Creating Wellbeing: The Role of Making Practices in Academic Contexts

Exploring how creative practices can revolutionise wellbeing and resilience in higher education, this groundbreaking collection brings together 25 academics who reveal how engaging with creative processes – from visual arts and crafts to performance and digital media – can serve as powerful tools for self-care and professional flourishing. It acts as a guide for navigating the pressures of contemporary academia while maintaining one’s authentic self through proven strategies such as visual journaling, collaborative filmmaking, and embodied creative practices. Each chapter combines theoretical insights with practical applications, offering both autoethnographic narratives and actionable case studies that demonstrate how making practices counter neoliberal academic pressures. Whether you're seeking to integrate creativity into research, enhance teaching through artistic approaches, or build sustainable practices for personal wellbeing, this book provides a roadmap. From soil-based art projects that foster ecological connection to comic-making strategies for international educators, it offers diverse pathways for reimagining your academic journey. This would appeal to academics across all disciplines, researchers in educational wellbeing, and practitioners in arts and health fields. With this, one can transform isolated academic work into collaborative, meaningful practice that nurtures both individual growth and institutional change.