Creativity Isn’t just For Kids!

When was the last time you were creative? I don’t mean finding creative ways to time-manage or get from the Upper West Side to Carroll Gardens to that 4th birthday party. I mean being purely creative, for the sheer pleasure of it? If you are like most NYC parents, it was probably a while ago.

We sometimes have the idea, that creativity is for young children, who are goofy and playful at heart. Then, as we reach the teenage years, creativity falls by the wayside in favour of homework and competitive sports. By the time we are adults our creative lives are non-existent: Busy, ambitious adults should be efficient and achieve important things. Even though we go out of our way to sign our young children up for dance classes, play with clay and do artwork, we ourselves live in a state of creative deprivation. We would never dream of treating our children that way.

I really don’t think adults and children are that different. We are just children that grew up -we have the same feelings and needs as all humans, and one of them is to play and be creative. Here are a couple of explanations of why you should take the time to draw, play your guitar, pic up your old camera or whatever floats your creative boat:

The Scientific Perspective

Myth: ‘Art is a frivolous waste of time’. Numerous studies have shown, that if there is one things schools should do to support academic learning, it is to have their students play an instrument. Playing an instrument has a profound effect on our brains. Think about it; when you play music, you use the areas of the brain connected with language, math, abstract thinking, communication, fine motor skills; the list is endless. Playing an instrument is, to put it simply; the best work out for our brains. When we are older, plasticity begins to decline, and learning new things feel harder. We are also prouder, and feel that we are perhaps too old to be beginners and make mistakes (read: Not look good). But making mistakes and challenging our nervous system is the best way to stay mentally fit. Think of creativity as a brain workout!

The Historical Perspective

Myth: ‘I don’t have time’: A few years ago, some archeologists set about to recreate art from the ice-age. They discovered, that creating art with the tools available to ice-age men and women, was so time-consuming, it could only have happened because making art was considered a priority on par with finding adequate food. The archeologists concluded that making art has simply always been a fundamental part of our existence, a basic human need. If these tribes that lived on the edge of survival and needed all hands on deck to hunt and gather food for the tribe’s survival, prioritised making art, surely, so can we.

Throughout modern history, being creative has been the hallmark of an educated, fully rounded human being. In villages, poor people played violins and drums, in the richer communities, fine ladies played the piano. Somehow in the past few years, we have gotten the idea that going to an occasional concert, curating an Instagram account or styling a bookshelf can make up for the need to be creative. Making art is a basic human impulse. It changes our brains. It expands our world, it always has.

The Parent’s Perspective

Myth: ‘Creativity is for kids: If you still cannot find time to play for your own sake, do it for your child. Want your child to be creative? To have a rich, vibrant creative practice that lasts a lifetime? Let them grow up around people who use their creativity. Kids always relate to the world and themselves the way we teach them to; they respond more to what we do than to what we say. It does not matter if you are a total amateur or a semi-professional: If your child sees you pick up that guitar/ spend afternoons by your easel or even read novels that expand your world, then they will get the idea that that is what it means to be a ‘real’ adult: Not just someone who spends all their time working and taking care of their duties; but someone who is always growing and exploring.

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ” Martha Graham

The Artist’s Perspective

Myth: ‘Art is only for the professionals’. Martha Graham famously said ‘Keep the channel open’. By looking, however imperfectly, for the creative expression that is yours, using the colours that you like, playing the songs that make you tick, you are encouraging your child to find what they truly like as well. You are encouraging them to be someone who keeps exploring, doesn’t judge. You teach by example -who knows, you might even have fun!