Welcome to the CreativityHub
Better Connection Starts Here
In today’s world, many people feel lonely. Our goal is to give people the tools they need to make real connections. We’ve created this webpage to encourage you to be “UnLonely” through curiosity, creative expression, and conversation. This webpage will provide creative activities that can be enjoyed alone or with others. These activities will help you know yourself better and connect with others in a deeper way.
Introduction
Connection Through Creativity
Welcome to our CreativityHub, where we believe that connection and joy are just a click away! Here, you’ll find a treasure trove of activities designed to spark connection and brighten your days. Whether you’re looking to explore new interests, share a laugh, or make a meaningful connection, we’re here to help you take the next step.
connection Poll
How are you doing today?
We all start somewhere – and whether you’re here feeling a little low, just okay, or eager to dive in, you’re not alone.
If you care to share, we’d love to hear how you’re doing today.
Creative Activities
Discover How Creative Expression Connects Us
Welcome to a journey of self-expression and connection, where you’ll explore 12 thoughtfully designed activities that spark creativity and foster collaboration—featuring 6 solo activities to inspire personal growth and reflection through self-paced exploration, and 6 group-based activities that bring people together through shared creative experiences. Along the way, we encourage you to share your creations and insights, celebrating the power of creativity with others.
Six-Word Poem
Writing
We all have a story to tell! What’s yours? Write a poem using only six words. It might be funny or poignant, inspiring or plain, simple or grand.
Need some inspiration? Try responding to one of these prompts!
- – What’s something that always brings a smile to your face?
- – How would other people describe you
- – What’s your favorite or most treasured memory?
SHARE:
- Send your poem to us for possible inclusion on our website. You can send in as many as you want!
- You may also send a photo, and/or 1-2 paragraphs with more detail about what you wrote.
- Share on social media with #beunlonely
Animal Guide
Writing
Is there a particular animal that you love? Close your eyes and imagine an animal that appeals to you – perhaps it’s your beloved dog or cat, or perhaps it’s something completely different – a seahorse, a giraffe, a tiger, a hedgehog, a rabbit, an owl?
Pick one and then take 5 minutes to write about that animal, free-form, without thinking too much about it or editing. What do you like about that creature? You might write about what it looks like, the qualities or characteristics it has, its personality, its strengths, its vulnerabilities, how it moves, what it likes to do – anything that comes to mind when you think about it.
CONSIDER:
- Why did you choose that animal, and those particular words or phrases about it?
- Are there qualities, characteristics or strengths of that animal that you’d like to bring into your life?
- What meaning does that animal have for your own life?
How might that animal serve as a guide to you?
SHARE:
What you wrote, and your responses to the questions above:
- On social media with #beunlonely
- In the form section below
- As a group, if you’re doing this activity with others
Gratitude Tree
Visual Arts
Bring your awareness to your breath. Allow your body to breathe naturally. Inhale gently, and exhale slowly.
Then, imagine yourself surrounded by nature. Notice the soft earth beneath your feet. Notice the temperature on your skin. Picture coming across a beautiful tree. Take a moment to appreciate it, looking up at its branches and down at its roots. Notice the texture and color of the bark, the branches, the leaves. Envision the journey from a tiny seed to a magnificent, tall tree. Allow yourself to feel gratitude for it.
This tree represents what you’re grateful for. What else in your life do you appreciate? What do you feel grateful for, big or small, silly or serious? Begin drawing or coloring your “Gratitude Tree”, using whatever art materials you have on hand. Is it big or small, majestic or tiny? Is it a sapling or a mighty oak? What colors is it? Does it have leaves, flower buds, needles? You can also add words to the tree that represent the things you’re grateful for.
CONSIDER:
- What were the qualities or characteristics of the tree you drew?
- What came up when you were thinking about gratitude?
- Were there any connections between the feelings of gratitude and the qualities of the tree you drew?
SHARE:
- Show your Gratitude Tree to someone and share the things that you’re grateful for. Ask if they’d like to create a gratitude practice with you, where you each share 3 things you’re grateful for each week.
- Share what you created, and your responses to the questions above:
- On social media with #beunlonely
- In the form section below
Colors & Connection
Visual Arts
Begin by closing your eyes and taking a few slow, deep breaths. Then imagine a happy memory, a time when you felt a sense of joy. What color do you associate with that feeling of happiness? Imagine a burst of that color exploding in your heart, amplifying your feelings of joy.
Then, use that color to color that feeling of joy. You can use doodles, abstract shapes, or lines to express those emotions. Take about 3 minutes to color whatever comes to mind, without thinking about it too much. Then put your coloring somewhere in your home where you’ll see it each day, reminding you to nurture more joy in your life.
CONSIDER:
- Why did you choose that color?
- What things bring you a sense of joy now?
- How might you bring those things into your life more? If you’d like, you can add words or phrases that represent those things to your color burst drawing.
SHARE what you created, and your responses to the questions above:
- On social media with #beunlonely
- In the form section below
- As a group, if you’re doing this activity with others
Thinking of You
Writing
Scroll through your phone contacts and see who you’ve lost touch with. Re-connect with a quick “Was just thinking about you. How have you been?” or send them a meme that you think they’d like.
SHARE how it felt to do this exercise, and why you decided to reconnect with that particular person in the comments section below.
