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SALT LAKE CITY — Ask Americans what they hope will be their legacy, and a stunning nearly 1 in 3 say they'd like to be remembered for their creativity — an answer that comes in ahead of intelligence (20%), wealth (14%) and humanitarian work (10%).
According to the survey by OnePoll, which queried 2,000 adults who opted in for an online survey, the popularity of creativity as a legacy may stem from the pleasure people get when they are being creative. Of the survey, StudyFinds.com reported, "This may be because Americans use writing (14%), painting (12%), and drawing or doodling (10%) as a way to alleviate and combat stress. Along with bonding with friends and family (24%) and sharing their creativity with others (27%), Americans find relaxing or relieving stress (22%) as one of their top three motivators for engaging in creative activities."
More than three-fourths noted, however, that they'd be more creative if they were more sure of their skill levels.
The survey was done at the behest of Sharpie and Paper Mate.
StudyFinds reported that 65% of Americans define creativity as "expressing yourself" or "coming up with new ideas." The survey found 43% link their artistic ability to being creative.
They may be onto something. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021 was titled "Being Creative Makes You Happier: The Positive Effects of Creativity on Subjective Well-Being." It noted that "studies have found a bidirectional relationship between creativity and well-being. On one hand, well-being was found to promote creativity, on the other hand, creativity is conducive to well-being."
In the 2021 study, creativity was generally defined as creating "original and adaptive products" that also had some purpose. They also regarded it as a "continuum" that included personally meaningful creativity, professional creativity, everyday creativity and eminent creativity, the researchers said. They suggested that being creative creates moods like joy and hope that motivate people to explore and accept new information that can improve "the flexibility of cognition and creativity."
Negative emotions, on the other hand, "lead to people feeling insecure and viewing their environment as threatening."
Why creative?
Lots of articles have been written about the benefits of creativity on health and wellness. Even five years ago, Forbes reported on the "theory of cognition (which) postulates that being creative is actually a basis for human life." The article said that creative pursuits like music or even doodling could:
- Increase happiness
- Reduce dementia
- Improve mental health
- Boost your immune system
- Make you smarter
Where does legacy come in? The simple definition of legacy is something that is passed on. Legacy Law says it can be your faith or core values, your money, your character and reputation that sets an example, your courage or your guidance.
The site quotes Charles Spurgeon: "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember when the forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble."
