defining creative health

Lately I’ve been thinking about our intrinsic need to categorize, and what might be left on the table for the sake of efficiency.

Assigning items into groups helps our brain save energy and move faster. But what if this habit of compartmentalization is also a habitual losing sight of the whole? I find this is often the case when it comes to the conversation of wellness.

We tend to think about our individual wellness in the following domains: physical health, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health—and often in this order. All of these brackets are important; worthy of consistent monitoring and exploration.

But the same brain doing the compartmentalizing is the same brain that often doesn’t see the whole picture. We’re all susceptible to blind spots, misinformation, and bias. Inevitably, information gets left out.

In the context of wellness, there are a lot of data points residing outside the default verticals of our well-being. Because my brain can’t help it, I’ve scooped some them up and given them a new home in the category I refer to as “creative health.”

We are creative beings at our core. Every day is an act of creation—whether we’re building a family, a career, an identity, or a tiered cake. The forces that govern our days are catalysts of creation. Hunger results in the creation of fat, muscles, and tissues. Attraction results in the creation of connection. Curiosity results in the creation of new synapses and ideas. Mostly I think the human experience is about making something out of nothing, daily.

Whether or not you identify as a creative person, we all have creative impulses (it just may not involve penning a poem or mixing paints). Creative impulse is the director of our most powerful and life-changing experiences. And creative health is about nurturing it.

Because the modern world certainly won’t nurture it for you. It’ll suppress it, though. There’s barely room for creativity when we’re streaming and scrolling. Our convenience culture solves our problems before we even have a creative chance to do it ourselves. Fear, stress, and conflict are ubiquitous—and it’s really hard to indulge in creative life when we’re scared.

Our creative spark isn’t going anywhere—we need it to survive. But why settle for a little spark when we’re capable of a roaring fire? This question is the ethos of creative health.

Just like we’re capable of building a strong body, resilient mind, fluid emotions, and connected spirit—we can tend to our creativity… And we’ll be more “well” for it.

in question

I write this as I’m looking at a hunk of quartz crystal sitting on my mantle, which lately, I haven’t admired in quite the same way.

The thing about crystals, often disregarded in favor of healing properties and peripheral sparkles, is they come from somewhere. They each have an origin story, beyond the subterranean mysteries of the planet.

India, China, and Brazil are amongst some of the highest exporting countries of crystals—but it depends on the mineral or gem. And while many mining ventures are industrialized and regulated, many aren’t. Madagascar, for example, is the top producer of amazonite, calcite, cordierite, and labradorite. It’s also one of the poorest countries in the world. Instead of machines and technology doing their crystal mining…. It’s human hands. Actually, 80% of the crystals from Madagascar are mined by small unregulated groups of people, families, and children.

Plus, we all know how expensive crystals are. But in many cases, the beings digging them up don’t have running water or electricity. While retailers are marking crystals up sometimes 100%, many miners are living well below the poverty line. Dust and quartz particles from mining are known to cause a variety of healthy issues, while rock slides and collapses have taken lives. All for a polished piece of rose quartz to sit on our bedside.

Ethically-sourcing our crystals is where this conversation could go. But what might be more productive is noticing how this narrative remains alarmingly unchanged if you just swap out the product—fabrics, organic foods, clean beauty products. And there are plenty of outlets for blame.

But instead of pointing fingers and trying to right the wrong, what if we circle back to the redemptive power of story? Behind every product is a story—some uplifting and some tragic. And as human beings, we gravitate toward plot. We crave a good narrative arc. Plus, storytelling has been proven to enhance human kindness and altruism.

It’s easy to hear about the perils of an industry, get discouraged, and keep making the same decisions as consumers. So as a more optimistic approach—what if we started seeking out stories like another criteria when we shop? Cheat code—if it’s hard to find a story, it’s because it doesn’t end well. No one hides good news.

moving toward / moving away

I’m moving toward internal validation, plain and simple. From the moment we’re born, we are conditioned for external validation. We do something funny or take a first step and we are rewarded. This is simultaneously healthy and reinforcing of a habit to look outward as we grow. And how deep these roots run. I’m moving toward internal validation as the art of taking action specifically to please and fulfill myself—down to this very newsletter. I was recently gifted some great advice—before you create anything, ask yourself: Who are you trying to please?

I’m moving away from the idea of numbers as the default metric of success; from the assumption that quantity is somehow a reflection of quality, because sometimes it is but a lot of times it isn’t. To assume that smaller numbers are inferior to bigger ones is sort of like believing that a deep breath isn’t powerful, that you can’t fall in love at first sight, or that your life can’t change on a dime. We live in a culture obsessed with scale, but a universe where change actually starts very small. I’ve been thinking… What if the biggest impact I could possibly make in this life was because of an interaction with one person?

products with promise

I’ve recently had my health-and-hormone world rocked by Margaret James—in the best way possible. Currently enrolled in one of her courses, I’ve been coming home to the wisdom of my body, harmonizing with natural cycles, and nourishing myself better than ever. And part of that has been with herbs from her Wild & Radiant Botanicals line.

I tune into her IG Stories and see her growing and harvesting the herbs that go right into her products—from herbal teas, to skin cleansers, to face oil (her best seller). And, the virtual world at its best, I suddenly feel connected. Like I want to go outside for some fresh air. Like I’m sipping on something made with love and reverence for nature—because I am.

Wild & Radiant Botanicals is free of ingredients connected to hormone disruption, thyroid dysregulation, and other imbalances. Margaret is a certified Ayurveda counselor, Holistic Perinatal Health Consultant, and herbalist. Anything that is grown from her hands, I cannot recommend enough.

creative health