The Benefits of Creating Things

If you have a major problem in your life that is causing you a lot of grief, you can very easily do one thing: create stuff! Not only does it give you a healthy outlet for your emotions, but you will also have a way to distract yourself from whatever it is that upsets you. It can be effective at recentering who you are and give you a chance at trying something new. However, these are not the only benefits that come from creating things. There are so many benefits, it is impossible to list every single reason why you should do it.

So, I came up with the best five benefits for you to consider. None of these reasons are exclusive to expensive and ambitious projects such as crochet. They apply to doodling stick figures and gluing pieces of paper together just the same. How simple or extravagant you want to go is up to you.

Pride in Your Possessions

When the things you own are something you made from scratch, modified, or upcycled in some way, then you will have things that you have put labor, time, and love in that makes them unique and worth so much more to you than they would have otherwise. Your items will have a story behind them that is beyond "I saw this in a store and loved it," plus it forces you to put more intentionality behind each piece no matter what it may be. Plus, gaining a surplus of the same type of item over time will lead to meaningful gifts for your loved ones in the future, as handmade items will usually have more meaning behind them than a store-bought gift would.

If you have some old things that are no longer good to use, then feel free to see how you can transform them into something to take pride in here:

https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/best-ways-to-reuse-old-clothing.html

Easy Enrichment

When you don't have a third space or have many activities around you, then you may find it difficult to enrich yourself with hobbies. It is a trap that many Americans fall under due to the systems in place that discouraged giving people spaces outside of work or the home where they can simply exist, and allow employers to restrict people of their free time as much as possible so that way they don't have the time nor the energy to do anything else. This is not the fault of anyone but those in power who don't want you to spend your time doing anything meaningful that is outside of being profitable to them.

Thankfully, creation does not mean you have to go and buy supplies. If you're reading this, then chances are, you have a device that has access to a text editor of some form. If that is the case, then you can get started on your creation journey by simply writing. All you need are things you already have and some ideas. I have a collection of simple writing prompts to help you get started, which you can view here:

  https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/writing-prompts-for-when-youre-bored.html

Customizing Your...Anything

Everybody likes the idea of owning unique one-of-a-kind items, but nobody wants to actually put in the effort or money to achieve such things. Custom items are something you either work for, or you pay somebody else's labor to get. Sorry, but there is no other way around it. Thankfully, you don't have to be customizing dolls or making clothes from scratch in order to customize things you have. It can be as simple as putting stickers on the back of your phone or your water bottle. You can doodle on your clothes with fabric markers. You can easily stick buttons on most soft materials.

It's not just those things where customization can apply. You can also reuse old things or do repairs, which is what the blog post linked below are all about. Feel free to check it out if you would like to have some ideas:

https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/10/craft-ideas-for-elevating-what-you-own.html

Something To Talk About

Have you struggled to talk to people, because you find yourself to be a "boring" person? Creating things very easily gives you points of interest you can talk about. You gain many conversation pieces you can bring up, especially if someone else mentions them first. You can tell stories about your creations, such as your process and the reasons behind your decisions. You suddenly become more interesting simply by slapping a sticker on a water bottle or adding pockets to a pair of women's pants. There is already more to talk about simply by having a singular piece, especially if it's something you can take with you such as a piece of clothing or an accessory.

Participation in Subcultures

There are many subcultures that are unique and special in their own way, but the majority of them have something in common when it comes to their values: emphasis on DIY. They all have their own mediums that they are iconic for that are easy and cheap to make. Ravers have kandi, Punks have zines, and Emos have purposefully distressed clothing. You can find a community in these subcultures by simply participating in the forms of creation that is popular with them, and you'll get to learn more about very cool people by doing so. What matters the most is that you are opening yourself to new experiences and cultures just by participating in an aspect of them.

Conclusion

All in all, there are fewer reasons to not create something than there is to create. You ultimately need pen, a piece of paper, and five minutes just to get started. Which, while not everyone has access to things such as modifying clothing or making full illustrations, everybody can create terrible poetry or silly little doodles. Being good at creation is a reward for getting into something and sticking with it for a long time. Being skilled or popular should not be your primary motivations for creating, as you will get burned quickly. On the other hand, if you create so what you have is more meaningful to you and you enjoy doing it, then your secondary goals will naturally come in time.

If you would like further ideas on what you should make, then feel free to check out these previous blog posts:

https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/cheap-and-easy-craft-ideas.html

https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/fandom-drawing-exercises-to-try.html

https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/art-challenges-to-try.html

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