We know that creative approaches can lead to innovation across many domains. But what about a more ‘hands-on’ experience through art practices that enable us to express ourselves creatively?

There’s been a growth in studies that quantify the mental health and overall well-being benefits of creative practices. Engaging in creative activities has been attributed to improving rates of depression, reducing the body’s response to stress, assisting with cognitive decline, boosting the immune system to an increase in happiness.

Participating in the arts through everyday creative activities and utilising the creative potential that we all possess at any age, by engaging in dancing, drawing, painting, performing and more broadly craft making, are being understood as an essential part of a holistic healthcare system.

This is part of an existing course 'Optimising Creativity for Well-Being' that explores how creativity can assist throughout our life with a focus on overall well-being as we mature and age.

Creating art is a basic human need, but it’s only recently that research has finally caught up to the notion that it’s also something we can’t afford to live without. This research is making it clear that experiencing or creating art has a dynamic effect on our brain. This form of creativity can potentially address some of the most difficult issues of our time including chronic stress and associated illnesses, pain management and addiction, learning differences, depression and mental illness, and reduced productivity and innovation.

It includes a 20 minute video and a transcript of the voice over.