Could creative movement be your path to healing?

Last updated on: October 8, 2024 at 12:25 pm by Samantha Mattheiss

Could creative movement be your path to healing? 2024-10-08T12:25:05-04:00 Samantha Mattheiss

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Have you ever been inspired to do something creative? Maybe paint, dance, draw, or create something new in the world?

Renoir and his call to paint

French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir surely did. He was determined to celebrate the beauty of creation by painting. What some people don’t know, is that Renoir suffered debilitating and painful rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, according to an exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum, Renoir was faced with such physical pain, that he perceived a choice to either paint or walk. He chose to paint.

These words stuck with me, as they highlight the energy and passion with which an artist creates. This longing supersedes physical pain, ailment, and suffering; and takes one to a new level of peace, enjoyment, and beauty.

Do you long to create beauty?

Maybe you, too, long to create beauty in this world. Maybe you have a particular passion—whether its painting, dancing, drawing, or creating something in this world. Maybe you long to raise children or live on a farm or travel the countryside. Whatever it is—you have a passion and a longing.

Creative movement is a path to healing

What’s fascinating is that sometimes creating, or moving in line with the music in our hearts, is our path to healing and growth.

In fact, research shows that children benefit immensely from physical activity, engaging in art is therapeutic, and engaging with beauty promotes flourishing.

It’s also important to note that “recreation” is different for different people. It depends on what activities you particularly enjoy. One person’s recreational activities will look different from another’s. So it’s important to consider what feels recreational, or enjoyable, to you.

Choose life, create beauty

In the Bible, we read “Choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). In John Paul II’s 1999 letter to artists, we see the value of artistic creation in fostering joy. He explains that artists beautify the world, with beauty being a “call to transcendence.” He invites artists: “May your many different paths all lead to that infinite Ocean of beauty where wonder becomes awe, exhilaration, unspeakable joy.”

For many, creative movement—whether dance, art, writing, or inventing—is their path towards life. It brings deep joy, peace, and healing. The benefits extend beyond oneself, as one’s movement brings beauty to the world.

Artists and Saints beautify

If you find yourself wounded yet inspired; longing to create; eager to dance to the music of your soul, you’re not alone. You walk with many artists and saints alike who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sought to beautify the world through love. Their creative movement was their path to healing, repairing past wounds and making them whole.

Dance. Paint. Love.

So don’t let anyone “clip your wings,” as a friend of mine recently described; but rather go forth, move to the music in your soul. Dance. Paint. Inspire. And Love.

Beauty from brokenness

In doing so, you’ll beautify the world from the inside out. You’ll allow God, an Artist, to take your own brokenness and make something beautiful from it, for all to see.

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