Creativity as Nourishment: Feeding the Parts of You That Get Overlooked - Julie Brown Neu

Creativity as Nourishment: Feeding the Parts of You That Get Overlooked

four macaroons

Have you ever felt like you were running on empty—not from lack of sleep or food, but something harder to name? A kind of soul-hunger?

We talk a lot about health in terms of nutrition, exercise, and rest. But there’s another kind of nourishment we often overlook: the creative kind. Color, movement, music, making—it feeds something deep and essential in us.

I read something yesterday about this that really resonated with me:

When the arts become a regular practice—the way you might improve nutrition, increase exercise, and prioritize sleep—you unleash an innate tool that helps you navigate the peaks and valleys of your inner life.”

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross

Creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s a vital nutrient for your well-being. It softens the edges of your stress, opens new pathways in your brain, and reminds you who you are underneath the roles and routines. And in my case, it also helps me lose weight!

Lately, I’ve noticed a pattern. After a long, frustrating day at work—the kind that leaves me drained and irritable—I often find myself craving something sweet. Cake, cookies, chocolate… whatever feels like comfort in the moment.

But recently, I caught myself. Was it really sugar I wanted?

The truth is, I was hungry for something else entirely. I didn’t need dessert—I needed a reset. Something to soothe the edges of my day and bring me back to myself.

So instead of raiding the pantry, I gave myself permission to sew. Not for a deadline. Not to be productive. Just to stitch, slowly, for me before I started dinner or tackled the laundry pile.

And it worked. It filled me up in a way no dessert ever could with far fewer calories. 

That’s the kind of nourishment I want you to reclaim too. This month, I invite you to treat creativity not as an extra, but as essential. Let’s feed that part of ourselves that’s been craving color, texture, expression—even in small, quiet ways.

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