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Creative Renewal: An Invitation to Make Stuff and to Stop Clicking Stuff
Creative expression is integral to guarding well-being, solving big problems, and improving mental health while reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. With pervasive mental health challenges today, each person’s creative gifts are needed more than ever right now.
Although there’s a creative longing in every person, it's often drowned out by distractions like social media or the never-ending 24-hour news headlines. Even creative beginners who could make time for their artistic passions may abandon their potential due to doubts and discouragement.
Author Ed Cyzewski shares how he dramatically improved his mental health and well-being by prioritizing creative pursuits like woodworking projects, oil pastel painting, drawing, and writing.
Creative Renewal guides aspiring creators past the barriers of doubt and failure so they can discover the renewal and restoration that comes through regular creative practices and projects.
Cyzewski shares creative ideas for beginners and artistic projects that provide ideal starting points. It’s much easier to doom scroll on social media, binge-watch shows, or click on the latest distressing news story.
There’s no digital substitute for the restoration and renewal gained by making a time each week for the joy of creative exploration or the peaceful flow of an engaging artistic project. Creative Renewal is an encouraging invitation that will help you get started.
Although there’s a creative longing in every person, it's often drowned out by distractions like social media or the never-ending 24-hour news headlines. Even creative beginners who could make time for their artistic passions may abandon their potential due to doubts and discouragement.
Author Ed Cyzewski shares how he dramatically improved his mental health and well-being by prioritizing creative pursuits like woodworking projects, oil pastel painting, drawing, and writing.
Creative Renewal guides aspiring creators past the barriers of doubt and failure so they can discover the renewal and restoration that comes through regular creative practices and projects.
Cyzewski shares creative ideas for beginners and artistic projects that provide ideal starting points. It’s much easier to doom scroll on social media, binge-watch shows, or click on the latest distressing news story.
There’s no digital substitute for the restoration and renewal gained by making a time each week for the joy of creative exploration or the peaceful flow of an engaging artistic project. Creative Renewal is an encouraging invitation that will help you get started.
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2022
17 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Ed Cyzewski
42 books119 followersEd Cyzewski is an author and editor north of Nashville. His books include Flee, Be Silent, Pray; Reconnect; Creative Renewal; and the Christian Survival Guide. Sign up for his bi-weekly newsletter for soul care ideas and book updates/discounts at www.edcyzewski.com.
Books by Ed Cyzewski
- Flee, Be Silent, Pray: Ancient Prayers for Anxious Christians
- Reconnect: Spiritual Restoration from Digital Distraction
- The Good News of Revelation
- Hazardous: Committing to the Cost of Following Jesus
- Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life
- Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity
Books by Ed Cyzewski
- Flee, Be Silent, Pray: Ancient Prayers for Anxious Christians
- Reconnect: Spiritual Restoration from Digital Distraction
- The Good News of Revelation
- Hazardous: Committing to the Cost of Following Jesus
- Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life
- Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 24, 2022
I wasn't sure this book would be for me because I'm not an artist.
But I was wrong. It is for me. It is for each of us. We all have creative energy in us that we either use for good or allow to lie dormant.
Ed's humble encouragement in this book reminds us that we have better uses of our time and mental health than simply scrolling through social media or youtube videos.
"I can’t think of a better way to counteract the negative impacts of screens than getting out something tactile with texture and color that doesn’t require a battery or a backlight."
I needed to hear Ed advise us to "waste stuff every day," to give ourselves permission to take risks and make messes. It's easy to count these messes as just failures. But Ed says, "I have learned to stop thinking about failure when it comes to creativity. I prefer to use words like 'practice' or 'experiment.'" We all can practice and experiment. And grow.
We can pursue our own creative projects to make the world a better place, or at a bare minimum, make our own selves a better human being.
"A creative project doesn’t need to gain attention from the masses. It doesn’t need speed. It doesn’t have to turn a profit. It just exists because of your love, joy, and passion."
While reading this book, I began making a list of things I can create instead of thinking of all the things I can't. Now that I've finished the book, the responsibility is up to me to follow through. Ed did his part. Now I must do mine.
If you want to be motivated to create and feel good about it, I recommend you read this book, too.
But I was wrong. It is for me. It is for each of us. We all have creative energy in us that we either use for good or allow to lie dormant.
Ed's humble encouragement in this book reminds us that we have better uses of our time and mental health than simply scrolling through social media or youtube videos.
"I can’t think of a better way to counteract the negative impacts of screens than getting out something tactile with texture and color that doesn’t require a battery or a backlight."
I needed to hear Ed advise us to "waste stuff every day," to give ourselves permission to take risks and make messes. It's easy to count these messes as just failures. But Ed says, "I have learned to stop thinking about failure when it comes to creativity. I prefer to use words like 'practice' or 'experiment.'" We all can practice and experiment. And grow.
We can pursue our own creative projects to make the world a better place, or at a bare minimum, make our own selves a better human being.
"A creative project doesn’t need to gain attention from the masses. It doesn’t need speed. It doesn’t have to turn a profit. It just exists because of your love, joy, and passion."
While reading this book, I began making a list of things I can create instead of thinking of all the things I can't. Now that I've finished the book, the responsibility is up to me to follow through. Ed did his part. Now I must do mine.
If you want to be motivated to create and feel good about it, I recommend you read this book, too.
May 22, 2022
Delightful Read
Creative Renewal was a delightful read . Ed provided a way forward after the long months of pandemic lockdown . Thank you so much .
Creative Renewal was a delightful read . Ed provided a way forward after the long months of pandemic lockdown . Thank you so much .
September 7, 2022
Grabbed this on a whim from Kindle Unlimited. The intro went on too long, and the author shares waaaaaay too much about his passion for oil pastels, but overall it's a very encouraging read. Heavy faith element, which was a plus for me (I actually wish he'd embraced this element whole-heartedly rather than trying to appeal to everyone)
Make stuff. Take some risks. Step away from screens and so something -- even if turns out badly, you'll have learned something.
Nothing new or earth shaking here, but a good reminder that creativity is important.
"Creative renewal helps us escape the race to win, the many distractions of life, and the anxiety of our times. We can enter into a state of flow that reminds us there are other ways to live than surrendering ourselves to clicks."
"If creative projects can bring renewal, they can also spark fear as we get started with them...That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t face them...My fears can reveal a lot about myself, which can become an opportunity to either face what I fear or to retreat into distraction and avoidance."
"I could choose to play it safe and only do the predictable and risk-free things during my free time. On the other hand, I could challenge myself to try something that may not work, ask questions that I may not answer, or create things that may never take shape. Those possibilities are unsettling, but they’re also the price of admission to find our way."
"Showing up for stuff that doesn’t matter or failing to show up for things that do matter count as significant losses for myself and others."
Make stuff. Take some risks. Step away from screens and so something -- even if turns out badly, you'll have learned something.
Nothing new or earth shaking here, but a good reminder that creativity is important.
"Creative renewal helps us escape the race to win, the many distractions of life, and the anxiety of our times. We can enter into a state of flow that reminds us there are other ways to live than surrendering ourselves to clicks."
"If creative projects can bring renewal, they can also spark fear as we get started with them...That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t face them...My fears can reveal a lot about myself, which can become an opportunity to either face what I fear or to retreat into distraction and avoidance."
"I could choose to play it safe and only do the predictable and risk-free things during my free time. On the other hand, I could challenge myself to try something that may not work, ask questions that I may not answer, or create things that may never take shape. Those possibilities are unsettling, but they’re also the price of admission to find our way."
"Showing up for stuff that doesn’t matter or failing to show up for things that do matter count as significant losses for myself and others."
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews