Reclaiming Creativity in Mid-life. I'd like my Crayons back please!
It was the smell I remember most. The scent that heralded the start of a bright shiny school year. I loved the sight of my pencils all lined up, my name etched in the place where mum had used a knife to scratch off the coloured outer casing. And the books, expertly contacted to leave no creases. But it was the waxy potential of the red and white striped box, its coloured contents peeking through the cut-outs, that had me most excited. Possibility. That’s what it smelled like. A blank canvas and my imagination waiting to be bought to life in colour.
What could I draw with the colours of the rainbow within that box of Strand crayons? Chubby-fingered me didn’t care whether I coloured the cat green or the dog blue. I created un-self-consciously and instinctively as children do, until imagination quietly yielded to logic.
By the time we’re an adult, we’ve been steered in the direction of the things we’re good at, the path that will lead to a career, the things that society deems are more important than creativity. It’s like we tuck our creative inner child into a box and shut the lid, always meaning to let her out to play. We don’t mean to abandon her, we just get busy.
Although we always carry her with us, eventually we forget her little paint-splattered hands and tell ourselves that we’re ‘not creative’.
STARTING TO RECLAIM YOUR CREATIVITY
What would it feel like to re-engage with the little girl with the paint-spattered hands and uninhibited creativity?
Exciting? Scary? Vulnerable? Hopeful? Shameful?
Does your inner mean girl bring up all sorts of commentary like 'What if I look silly?', 'What if I'm no good?' 'What if people laugh at me?' 'I'm not creative, who the hell do you think you are?' 'What if it's just a waste of time?'
I see you.
I never saw myself as creative. I believed 'creative' people were those who could draw perfectly dimensioned, lifelike drawings and I definitely wasn't one of those people. And yet, as a child, I spent whole days immersed in Lego, drawing and colouring. As a teenager I loved photography, enjoyed writing and my guilty pleasure was singing with a hairbrush on the rare occasion that I was alone in my family home.
BARRIERS TO CREATIVITY
Being a beginner
Being a beginner again IS scary and vulnerable. By mid-life, we’re often used to being competent in the roles we’ve practiced for years. Starting something new or returning to something we put down years ago can feel deeply vulnerable. If you also identify as a perfectionist, that creates an extra barrier to trying (and being bad at) something new. Allow yourself to embrace mistakes and embody a beginner's mind.
Remind yourself that every thing you now do well once began with awkward first steps. Creativity isn’t about perfectionism or mastery, it’s about messy self-expression.
Lack of time
Between caregiving, careers, housework, and the mental load of family life, creative time often feels like a luxury that gets pushed to 'someday'.
Start small and set aside regular time for creative practice. You don't need a dedicated space or an hour. Even 15 minutes doodling or writing while you have a break from work counts. So does singing in the car and taking a photo on your walk. Can you create pockets of creative play into your everyday? Even if you don’t feel inspired at first, making time for creativity can help you develop skills and gain momentum.
Self-Doubt or “Not Creative” Identity
Many of us absorbed the belief early on that creativity is reserved for the 'naturally talented'. Maybe you believe that only those who make a living out of their art are 'artists'. Maybe a teacher's comment or a comparison moment made you quietly decide, 'I’m not creative'.
Creativity is not just painting, drawing or poetry. It’s problem solving, dreaming, journaling, gardening, decorating a space, cooking with flair. You’re already creative. Now you get to be more intentional about nurturing that spark.
I’ll leave you with this little truth: if you sing, you’re a singer. If you write, you’re a writer. If you make art, you’re an artist. If you take photos, you’re a photographer.
When you do the verb, you become the noun.
So go ahead. Allow yourself to own it!
Need permission to create? Download you permission slip here.
