“The Pleasure of Creativity Can Erase Any Pain” -Dr. Nawal El Saadawi
There’s a quiet truth in Dr. Nawal El Saadawi’s words: “The pleasure of creativity can erase any pain.”
I’ve felt that truth many times in my studio, standing over a printing table or guiding students through a lampshade class. Creativity has a way of grounding us when life feels uncertain. It doesn’t erase hardship in a literal sense, but it transforms how we move through it.
I’ve had seasons when the noise of running a business, balancing work, and managing everyday life felt overwhelming. On those days, walking into the studio and setting up my inks and screens became more than a routine; it was a form of release. The moment my hands started working, something shifted. The rhythm of printing, the smell of fresh ink, the small focus of aligning a pattern demanded my full attention. That focus has a way of softening whatever ache sits beneath the surface.
Teaching has shown me this time and time again. I’ve had students arrive tense or distracted, carrying the weight of their own stories. Yet within an hour of making, you can almost see the change. Their faces lighten, their breathing slows, and the chatter turns to quiet concentration. Creativity pulls us into the present. It doesn’t ask for perfection, only presence.
Over the years, I’ve learned that creating is not only about producing something beautiful, but about reconnecting with ourselves. It’s a kind of therapy that doesn’t always look like healing but feels like it. When my own energy feels scattered, carving or printing can bring me back to a steadier place. The process gives form to emotions that are hard to name and reminds me that even small acts of making can restore balance.
The pleasure of creativity doesn’t come from escaping pain; it comes from transforming it. Every stroke, every print, every handmade piece carries a trace of that transformation. It’s the proof that beauty and struggle can coexist, that joy can quietly grow from challenge.
For me, and for many of my students, the studio is more than a workspace. It’s a space where hands and heart work together, where the act of making becomes its own kind of medicine. And perhaps that’s what Dr. El Saadawi meant, that when we create, we give shape to resilience.
Until next time,
Moji x