Creativity as a Healing Practice in Times of Transition
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
There are seasons when vitality seems to vanish—through grief, illness, or sudden change. The body feels heavy, the spirit dulled, and it can be tempting to believe that the spark is gone for good.
For me, that spark returned through creativity. I discovered that picking up a brush, sketching on paper, or even writing a few lines could reconnect me to life in ways medicine alone never could. Creativity became not just expression, but medicine—a way of remembering that vitality is more than physical energy. It is the spark of the soul.
Women in transition often carry invisible wounds. Loss of a spouse, empty nesting, identity shifts—all of these leave us asking: Who am I now? These are not superficial questions. They touch the core of our being. And often, no quick solution can answer them. But creativity can open a door.
Creativity bypasses logic and taps into something deeper: the body’s wisdom, the heart’s truth, the soul’s memory. When words fail, colors speak. When explanations collapse, movement and sound reveal what is hidden. Creativity is not about making art for others—it is about making a home for ourselves in the act of creating.
I remember the first time I painted after months of illness. My body was weak, but as soon as I touched brush to canvas, something shifted. I felt a thread of energy return, as if life itself had remembered me. It wasn’t about painting something beautiful. It was about remembering that I was still here, still capable of expression, still connected to the current of life.
The same was true when I returned to writing. At first, the words came haltingly, small fragments that felt incomplete. But with each line, I felt my breath deepen. The act of creating something—anything—reminded me that I was still alive. It gave shape to my inner world and restored a spark of vitality that had long felt absent.
Over time I realized that creativity was not only restoring me to life—it was helping me experience myself more deeply. Each image, each word, each gesture revealed a part of me I had forgotten. Creativity became a mirror, showing me not just who I had been, but who I was becoming. It allowed me to hear the voice beneath the noise, to feel the emotions I had buried, to meet myself in places I had never touched before.
You don’t have to be an “artist” to benefit. A simple act of creating—painting, cooking, planting, journaling—reawakens vitality. It reconnects us to the present moment and gives form to the formless. In creating, we begin to see that life is still moving through us.
Vitality is not youth. It is presence. It is the aliveness that comes when we allow ourselves to be engaged, curious, expressive. And creativity is one of the surest ways to find your way back to it.
If you feel drained, lost, or uncertain, I invite you to create something today—anything at all. Don’t worry about the result. Focus on the process. Let yourself be surprised. You may discover that creativity has been waiting, like an old friend, to return you to yourself.
Your vitality is not gone. It is waiting to be rekindled, one creative act at a time. And if you are longing for guidance or community on that journey, know there are spaces where creativity and healing are woven together. Sometimes the first step toward vitality is as simple as giving yourself permission to begin.
If you feel stuck and would love someone to walk beside you on your path, my work is Soul Woven, the living art of remembering who you are, through body, creativity and story. I would be honored to be your guide.
DK Hillard
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