The Power of Creating: How Making Improves Mental Health and Fuels Happiness

In a world that moves faster every single day, it's easy to feel like we're just reacting to life instead of creating it. Between work, social media, and endless notifications, most of us don't get enough time to simply make something for the sheer joy of creating. But when you do - when you pour, build, paint, crave, dance, or craft - something incredible happens. You reconnect with your hands, your body, your mind, and your sense of purpose. 

At Promise, we see it every day. The makers who pour resin, sand slabs, or encapsulate florals aren't just creating beautiful things - they are taking care of their mental health in a powerful hands-on way by allowing expression. 

Creating is a Form of Mindfulness

If you've ever lost track of time while making something, you've experienced flow - that focused, peaceful state where your mind quiets down and you're fully immersed in what's in front of you. 

In resin art, for example, that might look like carefully mixing your pigments to create the perfect color palette, or guiding the flow of resin across the granular surface of a slab to recreate ocean waves that make you feel alive. It's almost like you can taste salt water when you look at that finished piece right? It's sensory. And it pulls you into the present moment. 

That's mindfulness in action. Studies have shown that mindfulness can reduce anxiety, lower stress hormones, and even improve sleep. Creative activities like woodworking, painting, and resin art naturally encourage mindfulness - you don't have to meditate on a cushion; you just have to show up and make something. 

Making Things Gives You a Sense of Control & Accomplishment

When life feels unpredictable, creating something tangible gives you a sense of stability and agency. You're taking raw materials and transforming them into something new. That transformation mirrors what's possible in your own life. 

For woodworkers, there's satisfaction in seeing a rough slab become a finished piece of furniture you made with your own hands. A vision you brought to life and built from scratch. For resin artists, it's watching a pour go from liquid to solid - a literal manifestation of patience and trust in the process. And let's not forget that both require lots and lots of patience, which having a minutia of is an accomplishment all by itself. 

And when you finish a project, you can see what you've accomplished. That feeling of pride and completion can combat low mood and boost self-esteem. It's not about perfection - it's about progress, presence, creation, and vulnerability. 

Creative Outlets Reduce Stress & Anxiety

You brain is literally wired to create. When you engage with your body, your nervous system shifts gears - it moves away from fight-or-flight mode into a calmer, more balanced state. 

Many makers say their workspace is their sanctuary. The acts of sanding, pouring, or painting becomes meditative. Each repetitive movement helps quiet mental chatter while also reducing cortisol, a stress hormone, in the body. The result? Improved mood, lower stress, and even better focus throughout the day. 

And unlike scrolling through your phone or zoning out in front of a screen, creating gives your brain active rest. You're focused, but relaxed. Stimulated, but not overwhelmed. It's one of the healthiest forms of escape there is. And let's be real - don't we all need to escape and pretend we're somewhere else, someone else for just a little bit. To create a dream all for ourselves we can visit from time to time. 

Making Connects You to Community

Humans are social creatures, and creativity is meant to be shared. Whether you're part of a local guild, an online resin art group, or a maker space, creating brings people together. 

You can see it across the Promise community - makers encouraging each other, sharing tips, celebrating wins, celebrating failures, and turning passion projects into small businesses. That sense of belonging can be deeply healing, especially for people who struggle with loneliness or isolation. 

Even just posting your work online or sharing it with friends builds connection. A lot of us retreat from connection, but being in connection and community is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Creating art, in all it's various forms, is the perfect bridge for that. 

Creative Expression Helps Process Emotions

Sometimes words just aren't enough. When you're struggling with something - stress, grief, anxiety, or burnout - creating can help you express what's hard to say. 

Resin artists might pour their emotions into color choices - moody blacks, fiery reds, calming blues, grounding greens. Woodworkers might find peace in bringing something natural back to life. Every pour, carve, and brushstroke tells a story. Hell, we even once saw a young artist create the most beautiful framed artwork from paper and handpicked sage as his personal homage. 

Art has long been used in therapy for this reason - it gives form to feelings. When you create, you're not avoiding emotions; you're transforming them into something meaningful.

The Science Behind the "Maker's High"

Ever notice that rush of happiness after finishing a project? That's dopamine - the feel good neurotransmitter associated with reward and motivation. 

When you create, your brain releases dopamine in small bursts along the way; during the idea stage, when you start mixing colors and mediums, when the pour looks perfect, and when you finally peel off the mold. It's a built-in feedback loop that keeps you coming back for more. 

Regular creative activity can help regulate dopamine levels, which are linked to motivation, focus, and mood stability. In short - making things literally rewires your brain for happiness. 

Creativity Helps You Embrace Imperfection

Perfectionism is one of the biggest sources of stress for modern creators. But here's the truth: in resin, woodworking, or any craft, something will always go slightly differently than planned (life anyone?). A bubble forms. A pigment swirls unexpectedly. Cat hair cures in your resin.

And that's okay - sometimes it's even better than what you imagined. And isn't that so true of much more than just resin art...that sometimes even the beautifully imperfect moments and experiences lead you to something far greater than you could have planned or pictured for yourself. 

Creative work teaches resilience and flexibility. You learn to adapt, experiment, and find beauty in imperfection. That mindset doesn't just make you a better artist - it makes you more grounded in everyday life, too. 

Turning Creativity into Purpose

For many makers, what starts as a mental health outlet turns into something bigger - a small business, a side hustle, or a community movement. That sense of purpose amplifies the emotional benefits of creating. 

Selling your work, gifting it, or even teaching others how to make it adds layers of fulfillment. You're not just making things - you're creating meaning. And that, at its core, is what humans need most. 

We've seen countless makers take that leap: artists who turn their therapy into thriving shops, woodworkers who make heirlooms for families, and DIYers who rediscover their spark after burnout. It all starts with one thing - choosing to make.

How to Start (or Reignite) Your Creative Practice

You don't need fancy tools or a massive shop to start creating. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to experiment. 

Here are a few simple ways to get going: 

• Try something new. Maybe that's a resin coaster set, a small woodworking project, or something completely off the wall for you like singing karaoke, taking a dance class, writing a poem. 
• Start small. You don't have to build a full river table - being with a coaster, a keychain, or a small canvas. 
• Schedule creative time. Even 20 minutes a week can make a difference for your mood. 
• Embrace mistakes. Every maker started somewhere. The only "bad" pour is the one you never tried. 
• Share your work. Post your progress, join a community, tell a friend about your recent endeavors, or gift your creations. Connection is part of the joy. 

And if you ever need inspiration to start Promise is here for you - supporting makers, dreamers, and doers every step of the way. 

Creating isn't just a hobby - it's a form of self-care. Whether you're pouring epoxy, sanding a slab, painting a canvas, or building something completely from scratch, you're engaging your hands, heart, and mind in a way that heals. In a culture obsessed with consuming, creating is an act of restoration. It reminds us that we're capable, adaptable, and very much alive. 

So next time you step into your workspace, remember: it's not just about the final product. It's about the peace you find while making it.