The next instalment of the Sketchbook Circle series focuses on hope. Mia and I both completed our doctoral research on the topic of hope. (This is one of the many strange coincidences we have discovered since we started working together. Others include a shared birthday, Irish husbands and emotionally needy dogs!) My thesis focused on the role of hope in HIV support groups. Emerging from the research was a definition of hope as the opening up of possibilities. I’ve always held on to this idea, as it resonates strongly with me. In my current clinical work with health professionals I’m often working with the links between hope, burnout and creativity.
Hope as a flicker of light in dark times
Those times when we feel stuck, helpless, alone and like there is no way out are often our darkest times. This is when we can feel smothered by hopelessness. Hope offers a flicker of light in these moments. Like a single match in a dark room, it may be small and fragile, but still make a big difference. It may not immediately bring any clear path through our struggles, but it does open things up. This glimmer of possibility can sustain us, and enable us to open ourselves up too. It can help us begin to thaw from a frozen state of fear and despair. As we open up to hope we can open up to receiving care, to thinking and doing – to the possibility that things can be different, that we can survive.
Creativity and hope
Creativity and hope are closely intertwined. One definition of creativity is “the ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative”. This too is about the opening up of possibilities. In my clinical work with health professionals experiencing burnout, hopelessness can be a core feature. Work is often central to people’s personal identities and sense of self worth, and when burnout means they can no longer function professionally the future can look bleak. People often question whether they will ever find their way back to the energy and joy they once had. Often people question whether they want to return to or keep going with their professional roles – but if not, who are they? The fear and exhaustion that this brings can leave people feeling very stuck. In this work I often explore creativity with people, in whatever form this appeals to them.
Creativity and burnout
Exploring creativity in the context of burnout has three functions. Firstly, to enable people to connect with identities and parts of themselves that aren’t related to work. There may be hobbies they’ve let go of over the years, or new things they want to try. Creativity can enable people to express and enact values that are important to them. For example by supporting causes they feeling strongly about, making gifts for to nurture important relationships, or facilitating connection with those who live nearby.
Secondly, a creative practice, particularly something like knitting, can do wonders for soothing the nervous system. The repetitive, mindful movements, the need to slow down, and the tactile enjoyment of materials can all help us activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn enables us to deactivate the fight-flight-freeze system. Once we are out of threat mode we are much more able to think and act in ways that open up possibilities. Our frontal cortex can come back on line and we can think beyond basic survival.
Linked to this is the third function of exploring creativity in relation to burnout: improved problem solving. Activating creativity improves our sense of agency and self-efficacy. It can build confidence in our ability to cope and spark creative thinking that reaches beyond the craft project. When people are able to tap into creativity, they often start to feel more able to cope in their day-to-day, and also more able to think through their options. Novel solutions show up, and people are more able to identify resources (internal and external) that they can draw on.
Opening up of possibilities
In the context of burnout, creativity and hope are two sides of the same coin. Burnout is characterised by emotional exhaustion, self-doubt and detached cynicism. As the term itself illustrates, it’s about energy, joy and meaning in work being reduced to ashes. Creativity is an antidote for this – offering opportunities for connecting to other valued identities, nourishing the depleted nervous system, and inspiring our thinking. In other words, the opening up of possibilities, and hope.
A lotus mandala as a symbol of hope
Drawing on these ideas for my Sketchbook Circle piece I was inspired by the metaphor of the lotus flower. Among other things, the lotus is associated with hope, as its beautiful bloom emerges from muddy waters – opening up each morning to the rising sun. I wanted to combine this with a mandala, with concentric circles representing hope’s opening up and reaching out.
I found this lovely “frozen lotus” mandala pattern from Mijo and had fun picking some beautiful mercerised cotton thread. It was pretty challenging working with such thin thread and a teeny 2mm crochet hook. I also had to learn quite a few new techniques with this project. This meant it required a lot of concentration, making it the perfect activity to help me shift gear after work – to slow down and make space for digesting my day. It’s also been a useful reminder of the important role creativity and craft play in my own professional self-care.
If you enjoyed this, you can find the rest of the Sketchbook Circle Series here.
And if you’d like to learn more about nurturing self-care through knitting check out our audio course Self Care One Stitch at a Time.
