ARE KIDS MORE CREATIVE THAN ADULTS?
Do you remember when you were a child and you spent endless amounts of time in deep imagination creating? Maybe you loved to draw, color or paint. Or maybe building with Legos was your thing or even singing or dancing.
When we are children creating is easy. We have magnificent imaginations that fire constantly.
There is this notion that children are more creative than adults. I think optically yes, it appears as though kids are more creative than adults but this is due to a number of reasons.
Children express themselves freely and often. Children are not scared or hesitant to put themselves out there. They are naturally curious and open. They explore their environment unapologetically and embrace the wonder around them. They share themselves and their creations freely and live fully in the moment.
They are also proud of who they are and what they have accomplished. Their lives haven’t been filled with judgment or comments from others that make them feel less than and keep them from expressing their creative selves to the world. You may wonder when you stopped expressing yourself freely? Or, what led you to slowly but surely share less and less of yourself with the world?
As we get older we begin to doubt ourselves and our creative expression. Life experiences begin to pile up. Experiences that brought us down, made us question ourselves, our abilities and made us feel less than. We become conditioned to what society and culture deem acceptable or the norm. We develop beliefs about ourselves, what we are capable of, and the world around us. As adults it can be difficult to fully express ourselves, which can limit our creativity.
MAKING TIME FOR CREATIVITY
For some of us creativity has to be something we pencil into our schedule. Something we consciously do.
So, what if you consider yourself a creative person and even have a “creative” job? Making time for creativity is important for you too! Having a job in a creative field is great for an innately creative person. However, creative burnout is a real thing. It is possible to lose yourself and your true artistic nature when you force yourself to be creative every single day especially when your creativity is aligned with specific guardrails of the job.
Finding a creative outlet that lies outside of your day-to-day is critical to keep you feeling inspired and fulfilled.
If you have followed my blog for awhile then you know that I worked in product design and development for 20 years before I stepped away to coach full-time. Even though my job was creative I still had a yearning to create but on my terms where I could do whatever felt right. There were no meetings or corporate executives critiquing the work I did. Don’t get me wrong I learned a lot about product design in my 20 years of corporate work.
However, there is something about you just doing you and putting things out there that just feel right. Creating without rules.
Starting my blog and Whole Lovely Life was a big part of expressing my creativity.
Early on I developed lots of recipes and took many food photos which was wonderful. I have continued to use this space for creation. This was a brand-new area of exploration that occurred because of a challenge I was facing at the time. A drastic change in diet. Creating new recipes helped to make the autoimmune protocol much more enjoyable and I was able to help others too.
CREATING IS IN OUR DNA
Creativity is ingrained in our DNA and even if you don’t consider yourself a creative it is still oh so worthwhile to do something creative that you enjoy. Our ancestors were all creative beings. Just think about everything that was built and created before modern times! All of those things started as an idea and through the work of the human mind and hands was brought into existence.
There has been a good amount of research showing that creativity benefits our mental and physical well-being too. Creativity should be part of a healthy lifestyle just like exercise and healthy eating.
CREATIVITY IS ALL AROUND US
What things fall into creativity? I’m glad you asked!
When it comes to creativity you don’t have to only look at the activities we have grown to identify as creative.
In addition to the obvious arts like drawing, painting, and sculpture, creativity can encompass activities such as building, singing, music, playing an instrument, writing, photography, styling, gardening, cooking, sewing, knitting, and acting.
Creative activities are really anything that is an expression or exploration of ideas, emotions, or concepts that help us make sense of the world.
So how do we stay creative in our lives and world regardless of whether creativity is part of our day to day currently?
First things first, creativity is all around us!
Literally just look around and observe. Everything you see whether created by God or a human (which God created too) is creative and inspirational. Open your mind to what you see around you and take in the tiny details.
14 WAYS TO CULTIVATE CREATIVITY
Here are a fourteen ideas that will help you to cultivate more creativity into your life.
1. Find a creative outlet that brings you joy. Don’t focus on whether you will be “successful” at it or not. Get curious and do something you have always wanted to do or learn something you have always wanted to learn. If you don’t find you enjoy the first thing you try, try again!
