Why We Create
“Take your broken heart and turn it into art.” I love this quote by Carrie Fisher. This is why we create, right?
This is one reason I wrote The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. My heart has been broken by loneliness many times throughout my life. And my heart has been healed through exploring ways I belong to myself, others, and God. Writing this book has helped me be curious about loneliness and see it in a new light.
I heard the quote above on Brené Brown’s podcast episode with the authors of the book Burnout. They were talking about how creating is one way we can complete the stress cycle. If we don’t complete the cycle, we get stuck and bad things can happen. (Please listen to this episode and read this book!)
I know we don’t all have the time, resources, and energy to create in ways we prefer. And this can be affected by our season of life, our emotional capacity, and other circumstances we don’t necessarily have any control over.
But there are easy and simple ways we can create. Write one sentence. Write one line of a poem. Draw a cloud. Take a photo. Make a loaf of sourdough. (I know all y’all are already doing this.)
And using our imagination in new ways works too. Listen to the episode for more details on that.
And listen to the episode (and read the book) to know why I’m officially giving my husband and kids very long hugs every day.
I’m working on Book #2 now. I’m writing about a few things that can cause heartbreak in our lives. And I’m writing about things that help us heal, that help us know we aren’t alone.
Our stories are full of heartbreak and healing, suffering and joy.
May we give our attention to our stories and respond to our stories with care and creativity.
Cheers to turning our broken hearts into art.
*Image and words originally posted by Charlotte Donlon on Instagram.