“I never thought I’d say this,” commented my friend, bluntly, “But you look dowdy.”

He was right. Since being ill, putting on weight, selling the business and being at home all day, I had been living in jeans and baggy sweatshirts, rarely bothering with makeup or jewellery, and leaving the house just as I was, without making any effort with my appearance at all. Oh lo, how the mighty have fallen!

While I was living that retired life, I had lots of time to indulge in my passion, making cards, but I didn’t. My craft room remained a sterile place, with paper, inks, ribbons and glue all away in their allotted places, instead of scattered around, as they are when I am in the middle of a project.

What changed for me was getting a job. Suddenly, with less time to create, the desire was there, and I have already made fifty Christmas cards. I have another twenty to go and then I should be done for this year at least. I’m on such a roll though, I may decide to get a head start on next Christmas!

Possibly, the job gave me back my confidence, as the sweatshirts have been put away and the smart jackets have come out. I have started to wear makeup every day and to dig out my necklaces and earrings. At home, I’m still wearing my nice colourful clothes – a bright green jumper today, with a turquoise top peeping out from the neck. It sounds as if it shouldn’t go together, but it does – trust me on this! At work, I’m in uniform, of course – and the colour is not one of my best – but at least I still wear my makeup.

Was it getting a job that changed things for me, or was it just the right time? 

What stimuli are there in our lives that change things for us? It’s easy to spot the events that can change things for the worse: bereavement of any kind; serious disappointment; poverty; illness. But what about changes for the better? 

They say that having money doesn’t make you happy, but research suggests that having a certain level of savings does make people happier because they feel more secure. If we can save regularly, then our mental health should improve. With that improvement, we gain confidence and a pride in ourselves.

Good physical health is certainly an element. It’s hard to make the effort or be creative when you don’t have any energy, or when you’re worried about your health. If you have been ill and then you get better, it’s amazing how your positive emotions bounce back too.

It takes time to recover from a bereavement – and recover is perhaps the wrong word; maybe adjust is better. It takes time to bounce back from a serious disappointment. But, with that adjustment and recovery, does creativity and a zest for life return?

What about your own creativity, in whatever form that takes? What events affect it – for the better or for the worse? 

Mary

A Moodscope member