Don't despair - build. Your creative brain is made for times like these.
CreativeRx: The science behind why making things has always been our source of rebellion; getting off the hamster wheel; the power of images to spark a movement.
CreativeRx: Every Sunday, I share a peek into my brain as a Creative Health Scientist - the cultural patterns I’m noticing, the scientific data points I’m collecting, the rabbit holes I can’t stop exploring. It’s your dose of creative thinking in an exhausting, overwhelming world.
YOUR “SILLY LITTLE HOBBY” RESTORES YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT 🔥
When I first set out to write CreativeRx, I envisioned writing a little dose of creativity in an exhausting, overwhelming world.
I could have never imagined things would be as exhausting and overwhelming as this.
To be clear: We are not living through "normal" times.
But, as horrific as it is - this is not rare. There have been millions of moments in history when people faced what feels like complete, insurmountable darkness in front of them - and have had to choose: Despair - or build.
Right now, I’m sure many of us feel paralyzed. Hopeless. Like nothing we can do actually will make a difference.
But, here’s what I know - and can offer us - as a Creative Health Scientist: We’re not feeling exhausted because we’re doing too much. We’re exhausted because we’re not taking action.
If you’re like me, you probably spent the past week absorbing. Witnessing. Scrolling. Trying to get every last drop of information - horrors and all.
I’m not here to warn you of the dangers of constant online consumption - I think we’re past that point. We know how bad it is for us. The thing is: Our creative brains are drowning in information - and are begging us to do something with all of it.
Biologically, we need to do two things right now: Not only need to signal to our bodies that we are safe in this moment - but also, rebuild our belief that we can take action, even when we don’t want to.
And, analog, physical creative expression helps us remember how to do both.
Research shows that making things with your hands - knitting, baking bread, gardening, sketching, building - isn’t just some frivolous thing. It literally builds what psychologists call agency, or your capacity to believe that your actions matter. That you have power.
When you transform raw, even broken, materials into something new with your own hands, you’re proving to brain and body: I have the power to build anything - and change is possible.
To me, that’s the opposite of escapism or a “waste of time.” It’s a form of resistance. It’s training for the fight ahead.
Last year, we wrote a preview about this exact moment: The Analog Revolution. How ordinary people are returning to making things with their hands - and it’s moving us out of a constant state of scarcity into reciprocity and care.
It’s never felt more urgent for all of us to take part.
So, this February, we’re going deeper. All month, we’re going to explore: What exactly does analog creation restore for us? Mentally, emotionally, creatively - particularly in this out-of-control world?
How does building things - even small things in the quiet of our home - help us rebuild our humanity?
The reason I’m so passionate about Creative Health is this: The true power of our species is that even in the darkest times, we have the imagination, fortitude, and devotion to build from scratch.
So this week, make something. Anything. Prove to yourself that creation is still possible.
Because if we’re going to build a different world, we need to practice building something, every day, with our own hands.
That is how we restore our fighting spirit.
From my brain to yours,
Katina, Creative Health Scientist & Daydreamers’ Co-founder + Chief Science Officer
Tell me what you think: Did this resonate? Comment below or hit reply - I read every response 🫶🏽
ACTION = ANTIDOTE TO THE ENDLESS, FRANTIC HAMSTER WHEEL 😵💫
“Enough with the busywork already. We’ve been “productive” enough — produced way too much, in fact. And there is too much that urgently needs to be done: a republic to salvage, a civilization to reimagine and its infrastructure to reinvent, innumerable species to save, a world to restore and millions who are impoverished, imprisoned, illiterate, sick or starving. All while we waste our time at work.”
It’s Time To Stop Living In The Great American Scam, Tim Kreider
→ This might be one of my favorite articles - scratch that, pieces of writing - ever. Though it was published in 2022, it feels incredibly relevant in this exact moment. What I especially love about Tim’s perspective is not that he gives words to the exact exhaustion we’re all experiencing - but also, that flow - deep, meaningful engagement - is how we get out of it.
USE YOUR CREATIVE VOICE TO HELP IN CONCRETE WAYS 📢
“Most conversations on the intersections of art and activism focus on the magical, mystical power of expression and imagination. And to be clear, that does matter. But artists can also contribute in more concrete, material ways.”
→ It feels like there are so many lists of resources and ways to support our Minnesota community - and your own - floating around online. But, I really loved how expansive this article was - particularly, for creative thinkers. We have to remember: We don’t need to do everything. Find your unique gift, voice and form of giving - and keep showing up. That is how we make change.
HOW IMAGES CHANGE THE WORLD 📸
This past week, I became fascinated with the cultural and neurological impact of images - and why they are so incredibly powerful in communicating narrative, truth and inspiring change.
We’ve seen it so many times throughout history: From Picasso’s Guernica to even what we’re seeing in Minnesota today. Viral images have the capability to completely transform public awareness about an issue.
And, it happens faster than any written article, policy brief, or political speech ever could. The horrific image of 5-year-old Alan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee, in 2015 increased donations to refugee charities by 100x in a few hours.
That’s because images bypass our rational brain and hit our emotional centers first. They create what researchers call 'testimonial urgency' - the immediate feeling that something, anything must be done.
It doesn’t need to be professional - any one of us can witness and document. So, if you’re feeling powerless: Bear witness. Share what you see. Images are how movements sustain 🫶🏽
This hits the nerve of the moment. Creation isn’t escapism here: it’s agency. Making something tangible restores the nervous system and the belief that action is possible, which constant consumption erodes. Build → regain agency → regain fight. That’s not a hobby; it’s rehearsal for change.
so good! long live the analog way of life!