Larger Than Life: The Capacity to Create

05.07.24

By Ella Gage

It’s easy to underestimate the power creative self-expression has on our mental health. For many of us, our creative hobbies are simply that: hobbies. They fall behind on our priority scale compared to keeping up with courseloads or clocking in hours at work. We love them, but we forget about them when it’s convenient. It’s easy to fall prey to the cyclical responsibilities of college at the expense of passions, interests and oftentimes our sanity. Creative interests often get put on the back burner. 

When it’s the dead of winter, we often feel devoid of motivation — much less inspiration. The rain-soaked, dimly lit reality of day-to-day life as a Washington college student is far from idyllic.

Unless you’re one of the lucky few who practically lives at Mt.Baker, chances are your daily routine consists of monotonous school work and brain-rotting in the ethers of the internet. Well, what if you do something different? Maybe grab a guitar, watercolors, or a notebook, or pull up music or video editing software. Whatever medium you gravitate towards, and there are many, it will allow you to tap into a different side of your consciousness.  

You don’t have to consider yourself a creator to create. You certainly don’t have to be good at what you’re doing. The hardest mental roadblock you’ll have to overcome is simply making the conscious decision to sit down and create something. It doesn’t matter what. 

Very few things in life are as rewarding as creatively expressing ourselves. That’s all the more reason to embrace the creative process, especially during the dreariest, most motivation-devoid months of the year. 

I have a theory that there’s a symbiotic relationship between seasonal depression and being creative. Being stuck inside and going through the motions of our academic responsibilities deems artistic self-expression as an escapist form of therapy. Beyond that, it fully fuels the creative process by providing an outlet for the pent-up energy and those emotions we’d rather not verbalize. To put this idea to the test, I sat down with various Western Washington University students who spent their free time making stuff: music, paintings, drawings, photography and even films. Here’s what the creators had to say. 

“It’s so important to find something that relaxes you and helps you take your mind off life,” photographer Isabel Mullet said. She’s been doing photography since age 10. 

“It’s something I’ll continue to love for the rest of my life,” Mullet said. 

Finding a creative outlet can become a life-long skill, the same as learning to ride a bike. 

“I got my first guitar when I was five and it’s always been almost a form of meditation. You’re able to block out everything else and only focus on what you’re playing,” said guitarist Scotty Trethewey. “There’s a high you get from learning something new or playing something perfectly through.” 

Not that it has to be perfect…or technically good. What you’re making just has to be personal. 

“My own style kind of evolved by leaning into stuff that was emotional rather than technically complicated because it doesn’t have to be hard to make. You just have to enjoy it. At the end of the day, that’s what matters,” said Shea White, an artist and casual filmmaker. 

Not being world-class at the arts (in any form) shouldn’t be a deterrent. 

“So many people will be like, ‘I suck at drawing,’ or ‘It’s too hard.’ But even drawing or painting something that isn’t necessarily good and playing with the colors is so calming,” artist Hazel Moe said. “There are so many studies that prove it’s good for your mental health…plus it just makes you happy.”

 Art was her favorite part of the day in elementary school and now Moe is a studio arts major hoping to pursue arts education herself. 

“I started dabbling in guitar when I moved to Bellingham and I was just messing around, not taking it seriously. But it was still building that connection with music,” said musician Will Kettle. For him, messing around turned into playing guitar for two bands. 

That’s the root of it: next to no one starts out “good.” Most people find a niche — something they genuinely enjoy doing. Maybe it will develop into something more over time and maybe it won’t. Either way, art is the cheapest form of therapy. Art class settles down rowdy elementary schoolers. For decades, the Department of Veteran Affairs has used art as a form of therapy for veterans with PTSD. In our case, art is a form of escape for overworked college students with seasonal depression. It’s completely universal and accessible to anyone at any age or walk of life. That’s what makes it so beautiful. 

“Not everyone feels the need to express themselves creatively, but everyone has the opportunity to. Even if you don’t feel like you’re a creative person, everyone has something in their minds they can express,” said White. 

He’s right — anyone can become a creator. The ability to create is what makes us human. 

Moreover, mediums like music, art, writing and photography open up an avenue to communicate the things we don’t want to verbalize. We’ve all heard the saying “get it out on paper.” The crazy thing is, it doesn’t even have to be paper, much less words. 

“It was weird to realize I could express myself so much better with music,” Kettle said. “ I was like, how am I able to put more emotion into bendy strings than actual words?” 

Sometimes the things left unsaid, the things we don’t want to acknowledge we’re experiencing, can drive individuals to create some of the most utterly incredible art. 

“A lot of negative emotions can be the best inspiration for a piece of work. That’s why art is so therapeutic — it allows you to convey those emotions,” Moe said. 

The darker emotions we’re uncomfortable feeling and more uncomfortable talking about ultimately fuel the creative process because there’s power and complexity in them. You look at many of the most historically celebrated artists, writers, filmmakers and musicians in our society and, chances are, their work doesn’t center around sunshine, rainbows, and happiness. It conveys the more difficult aspects of the lived experience. That’s probably why you like their work. They artistically convey something you can relate to but wouldn’t want to verbalize and you connect to that unspoken element in an almost spiritual way. 

“There’s comfort in the darkness,” Trethewey said. “It resonates with people.” 

That’s not to say art is always driven by darkness — there’s also so much joy. There’s this ethereal, subliminal aspect to the way society creates and consumes creative works. Artists get into a flow state that can transcend their environment, block out the static in their minds and optimize their attention and energy. When we experience art, it can feel anywhere from personally validating to nothing less than magical. 

It’s a conundrum in many ways; art can be escapism or a reflection of the world around us. It can be mindless or mindful. It can be a casual interest or a lifestyle. 

So here’s my question for you: why not? Out of the infinite possibilities of mediums, genres and styles, what’s stopping you from sitting down and creating something? 

If there is one thing art teaches us, it’s that the gritty, difficult parts of our lived experiences can be transformed into something positively, undeniably beautiful. Art is larger than life and everyone has the capacity to create it.