Creative Living... Only for Artists?

What do you think about when you hear the word creative?  Do you immediately think about your friend that paints those terrific landscapes, or your nephew who doodles around the margins of his schoolwork.  Creativity is, naturally, often associated with the Arts but did you know anybody and everybody is creative to some extent?  Creativity is not the talent to execute some artistic skill (and we will use this term to include all of the Arts)  but a thought process.  Artistic talent is simply a tool to express creativity... and it is only one in a plethora!  Creativity is displayed in a myriad of fashions.  It can be used to create something entirely original and unique, put to work in the use of an old concept in new context or called upon to adapt an already existing idea into something a little more relevant.  It can be summoned out of boredom, necessity, or simply for the sake of expression.  There is really no way to explain in one paragraph all of creativity's many facets...

Children are naturally masters of creativity.  They do not automatically have a set vision of how the world should be.  They explore their way through each day and learn through stretching themselves out into their environments, reaching further where they are not impeded and withdrawing where they find it is too difficult to proceed.  Parents can help their children discover paths to creativity in many different ways.  We thought you might be interested in a few of the things that we have discovered to be great creativity builders and avenues to creative living. (...not in any particular order.)



1.  Let your children be bored.  We know, this is a pain in the neck but forcing your child to think, dream, and invent ways to entertain themselves will help your child develop thought patterns that will improve the quality of his or her life.

photo by Jakob Bailey

photo by Jakob Bailey

2.  Raise readers!  Reading encourages children to think in many different ways and many hours of creative play can be invented around the contents of one book!











3.  Encourage your children to play.  Creative play is an excellent platform for learning and vital in the development of healthy, happy, children.

4.  Hold off critiquing the 'artwork' or 'artistic expressions' of younger children (preadolescence).  Have your children explain their work to you instead of guessing what they are showing you.  Point out concepts that your child has executed correctly, not what he or she has done wrong.  Ex: Wow, your drawing is perfectly balanced!  How did you think to add that bird up there?  You did a great job of filling up your whole page and I love your use of contrasting colors! :)

5.  Be creative yourself!  Come on, we know you've got it in you!  Think of a dinner that your family loves and present it in a new way...  Think of a fun car game and change one thing about it...  Wear an article of clothing in a way it was not intended to be worn...  Write a poem, choose new colors for your washroom, draw something...  Anything that gives birth to new thought will do!  Creativity breeds creativity!