Sometimes my children roll their eyes when I recall their childhood moments of wild creativity.
“Oh, Mama, I can’t believe you still talk about that.”
The thing is, I never stopped believing in those children and their dreams of those moments.
Fearless Creativity of Childhood
The girl who, at last minute, had to change roles in the play and danced across the stage with confidence and grace. That same confidence was still with her years later as she danced around the trap table playing triangles, ringing bells, and blowing whistles at break-neck speed and in perfect rhythm with the choir.
I remember the child who sang an operatic ballad in the back seat, complete with the heartache of the moment and the yearnings for tomorrow.
And the young mind who, at six or seven, decided he would design the perfect sofa. He might just design sofas for a living.
“Oh, Mama,” eyes rolling, heads shaking.
But I still believe in them, because I still believe in myself, my own child. The girl who began her first novel before her teens, a crime mystery in which the weapon of choice was an electric staple gun.
Those stories stay with me, not just because they’re sweet memories, but because they remind me how fearless creativity used to be, and still can be.
Where Did That Spark Go?
The particulars are less important than that bold, unapologetic confidence, the spirit of creativity and ingenuity. School, work, drudgery of days and obligations drive those precious things right out of us. We forget to check in, “I want to do this!” We forget to be brave, “I’m going to try this!”
Over the years, our spark gets piled over with laundry, mortgages, deadlines, and doubt, all the things that could never pull off a last-minute Pocahontas dance, an impromptu backseat opera, or the most comfortable sofa ever.
But, no matter how much crud life piles on that inner creative spirit, it’s still there.
Inviting Creativity Out
I’ll remind my children, all thirty-somethings now, to check in with their inner artists. I’ll remind them—and myself—that reconnecting with creativity doesn’t require grand gestures.
If you’ve been missing your spark lately, start small: Write a letter to your childhood self. Sing in the shower. Take a walk just to see what ideas bubble up.
Want more?
- Take a short-term class. It doesn’t have to be something you know you can do. Try something new, like pressing dried flowers, playing the bass, or stand-up comedy.
- Journal. Just sit and write. Not sure what to write? Write notes to your past self, to your future self, to the self you feel like you’ve lost.
- Join creative groups, like Amherst Artists & Writers. If your jam is painting, join an art group. If it’s music, join a band.
- And that walk? Take it! Just for the walk of it. Walking stimulates creative thinking and problem solving.
Creativity never leaves us; it only waits for us to return to it.
How do you let your inner creative out to play? Share your ideas for reconnecting with creativity. We all need reminders.
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2025
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