An impermanent art practice for everyone
Contemporary neuroscience has identified that creativity, nature and community all contribute to strong mental health.
EverySevenDays
seeks to work these in combination to give everyone a simple way to achieve a sense of well being and connection.
What are the benefits of EverySevenDays?
By developing a gentle creative practice, getting out in nature and becoming part of a community, you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of benefits. Here we go through some of them, and for those of you who are into the research side of things, we've linked to some cool resources.
'Neuroesthetics uses brain imaging, brain wave technology and biofeedback to gather scientific evidence of how we respond to the arts. Through this, there is physical, scientific evidence that the arts engage the mind in novel ways, tap into our emotions in healthy ways and make us feel good.'
Associate Professor Brittany Harker Martin
University of Calgary, CA
Enjoy the happiness of flow
Having a creative practice gives us the chance to enjoy a state of flow or optimal experience. That's the really great feeling you get when you are doing something that absorbs you, so time feels like it's passing quickly, not dragging and pulling you under.
Get out in nature and reduce stress
Spending quiet time in nature - the Nature fix - reduces stress and lifts mood. Walking in nature and making our temporary artworks mindfully helps us to enjoy the present moment. (If you can't get outside, don't worry... you can still be involved, but get outside if you can. Writer Florence Williams wrote a great book surveying global research into how our brains respond to nature.)
'We don’t experience natural environments enough to realize how restored they can make us feel, nor are we aware that studies also show they make us healthier, more creative, more empathetic and more apt to engage with the world and with each other. Nature, it turns out, is good for civilization.'
Florence Williams
The Nature Fix
Increase your creative courage
Essentially this project is about developing a gentle creative practice. By making and posting a temporary artwork once a week, you build creative muscle. Over time you'll notice that ideas come faster and they are more inventive, and get the satisfaction of watching the quality of your compositions improve.
And when you have an off day, you'll be more ok with it. Manufacturing can be perfect, art shouldn't be. This is about being braver, and it's something that can spread into the rest of your life, you magnificent creature.
'If you can just release yourself from the anxiety and burden that might be associated with the word “creativity,” because you’ve fallen for the myth that it only belongs to the special, the tormented and the professional, and you insert the word “curious,” you’ll see, in fact, that you are an enormously creative person, because all creativity begins with curiosity..'
Elizabeth Gilbert
Writer
Belong to a supportive community
Being a part of a community decreases the risks associated with isolation, which are really high during the pandemic. Because it's an online community, it's always accessible, even if you are in iso. Our community is supportive and wholehearted. We share insights and stories, we encourage each other and we enjoy the oxytocin every time we compliment someone else's creative work.