Fortaleza
Media
Music and movement can bring us joy, and help us forge unexpected connections. Take a look at Fortaleza, a quirky 5 minute film from Project UnLonely Films that shows how trying something new, and being vulnerable, can help us forge new connections – not just with others, but with our own sense of joy and expression.
CONSIDER:
- How might the themes in the film apply to your own life? What can you take away from the film?
- Are there ways you already use movement and music to generate a sense of connection, a sense of play? Or, are there things you could do? Perhaps it’s dancing (whether badly or well!), or moving your body by taking a brisk walk, or trying tai chi, or taking a leisurely stretch.
SHARE your responses to the questions above:
- On social media with #beunlonely
- In the form section below
- As a group, if you’re doing this activity with others
Invite someone (for example, a friend, family member, acquaintance, coworker) to watch the film, too. You could even set up a mini “film screening” to watch with friends during a get-together!
Play Date
Social
Play Date! Ask some people to join you for a weekly “play date” to bring more joy and fun into your days. Some ideas for playful fun: ping-pong, frisbee, board games, drumming (you can use anything you have around the house for this – you don’t need actual drums), creative art-making, bowling. Invite some people you don’t know well to join, too. Take turns deciding what to do that week.
Collaborative Painting Party
Visual Arts
Throw a collaborative painting party. Bring people together to have fun on canvas or paper together, whether they’ve painted together or not. Give everyone a canvas or board to paint on, and invite them to spend 3 minutes on their painting, and then swap it with the person next to them, so they can continue to add to it.
Keep swapping paintings every 3 minutes to make a group of collective artworks together.
SHARE what you created:
- As a small group
- On social media with #beunlonely
- In the form section below
Virtual Dance Party
Movement
Start a virtual dance party! Pick a few days a week to get on Zoom and dance for 10 minutes to whatever music “moves” you that day. Invite friends or acquaintances to join you, and dance with whoever shows up. (And if no one shows up that day, dance anyway!)
Project UnLonely Book Club
Social
Start a Project UnLonely book club! Bring together a few people to have thoughtful conversations about loneliness, creativity and connection, using the book “Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection”, by Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH.
Use our Book Club Discussion Guide for guidance on how you can spark conversation and connection.
Walking Buddy
Movement
Invite someone (or a few people) to go on a walk with you– this could be a one-time thing, or you could find a “walking buddy” to get outside every day. While you’re walking, share a story about something that’s meaningful to you (a special place, person, or experience) and ask the other person to share, too.
Community Playlist
Music
Make a community playlist of favorite songs, asking your neighbors, friends, family, or acquaintances to add to the list. Then get together virtually or in-person to have people share what they contributed, and why they like that song. Is there a story or meaning behind it that they can share?
Share what you've made
Sharing what we’ve made lets others see and understand our stories, helping us feel recognized and build real connections. Is there a friend, neighbor, or someone special in your life with whom you can share your latest masterpiece? Or, we invite you to send it our way—we’d be thrilled to see and celebrate your creation!
See what others have made
Dive into the different types of loneliness and learn practical tips and strategies to navigate these feelings and find meaningful connections.
Watch a curated selection of short films that explore the themes of loneliness and human connection. These stories offer both insight and inspiration as they portray our shared experiences.
Interested in partnering with us to bring one of our programs to your community? Let’s connect.
Read Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection
Insight into our new world of loneliness that offers solace, hope, and solutions.
Even before 2020, chronic loneliness was a private experience of profound anguish that had become a public health crisis. Since then it has reached new heights. Loneliness assumes many forms, from enduring physical isolation to feeling rejected because of difference, and it can have devastating consequences for our physical and mental health. As the founder of Project UnLonely, Jeremy Nobel unpacks our personal and national experience of loneliness to discover its roots and take steps to find comfort and connection.
Dr. Nobel leverages many voices, from pioneering researchers, to leaders in business, education, the arts, and health care, to the lived experience of lonely people of every age, background, and circumstance. He discovers that the pandemic isolated us in ways that were not only physical, and that, at its core, a true sense of loneliness results from a disconnection to the self. He clarifies how meaningful reconnection can be nourished and sustained. And he reveals that an important component of the healing process is engaging in creativity. Make things!
Supportive, clear-eyed, and comforting, this is the book we will take into our new normal and rely on for years to come.
Order the Book
Additional Resources
Resources You Can Count On
Project UnLoney is not intended to replace medical or psychosocial treatment by licensed professionals and is not recommended for those in crisis. Please reach out to the mental health resources on your campus, or go to a local crisis center or emergency room if you are experiencing a mental health emergency. National mental health resources and helplines include:
Available Monday through Friday, 10:00 am - 10: pm ET
Adults:
Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “HelpLine” to 62640, or email [email protected]
Teens & Young Adults:
Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “Friend” to 62640, or email [email protected]
Call or text 988 or chat at https://chat.988lifeline.
Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Loss: visit https://988lifeline.org/
Stay Connected
Don’t miss out on the latest updates from the Foundation for Art & Healing! Sign up for our mailing list to stay in the loop on all things art, healing, and connection!
As part of our community, you can become an UnLonely Ambassador. You’ll receive:
🎥 Bi-weekly featured films from Project UnLonely
🎨 Creative activities to boost your well-being and spark inspiration
📅 Invitations to exclusive events, webinars, and workshops
