Creativity and the inner child are inextricably linked. Children HAVE to be creative to learn about the world. They have to be creative in their problem solving, learning to get a spoon in their mouth, learning how to get mum’s attention effectively. They learn to be creative for fun. They instinctively put their hands in mud, want to paint with their fingers, and get messy in the creative process.
For children it is not a surprise to fall over, it is expected. Creativity and learning for children are messy. It is only as adults we become scared of falling over and getting messy metaphorically. We shut our inner child away and keep her neat and tidy, contained, so as not to make too much mess. Anyone relate to this?
So, creativity is one way to connect with our inner child.
You might like to try one of these exercises WITH your inner child – just for fun:
- Painting with your fingers
- Colouring with no lines, or outside of the lines
- Making a mess baking
- Making someone a fun birthday card
- Decorating a silly hat
- Making puppets out of toilet rolls
You may have noticed that creativity has become bit of a buzz word in corporates at the moment. Companies are realising the value add that comes from having creative employees who can think outside the box.
Creativity is even research based, Plucker, Beghetto & Dow (2010) found that creativity is an important part of “problem-solving … healthy social and emotional well-being, and scholastic and adult success.”
I hope you find some time to get creative this week. I’ll be painting…I’ll add to my stories through the week.
Tag me in your creative endeavours so I can share them too.
Reference:
Jonathan A. Plucker, Ronald A. Beghetto & Gayle T. Dow (2004) Why Isn’t Creativity More Important to Educational Psychologists? Potentials, Pitfalls, and Future Directions in Creativity Research, Educational Psychologist, 39:2, 83-96, DOI: 10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1
