I tried to make this article as succinct as possible, but I feel like I could write a whole book on these thoughts! Hope you all enjoy!
Our creativity begins in our bodies.
I’ve known it to feel like fear as my stomach drops, or a spark of curiosity as a tingle in my chest, or a moment of inspiration from noticing the movement of my feet.
I’ve found that it often begins before we even notice it. From the hum of a tune under your breath, a doodle in the margin of your notes, or the way you arrange food on a plate, creativity is the foundation of expression. And anytime we express our emotions, we practice the act of creativity.
This is also how we can practice listening and staying with our feelings even when it’s uncomfortable. By staying present with what emerges moment to moment, we build trust that we won’t abandon ourselves when things get tough. In that presence, we also get to know ourselves and build a sense of identity around connection, listening, and expression.
Creativity is an embodied act of trusting our bodies’ signals and allowing them to guide us toward a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Creativity Teaching Embodiment
When I first started working with clay, I worked really hard to control it. I wanted my bowls to be perfectly rounded, my mugs to be even, and my lines to be clean. I learned very quickly that this is not how pottery works. The clay slumps, it resists, it teaches you that your hands not nearly as steady as you imagined. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to start over, not because I did something “wrong,” but because I was trying to force my end goal instead of connecting with my body and expressing that through the clay (regardless of the final product).
I slowly began to realize that imposing order over my creativity actually killed it. But listening to my body and expressing what I heard made it more fun, exciting, and inspiring. Don’t get me wrong, creating the perfect mug feels good. But, I wanted to create art that looked like mine. I wanted it to have quirks and surprises and help me get to know myself better. I can go to any store and buy a “perfect” mug.
Creativity invites us to pay attention. We can’t help but notice what it feels like in our hands, chest, and breath as we begin to form something. Whether it’s pressing a pencil onto a page, dragging a paintbrush across a canvas, or the strumming of a guitar string. If we let it, creativity can shift from the end goal of producing a masterpiece to an act of sensing, responding, and adjusting based on what our bodies are communicating.
These are the first steps of creative embodiment. It’s the same skill we practice with embodiment when we slow down long enough to notice our hunger, our fatigue, or the desire for movement or rest. Creativity teaches us how to notice without judgment, how to let what is happening in the body lead instead of trying to manage or dull it.
Over time, the act of creative expression can start to build a more natural pattern of presence. We can begin to trust that those small nudges from within are worth following. We learn that discomfort doesn’t have to be bad or scary, it can be an invitation to explore something new.
Embodiment Shaping Identity
Identity is a slippery word. The more years I spend as a therapist, the more loosely I hold it. We often talk about identity as though it’s always constant, or a puzzle to be solved that will help us solve the issues in our lives. Unfortunately, many of us know from experience that identity is in constant motion. I picture it more as a lopsided, shifting glob of different colors and textures. Perhaps the very core remains the same, but many aspects of ourselves shift, evolve, and change over time and through different circumstances. Who we are is not just an idea we hold in our heads, it’s something we can discover all the ever-changing aspects of as we connect to our bodies and express ourselves. Over and over and over again.
Embodiment can help us bring our identity out of abstraction and into our conscious, daily lives.
As you create, your body is giving you constant feedback. Maybe your chest tightens when you take a risk on the page. Maybe you notice your breath slowing as you sink into a flow. Maybe your jaw clenches when you try to make something “perfect,” and softens only when you let go. Each of these moments is teaching us something about ourselves and guiding us toward further expression and discovery.
As we pay attention to these cues, our sense of identity can slowly become more clear in ways that we often can’t get to just by thinking about it. Thoughts often come up like, “I feel most alive when I’m experimenting.” Or, “I shrink when I think someone is watching.” Or even, “I’m at home with myself when I let messiness happen.” While these may seem like insignificant observations, they are basis of discovering our individual identities, uncovered through the practice of listening to our bodies as we create and express.
Creativity, then, becomes a mirror. A mirror that shows you who you are when you allow yourself to show up without any demands or expectations. It reveals the layers of self you might otherwise miss if you lived only in your head.
Identity Freeing Creativity
Once we begin to feel like our identity is no longer rooted in performance, creativity can become the medium for connection and presence with ourselves.
So much of perfectionism comes from tying our worth to what we’re able to produce. If the song isn’t good, then I’m not good. If the essay isn’t brilliant, then I’m not enough. If the bowl collapses on the wheel, then I’m a failure. But when you know your identity is not up for debate, when you’ve really felt that in your body, the urgency to prove yourself starts to fade.
You don’t need any proof of your worthiness. You don’t need to secure your belonging. You already have those things.
And from that place, a creative endeavor (or any endeavor at that) doesn’t need to carry any weight or mean anything about you as a person. Creativity can start to feel freeing, gentle, and even playful. You can start to approach the page or the clay or the dance floor without needing to extract proof of your value. Instead, you can treat it as exploration, discovery, and conversation with yourself. The work doesn’t have to be “good” to matter. It matters because it teaches you something about yourself in the process.
It’s All Intertwined
This is why creativity, embodiment, and identity are so deeply interconnected:
Creativity is an embodied act. It’s through sensation, intuition, and connection to ourselves that we are able to practice true creative expression.
Embodiment informs identity. Feeling our sensations and allowing ourselves to express it helps us know ourselves and lowers defenses.
Identity gives safety to creativity. When we have our own basis for identity, embodiment, and belonging, we can let go of perfectionism and create freely.
Each aspect is intertwined and ongoing. Each strengthens the others.
Each time you create, you deepen your embodiment. Each time you feel more embodied, you discover more of your identity. Each time you root into your identity, you create with less pressure and more freedom.
It’s in this cycle we practice again and again that builds resilience, softness, and presence.
A Gentle Practice
If you want to explore this in your own life, see what happens with this practice:
Sit down to create or express something in whatever way feels best to you, but pause first. Place one hand on your chest or belly. Close your eyes if it feels safe. Ask yourself, “What sensation is here right now?”
It doesn’t have to be profound. Maybe your stomach is growling or your shoulders are tense. Maybe there’s a faint buzzing in your chest you’re struggling to name. Whatever it is, just notice it.
Now, let that sensation guide your creativity. Write a line that captures it. Choose a color that feels like it. Shape the clay in response to it. Move your body with that feeling in mind.
When you finish, no matter what the result looks like, tell yourself: I created. I expressed. That is enough.
Closing Reflection
Creativity, embodiment, and identity live in harmony with one another. Each time you create, you practice being in your body. Each time you listen to your body, you discover more of who you are. Each time you root yourself in your identity, you free your creativity to flow without fear.
My hope is that this is a cycle that takes us far from the pressure of perfection or performance.
Reflection prompt: When you create, what do you learn about your body? About yourself? About who you are or are becoming?