ABSTRACT
In this introductory chapter, the need for a transformed mindset, a mindshift, moving people in a more sustainable direction is addressed. It is proposed that active engagement in cultural activities (music, arts, theatre, reading, hiking, camping in the outdoors, gardening, etc.) has a unique potential to promote these mindshifts by stimulating people’s creativity and imagination in ways that foster transcending/transformative experiences. It is further proposed that creative engagement that stimulates transcendence and mindshifts can be described as creative wellbeing, summed up in the preliminary definition provided in this book: Creative wellbeing involves engaging in activities or experiences that stimulate creativity and result in the creation of something new (such as a new perspective, a human-nature relationship, an artwork, etc.), fostering transcendent growth that extends beyond the individual. A potted history of “creative wellbeing” is then presented, outlining very briefly some overall developments in this emerging field. In closing, the contents of the book are presented, highlighting how various activities in nature and arts can support and facilitate change.
