“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
That quotes comes from Pablo Picasso – generally thought of as a pretty creative guy, wouldn’t you say? However, the real problem with becoming adults is not that we lose our creativity, because that’s impossible. The problem is that we forget how to embrace it in our lives.
There is a common misconception about creativity that causes many people to wrongly think they just don’t have it. Certainly, there are some might be more connected with that way of thinking than others, but just as someone can learn a new skill, creativity can be honed in anyone. When the average person thinks about someone who is creative, their mind goes to painters, poets and writers. Sure, those are creative people, but creativity can and does reside in any person in any industry and can take a lot of different shapes and avenues.
Once again, the problem is not an absence of creativity, the problem is failure to embrace that side of yourself. Most of us work in jobs in which creativity is stifled – probably not on purpose – but there are many businesses that look at creative thinking as unnecessary or dangerous in its unpredictability. This goes back to that narrow understanding of what it means to be creative. Being creative is not just about creating art. Being creative is problem solving. Being creative is exploring. Being creative is being a student. When you allow yourself to think outside the box, you’re embracing your creativity.
The question then becomes how to strengthen that side of you. Those who struggle to open up their creativity all wish it was easier to access. Well, one of the main things that holds someone back in this respect is time. To nurture creativity takes time. Our daily routines take up so much of our attention, that it is all too rare that we give ourselves time to sit with our own thoughts. That doesn’t mean that it’s time to start restructuring your daily life and remove commitments to make more time. You have the time already, you’re just not using it right.
Start with a passion. So much of creativity is born out of passion. When we have something that we truly love and we give ourselves time to explore that passion, it’s almost impossible not to open up that creative part of your mind.
As we get further and further away from our childhoods, it’s important we take along the necessary things with us and not abandon them as “not applicable”. A creative mind is a growing mind and there is no age where that should ever be considered unimportant.