I’ve always said, and believed it to be true, that I’ve never been more creative than when I was 9 years old.
My whole 4th grade year just crackled with creativity. I wrote every day, sneaked writing in during math time (no wonder my math grades were horrid), thought about what I was going to write when I got home from school, and invited children over to play and instead forced them to write stories with me.
But—I’m creative now, surely. I wrote three books last year, so how could I think I’ve not been creative? Except—I’m more methodical about it, and a lot more measured with my approach. Does that make me less creative?
Still, though, some days I feel like something is missing that used to be there.
There was an article I came across last week that made me realize what was missing. The article was by Jeffrey Davis on Psychology Today in a post titled “Think Like a 47-Year-Old to Boost Your Creativity.”
I think it’s wonder that’s sometimes missing from my creative process.
Davis said that 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire once stated, “Genius is the capacity to retrieve childhood at will.” But Davis noted:
But…highly creative people are not retrieving childhood – which includes, remember, all of its muddled-ness and meanness and necessary dependency and utter self-centeredness. These adults are retrieving wonder – which is what Baudelaire meant. When we say that “Genius is the capacity to retrieve wonder at will,” then we’re not nostalgically trying to bring back some “lost child” or “find our inner child.” We are supremely present with who and how we are.
Davis says that studies have found the adult brain to be superior in many ways to a young brain. And he says that we can not only purposefully embrace wonder, but that our “knowledge and experience can enrich” it.
So looking at the world with fresh eyes is important to creativity. The wonder of the world is what helps fuel our imaginations. We might have to work harder to feel the wonder, but we can definitely do it.
How do you fuel your imagination and keep the wonder alive?
We need to find our own little ways to keep our thoughts fresh and creativity perking.
I find reading the things that catch my eye, hanging out with the young, and staying in tune to the world helps.
Elizabeth – I think that spark of wonder is essential to enjoying life, not to mention sparking the creativity one needs to write. I love a sense of wonder, and I never write better than I do when that wonder is flowing through me.
So what do I do to spark it? I try new things. Even little new things like wearing a colour I haven’t worn or trying a new coffee shop or something can help. And Charmaine and Teresa are right, I think: being around young people keeps that wonder going.
It helps that I work all day with young teens – they fuel an active imagination.
It’s different when you’re having to be creative on a deadline, isn’t it? I think we think of being creative as a fun and freeing activity, but when it’s your job to create, the crashing reality of deadlines and certain expectations force us to be creative in a more orderly way.
Davis makes a great case for letting the inner child go when he talks about the muddledness and self-centeredness that goes with it. I like to think that being a few years past 40 gives me some perspective on the world that I can use in creative ways. Thank you for the post.
It helps to go back and read what you wrote a long time ago. Sometimes when I do that, I’m surprised by what I wrote. It feels new to me and … good. Every once in a while, I’ll not even remember writing it.
Playing with my niephlings always sparks my imagination and creativity. They ask insightful questions and imagine fantastical things. It’s wondrous!
Spending time at the beach works and looking at a starry night works, too. I can’t help but feel wonder when I gaze at a vast ocean or imagine what (or who!) is beyond our galaxy.
I think I can’t even think of it as creativity or it stresses me out. I’ve never thought of myself as creative. But I’m pretty good at non-conformity… I can twist things up and put them together in new ways… and when it flows, there IS a sense of wonder to it. I think of it more like relaxing into it though. The bath, the Sudoku (to turn off my day) a glass of wine… those things get THINKING me out of my way…
Charmaine–They can really keep us on our toes, can’t they?
Teresa–And you’ve got the grandbabies to help with that, too!
Margot–Doing things that are new and different and out of the routine sounds like a good way to look at the world a little differently.
Mary–I liked his perspective, too. I’m thinking more about aging as I’m facing the big 40 soon, and wondering about the effect aging has on creativity. I was glad to see that it’s a good thing.
Helen–Being surprised by our own talent is a good thing!
Laura–Being around kids definitely can help. And you’ve made a great point about being out in nature, too.
Elspeth–Maybe it’s the pressure that makes it feel dreary sometimes? And then sometimes it’s just a joy.
Hart–I like that you have a transition into creativity…sort of a ritual aspect to it.
Hey, now I have an excuse to keep watching all theoe science fiction movies! It fuels my creativity. Although watching my wife fuels my wonder, as she still has that incredulous spirit.
EEEEE~gads girl…I must be a genius ’cause I think I’m Peter Pan and will never grow up!!! Heeehehehe!!!
Seriously I do believe if we all used our inner child more we would be a happier people.
God bless and have a fantastic day sweetie!!!
Alex–You should go on a SF watching binge! :)
Nezzy–Thanks for coming by! (And…it always made me sad when Wendy left Neverland. I guess we really don’t have to?)
Mostly go within to tap into that magical world inside…but there are so my things, people, events, activities that spark my creativity.
Nesi–I think that’s what I do, too. Sort of disappear inside myself for a while.