SPINNING SHADES M A G A Z I N E
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of things brings with them that craved for feeling of fulfilment and subsequent happiness, it is believed. Consuming, it’s thought will fill the vacuous cavities inside one and thus satiate those feelings of emptiness and purposelessness that so many feel in modern secular societies. The problem with such a solution though, is that it lacks any challenge or struggle. It lacks the feeling of overcoming obstacles and exceeding oneself. Some research suggests that a better route to fulfilment and happiness is through engaging in a creative process. One can achieve a deeper sense of satisfaction through the mastery of new skills and setting oneself new challenges. Experts Tamlin S. Conner, Colin G. DeYoung and Paul J. Silvia, contend that there is a link between creative activity and one’s emotional state. Their research focused on the effect that creativity had in producing a feeling of wellbeing and happiness as opposed to emotional well-being having produced a proclivity for creativity. This distinction is significant because it suggests that creative activity in itself can make one feel more fulfilled and therefore happier. Their findings also seem to suggest that even though popular culture links creativity to negative emotional states like madness or sadness, their results suggested that for most people creative endeavors produce emotionally positive results. This is good news for most people because it suggests that taking up a creative pursuit is a much better contender for one’s happiness rather than reaching for one’s credit card to buy that must have sundry in order to feel good today. Instead one simply has to paint a picture, or learn a new language, or engage is whatever creative endeavor that takes one’s fancy.