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Remember trying to brush your teeth or mix cookie batter with your non-dominant hand as a kid? Although we might not always remember why we did these things, there’s a very good reason for it.
Are you a ‘leftie’ or a ‘rightie’?
The left side/right side brain theory is something you’ve probably heard about at some point in your life, whether that be from a primary school teacher or someone claiming it as the reason they can’t draw.
Nobel Prize winner Roger W Sperry’s famed theory states that every person functions predominantly with one side of their brain. And while his claims have since been brought into question, there's no denying that each of us possesses prominent personality traits that help us define ourselves and the way we make sense of the world.
If you’re logical, mathematical, and love facts and sequencing, you’ll be using the left side of your brain, according to Sperry's theory. If you’re more of the creative kind, who tends to lean into your imagination, listens to your intuition and has good rhythm, Sperry's research would suggest that you’re functioning more with your right side.
Did you know you actually use both?
The expression “we’re wired that way” isn’t as definitive as it sounds. Contrary to popular belief, a 2013 study found that, regardless of the personality traits we portray, activity occurs across both sides of the brain. In other words, you can always move between different modes of thinking and improve upon skills that don't come naturally to you – if you’re up for the challenge!
If you’re looking to strengthen the skills associated with what Sperry would have called your "left brain", try taking a class or going to an educational lecture about a new topic you’re interested in. If you’re more of a low-key learner, practising memory games or sudoku are fantastic ways to challenge and improve engagement with your analytical, problem-solving mind.
Need some more creativity in your life? Try picking up a new hobby, breaking out of your comfort zone and tuning into books and podcasts about other people’s creative pursuits to get inspired. This could be anything from artist autobiographies or the story of an entrepreneur’s rise to success. No matter what you’re interested in, there are endless nuggets of information to help you expand your horizons!
Enter: Bettina Stevanovic, Hungarian-born university lecturer by day and professional ceramicist by night. Unlike some of us, Bettina actively moves between analytical thinking and creative expression.
As an expert in cognitive psychology with a PhD under her belt, Bettina has built a career based on science and data. However, when the time comes and she needs to break away from the mountains of university papers and academic studies on her reading list, Bettina retreats to her sun-filled Willoughby studio to sink her hands into some soft clay.
Why creativity can be hard tap into
As an adult, it often feels slightly uncomfortable to try something new. Whether it’s learning to paint or cooking a new recipe, the fear of failure is something that scares us all, and we do our best to avoid it. We stigmatise mistakes and quash any desire to try something new when it means making ourselves vulnerable to criticism.
This is why we often see kids as the best examples of unbound creativity and imagination. Why is it that so many of us struggle to hold onto that spark as we grow?
Pablo Picasso once said, “All children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up”. While British author and arts advisor Sir Ken Robinson (2007) claims that “we don’t grow into creativity we grow out of it, or rather, we get educated out of it.”
Ever wondered why you stopped creating those amazing art pieces or crafty DIY projects you made as a kid? When the fear of failure crept in and nestled itself in the back of your mind, there’s a good chance you felt discouraged by any attempt at making something creative, especially if it wasn’t perfect.
Bettina speaks of her first time holding clay with fondness and nostalgia. When she was a kid, her uncle would bring home clay scraped from the walls of old mines because the stores in Hungary didn’t stock clay as we know it. The smell, the texture, the colour – it all came together to fuel the creation of wacky pieces of art pulled from her imagination.
After being selected for an advanced schooling program in Hungary, Bettina left her first love behind in the pursuit of books and learning. Years on, with academia at the centre of her life, she felt the familiar pull to reconnect with the same craft that brought her so much joy as a kid.
Getting back in touch
After trying go-to meditative activities like yoga and meditation apps to calm her ever-busy mind, Bettina took a different approach and rediscovered her childhood love: clay.
By focusing on what her hands were doing, she was able to ground herself in the present, rather than float away with the theories and facts that crowded her mind. To this day, the feeling of the weighted earth in her hands frequently plunges Bettina into her memories and allows her to tap into the creative parts of herself she experienced more regularly when she was a child.
Whether it’s reading books or starting a new DIY project, a 2013 study shows that creative hobbies are proven to be powerful forms of mindfulness that can be used to alleviate some symptoms of stress, anxiety and even depression.
Taking on a new hobby that requires your focus is not only a great way to unwind but also helps to keep your brain active. And by stretching those creative muscles, you’re simultaneously strengthening the qualities and skills traditionally associated with the right side of your brain… just like Bettina!
Find your balance
Regardless of whether we tend to be analytical thinkers or creative dreamers, Bettina insists that blurring the lines between the two can help us to create our own unique balance.
As an academic, Bettina subconsciously brings her creativity to work in a variety of ways, and similarly, her approach to working with clay would appear to be more analytical than creative at times. By knitting together her creative passions with work, Bettina has created the foundations for her own unique approach to life and mindfulness.
The Sydney-based creative spends her weekends in her sunny Willoughby studio indulging in an activity she has termed “wheelfulness”, a creative practice that combines both wheel throwing and elements of mindfulness. When she’s not sharing the secrets of ceramics with like-minded creatives at her workshops, Bettina lives out her passion every day and balances life as a mum, academic and ceramicist.