2.Look at creativity as more than just art. Creativity is more than just the list of activities above. Creativity is a necessary element of solving problems. Use the challenges you are currently facing as opportunities to get creative.
3. Learn about something you know nothing about but are interested in. Is there a topic that interests you? If so explore it. Read books, watch videos, or network with others interested in the same thing and have open discussions about the subject. Learning something new is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.
4. Visit a museum or gallery. There is no better place to be surrounded by creativity than in a museum or gallery. Spend time wandering and really taking in all that you see. Spend time reading about the pieces and observing all the small details. Take the opportunity to learn about different mediums and materials during your exploration.
5. People watch. I am always inspired by the people around me. What they are wearing, observing their make-up and hairstyles. People are inspiring and when we notice how others express themselves it opens our minds to exploring our own personal expression.
6. Travel is a great way to immerse yourself in a completely different experience. When we travel we put ourselves in a totally new environment. Travelling to a foreign country rich in culture is sure to be a inspirational experience. However, even a visit to a nearby small town outside of your city shows you a different perspective on how people live. Moreover, the landscape and architecture, especially if it is an old town, can inspire us.
7. Books are a simple way to open ourselves to creativity. There is a book on every single topic you can think of. There are books for those who like fiction and for those who don’t. The act of reading allows your mind to wander. Reading activates our imagination. When you read you are taking the words and creating a movie in your mind.
8. Cooking is a great opportunity to express our creative ideas. Cooking is something we have to do daily so using it as a tool to practice creativity makes sense. You do not need to be a chef to come up with your own unique dishes. You can use recipes that you see for inspiration and create your own iteration of them. Even if you follow a recipe exactly, you are still exercising your creative muscles. Go to dinner at a restaurant you have never been to before especially one that is focused more on the artistry of food or ethnic cuisine. This can help you get creative in the kitchen. Explore the menu, take a picture of it or write down ideas as they come to you. Take in the scents and the sounds to fully immerse yourself in the experience. Get creative by recreating a dish from one of your favorite restaurants.
9. Find new places to explore in your city or state. By nature humans thrive on certainty and routine. We all tend to have our favorite places to go. Whether it’s our favorite coffee shop or local boutique. Discover places in your city or state you have never been to before.
10. Styling clothing, doing your hair and makeup is a wonderful way to play with creativity. It’s been a favorite of mine since I was young. Some days when I am feeling really inspired I like to try on all sorts of things from my closet and make outfits. I take pictures of them for future reference. Its something I enjoy and is a lot of fun!
11. Dance and body movement are creative expressions. You don’t need to be a trained or skilled dancer. Turn on some music and just move your body in a way that feels right. Not only will this boost your mood but creative dancing is also an effective form of exercise.
12. Take a walk or sit in silence. These two activities will allow your mind to wander. As you walk or sit jot down thoughts that pop into your head. On a walk, many people come up with their most creative ideas!
13. Get into nature and really take it in. Nature is creative without even trying. Notice colors that feel unexpected yet work so perfectly together. Nature’s color palettes have definitely inspired creative things in my life. Look for patterns on the trees or in the fur of animals you see. You can even just google images of different and absolutely amazing animals, plants and terrains from areas you don’t have physical access to. Seeing things you have not seen before will inspire you and spark creativity.
14. Journaling and writing can be a very effective and powerful form of creativity. I was never a fan of writing but the more I do it the more I enjoy it. I love seeing a blank page turn into something of use!
STAY OPEN, OBSERVE AND BE CURIOUS
The key to staying creative especially as an adult is to stay open and curious. Observe and take in the details around you. Like I said at the beginning of this post creativity and inspiration are all around us. And remember that each of us is unique. This is a magnificent thing. You have a unique perspective based on your lived experiences. Creativity is a great outlet to share this perspective with the world.
Like anything. Some days our creative juices flow more easily than others and that is OK. The goal should be to add a bit more creativity to your life where you can. Don’t force it. The more we allow creativity into our lives the more confident we will be to express ourselves with ease. This will benefit our health and wellness and help us to live a more fulfilled life.
Hopefully the ideas above help to open your eyes to creativity and how to add more of it to your life.
In Love, Health + Gratitude,
Katie
*Image Credit: Upsplash