Making things is a great route to good mental health and general sense of wellbeing. It provides an enormous sense of meaning in our lives. Many of us spend huge amounts of time in front of a screen; and at the end of the day it is difficult at times to see anything tangible from what we have done. Making something gives a very tangible focus for our efforts.
We were created to be creative. This can be understood as being made in the image of God; with our creativity built into us as a ‘spark’ of God’s creativity; or it can be understood as built into us through the evolutionary process. It is making things, rather than just using a found object as a tool, which is a distinctive feature of being a hominid. It is being creative and varying what we have seen others do which distinguishes Homo Sapiens from the rest of our line.
To be creative therefore is embedded within our deepest levels of being. It is always worth being aware of who we are and ensuring we are responding appropriately to those very deep drives and working with them.
Making things – however rough and ready – can provide a very deep sense of satisfaction because it is tapping into some very deep currents in who we are. There are lots of ideas on the internet of how to be creative. This garden tool rack made from a pallet is not pretty and a long way from fine carpentry - but it does a very useful job in the garage and was very satisfying to make.
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