to. If you’ve ever watched that scene in the original movie Twister with Helen Hunt, at the very end, she and Bill Paxton strap themselves to - I can’t remember if it was a well, or what it was, but the tornado came and pulled up everything around them, and even though it lifted them into the air, they were anchored to the ground. Everything else was chaos, but they were tethered, and they survived. Now, I’m not saying this is realistic - I’ve actually lived through an F5 tornado that tore through the small town I grew up in and I’m not sure tethering yourself a well would keep you alive, but - for the sake of illustrating a point, creativity can feel a lot like that tether. Even if you’re getting tossed around a bit, if you have something to hold onto, you are more likely to make it.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re deep in a creative project, time seems to disappear? Your brain gets quiet. The worries fade into the background for a little while. That’s because creativity engages a different part of our mind, the part that allows us to be present and to focus on *what’s possible* instead of *what’s wrong.*  

There’s actually science behind this. When we create, our brains release dopamine—that feel-good chemical that lifts our mood and helps us feel more engaged. Studies have shown that creative expression can reduce anxiety, lower stress, and even improve mental clarity. It’s like a reset button for your emotions. As a knitter, I find that sometimes I need a mindless project so that my mind can wander while my hands stay busy. But at other times, I need my project to consume my thoughts completely so that I can temporarily forget the things I can’t control.

And I want to say this - creativity is for everyone. Absolutely everyone. You don’t have to be good at a particular skill, you don’t need permission, and you don’t need fancy tools. I’ve heard many people tell me they wish they were creative. Friend, you are creative. Maybe you’re not a painter, but that doesn’t mean you’re not creative. If you’ve ever doodled in the margins of a notebook, hummed a song to yourself, or rearranged the furniture just to see how it feels, then you’re already using creativity as a tool—you just might not realize it.

Okay, so we know creativity can help. But how do we actually *use* it when we’re feeling drained or overwhelmed? Here are some ideas:  

**1. Start Small and Keep It Simple**  

When you’re going through something tough, you don’t need to write a novel or paint a masterpiece. Sometimes, the smallest acts of creativity can be the most healing.  

- Try doodling while you drink your morning coffee.  

- Write a single sentence about how you’re feeling. Or try a stream of consciousness journal where you don’t worry about any of it making sense, you just let the thoughts flow out and land on the page. No one has to read it.

- Knit just a few stitches—no pressure to finish anything, just enjoy the rhythm of the needles.  

- Take a picture of something beautiful on your daily walk.  Heck, just take a walk. Maybe pick up a pinecone or a smooth stone and spend a little time noticing the beauty in small, simple things.

Give yourself permission to create *without* expectations. No one else needs to see it. It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to exist.  

**2. Create a Ritual or Routine**  

When life feels unpredictable, having a small creative practice can provide a little structure. It’s that tethering thing I talked about a bit ago. A creative ritual can be your tether, to help you stay grounded when it feels like you’re in the middle of a tornado.

- Maybe you start your day with five minutes of journaling.  

- Or you have a playlist of songs you sing along to in the car.

- Maybe you light a candle and knit for ten minutes before bed.  

These little creative rituals give our brains a sense of normalcy. They remind us that, even in hard times, we can still make space for something that brings us joy.  

Joy is a tool of resistance. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

**3. Use Creativity to Express How You Feel**  

Sometimes, words aren’t enough to explain what we’re going through. That’s where creativity steps in.  

- If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try painting with bold, messy strokes—let the colors speak for you.  

- If you’re grieving, write a letter to the person or thing you’ve lost, even if you never send it.  

- If you’re feeling stuck, make a vision board of where you *want* to be, even if it feels far away.  

Creativity can be a safe place to process what we feel and imagine a better reality than the one we’re currently in. It takes a creative mind to look for beauty and light in dark places. And the more of us who shine that light of possibility and beauty, the better. 

**4. Connect with Others Through Creativity**  

Hard times can feel isolating. But creativity has a way of bringing people together.  

- Join a sewing, crafting or knitting group, even if it’s virtual. If you’re a knitter and you haven’t heard of my Knit Camp community, come join us. You can find Knit Camp in the App Store and Google Play Store, or you can learn more about it on my website, oliveknits.com (Or check the shownotes for details). 

- Start a journaling challenge with a friend. 

-Or set a daily writing goal and find an accountability buddy. Just show up to the page for maybe 30 minutes, and see what happens. 

- Share your art, music, or words—not for validation, but for connection.  

-Share photos or details about a recent project - share it on social media or text it to a friend or loved one

Sometimes, just knowing someone else sees what we’ve made can remind us that we’re not alone.  

**5. Make Creativity Playful**  

When life is heavy, it’s easy to forget how to have fun. Creativity can help bring that back.  

- Try something completely new, just for the joy of it.  

- Try some messy art

- Get yourself some Playdough - who cares that you’re an adult!? 

- Play with colors, textures, or sounds.

-Bake yourself a batch of cookies and decorate them like you’re planning to give them to someone special, and then eat some for yourself.

-Listen to music that uplifts you. Put that music on while you dance around the house or while you doodle. 

Creativity doesn’t always have to be serious. Sometimes, it’s the thing that helps us remember how to laugh again.  

**Now let’s talk about Creativity as a Long-Term Resilience Tool**  

One of the most beautiful things about creativity is that it teaches us *resilience.*  

Think about it—when we create, we experiment. We make mistakes. We try again. We learn to be flexible, to adapt, to see possibilities instead of limitations.  

If you knit and you’ve ever had to fix a dropped stitch or pulled out an entire sweater because you realized you were making the wrong size, you know what I mean. Or if you’ve ever painted something, didn’t like it, and painted over the entire canvas again. Or maybe you wrote a poem or a story and threw the whole thing away. The point isn’t that something went wrong. The point is that you tried again. You kept going. You didn’t give up when things didn’t work out. 

That same mindset can help us navigate life’s challenges.  

- When something doesn’t go as planned, we can think like an artist: *What if I tried this instead?*  

- When we feel stuck, we can remind ourselves: *Every blank page, every new day, is a chance to start fresh.*  

Creativity shows us that even in our hardest moments, there is still a way forward. We just have to be willing to pick up the brush, the pen, the needles—and begin again. 

Things will go wrong. They do. That’s life. But creativity teaches us to brush ourselves off and try again. Try something else. Something different. Start at the other end of the idea, or turn it upside down completely.

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If you’re going through a tough time right now, I want you to remember this: Creativity is your tether. It can be your lifeline. It’s not about being perfect or productive. It’s about giving yourself a place to breathe, to process what you’re feeling, and to shine a light on the path forward. If you’re listening during the month of March 2025, I’ll be teaching a creative journaling workshop later this month, and you’ll find information about how to participate - along with other resources for making creativity part of your life - in the shownotes.

Take one small step today—draw a doodle, press a flower, knit a row. Whatever it is, just start.  

Until next time, my friend. You’ve got this.