How Will YOU Define Creativity?
Why there's never been a better time to turn inwards for answers.
As someone who did a PhD on the relationship between creativity and posttraumatic growth, I’m disappointed and devastated. I offered a pathway forward for growth after trauma grounded in doing 30 minutes of creative activity a day… but that didn’t factor in what could happen in the outside world.
I did my research from 2013–2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic, before the wars, and before artificial intelligence (AI) put us in this current death grip. This is significant because what I didn’t consider is that we would end up living in a world that’s not post-trauma.
So with death and destruction infinitely scrolling before our eyes every day, the only real respite is to close your eyes and tap in. Here’s how I do that (which, naturally, starts with asking myself a question).
Creative Self-Inquiry
“What good can creativity actually do for all this pain, loss and horror?”
You might already be thinking: “but Dr Maz, what does that have to do with my inner self?!” EVERYTHING. Your inner landscape is as vast as you make it – and it’s completely within your control (especially when it doesn’t feel like it). So when the world is spiralling down, you have the agency to turn in and spiral up… but how?
I’ve come to learn that creativity is the answer to just about every problem. Not artistry, but pure creativity, ie. connecting the dots in new and interesting ways. More so when your external world has been destroyed or is falling apart. That’s your cue to collect all the pieces and look for new ways to put it back together.
Let’s do that with today’s creative self-inquiry question. Because I don’t know about you, but I could use a fresh perspective on the shitstorm that is 2026 right now!
“What good…”
These two words are powerfully provocative in their simplicity. They’re beginning you to pull focus, to look for the good. There’s no shortage of bad out there, but the same is true for kind, beautiful, and positive things, too. Your background, lived experience and beliefs might have put up a negative filter, but it’s never too late to swap it out for one that’s more optimistic (therapy, journaling and self-care are a good place to start).
But what IS good nowadays? It’s anything that’s beneficial, morally excellent, virtuous, or purposeful. When applied to creativity, it has nothing to do with aesthetics: it’s the intention underneath it. ‘What good’ asks you to choose a problem and offering an alternative – from where you are, with what you have.
“…can creativity actually do for”
Creativity isn’t a magic bullet or a cure-all for the world’s maladies though. It’s not about ‘solving’ anything either, because that’s not how life works. Change is constant and creativity gives you a way to not only cope with uncertainty, but harness it.
When you have a creative mindset, you can view change and loss as opportunities, not obstacles. Life is always giving you the raw materials for growth and, just like a plant, you need different materials, in different ratios, to bloom.
But here’s the kicker: when you start by creating for yourself first, you end up creating what others need. There might be a physical object made in the end, but that’s not the real point of the process. The point is to be an active participant in your own life, not sit back from the sidelines and watch the world crumble around you.
“…all this pain, loss and horror?”
This part of the question is hard. I hate that we bear witness to so much destruction, but I also believe that we do need to see it (to a certain extent). The hill I’ve claimed to die on is that it’s possible to grow after trauma by being creative – but that doesn’t mean I think everyone should be traumatised to do it.
Whether it happens firsthand in your own life, or in the lives of those around you, there’s nothing fun or light about psychological trauma. While I’m not a psychologist, trauma has torn my life apart a few times. Despite my default mode being ‘relentless optimism’, it hurt like hell, and it took me years to find a place where I wasn’t running from it or being self-destructive.
Here’s the truth: you might not be ready
If you’re asking today’s creative self-inquiry question to yourself, you might not be ready to create from that dark place. Time and therapeutic work needs to get you to a point where it doesn’t burn, but maybe just stings, in order to offer something good (that won’t trigger others).
There will come a point, however, when a small voice asks: “what could we make from this?” And what I’m here to do is help you nurture that voice by giving it creative fuel – because the more of us that do this work, the more beauty, magic, and goodness can flourish in this traumatised world.
Remember: there’s someone out there who’s currently going through what you went through, praying for the insights that only you can offer. You don’t need to start a business, become a life coach, or even write a book… but your lived experience is trying to find a form to take and you owe it to your past self to let it out.
Creatively yours,
Dr Maz xoxo
PS: You may want to listen to this podcast episode if you’re looking for a way to reignite your creativity. And then buy the book, too.