How to be creative again as an adult

The older we get, the easier it becomes to table creativity unless we function in a creative role. Even then, it can be hard to hold on to that spark that lit so many fun ideas in our little brains when we were younger. Today, you’ll find more and more adults yearning for the bygone days when out-of-the-box thinking came easy—in a time when ideas weren’t stifled by logic and rules. Unfortunately, there is no singular issue to blame for this phenomenon. If you’re one of the many who worry about losing their creative spark, then it’s time to stop. You can learn how to be creative again.

A fellow creative adult who hopes to continue honing her spark, Wiveka Göransson, CEO and Founder of Curious Creator, shares her insights from her personal journey.

What changes from childhood to adulthood?

Creativity is heavily encouraged in early schooling through activities like painting and crafting. But as children grow, the academic and social environments shift focus from free-form creative activities towards logic-centric, standardised achievements. Secondary schools start emphasising on the importance of replicating established ideas and fitting in socially.

As Computational Neuroscientist Paul King posited, “Children have more active imaginations than adults, and young adults are less constrained by their own prior patterns of thought. As people become ‘good at life’, they develop habits of thought that serve them well. These habits are thought styles that “work” (get results, impress people, carry us through difficult situations).”

In his words, he goes on to explain that as we accumulate these thought techniques, we:

• Are more able to effortlessly navigate tricky waters
• Adapt to social norms and accepted ways of thinking, making us more effective with people and society.
• We become prisoners of our own success

On that point, Paul elaborates, “Sticking with what works makes us both more successful and less creative. Why be random when you can be right? Unfortunately, what works is what worked in the past and misses the enigmatic paths that lead to unexpected surprises.”

Essentially, in adulthood, while some creativity is valued for professional advancement and problem-solving, it often gets stifled by structured work environments and societal expectations.

So, what does it mean to be creative now?

Normally, we would describe creativity as a soft skill—something that is very hard to teach but immensely useful for career growth. That’s because creativity isn’t just about how pretty your illustration is or how enthralling your short story is.

It’s a skill that requires a person to experiment, interact with the world around them, solve problems, be curious and utilise their imagination rather than relying on their insights alone.

So, when people link creativity to artistic abilities, it already puts a stopper on what it means to be creative as an adult. That’s a bottleneck.

Here’s the deal: if you shun creativity but claim to be an innovative problem-solver, then you’re missing out on the very foundation of innovative problem-solving. Through creativity, we can better understand ourselves—and through that, we gain more empathy for others’ lived experiences, opening up a world of perspectives we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

To be a creative person means being a curious, lifelong learner who is always looking for new stones to turn over. Why does this matter? Well, to innovate is to create—and creation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It comes from the minds of the individuals who seek to break the mould. We’re all born with the capacity to break the mould—one can even say that we’re all born curious creators, much like Wiveka.

Becoming a Curious Creator

Hailed as a ‘curious creator’ pioneer, Wiveka was once at the very point you’re at right now. As an adult, she found herself in a corporate environment, adhering to what she felt was the right course at the time. But soon, she stumbled on a roadblock she didn’t expect.

“Creativity is really a source of joy to me,” she explained. “Being on this journey, I realised that I had forgotten how to be as creative as I wanted to be. I was in a more corporate environment, being promoted to various management and leadership roles. I had this idea of what I needed to be like, so I put on this costume. I thought I needed to be available at all times and I had to work really, really hard. After all, I had to show my manager that I was doing a great job. I lost myself and I lost my identity a bit. I lost my voice and I also lost my creativity.”

She continued, “I think we’re all born as curious creators, and then we grow up and people are telling us, ‘don’t do that, do this instead’ or ‘maybe you should pursue this career because you have this talent’. We get restricted. It’s all well-meant, but it also means that we feel that there is a limit to how curious we can be. If we are more curious, we might not be accepted, might not be liked or might not even get the opportunities that others get.”

This realisation led to Wiveka stopping in her tracks to think about her path forward. “I realised that it’s not just me on this journey—there’s many of us.”

Rediscovering the creative within

Prior to establishing Curious Creator, Wiveka had a long career working with digital products. “I started in 2000, working as a web and UX designer. Later, I moved into agile coaching and product success coaching. I’ve been working with it since the Agile Manifesto came out in 2001.”

“I’ve always loved the concept of agile, however, as an agile coach, as I’m out, teaching and coaching about that topic, I see it has become such a buzzword. It’s now an overused buzzword that has a negative connotation to it. Then I was thinking, ‘Well, how can I say it with different words?’”

This was when everything began to click together.

“Agile is when you utilise the best out of each and every individual. Basically, the unique skills and the unique strengths of each person. And then also, of course, the adaptive. It’s continuous learning—learning from what you’ve done, what you want to continue doing and the things you want to do differently going forward. That’s when Curious Creator came up.”

Through Curious Creator, Wiveka and her team aim to be a “catalyst for transformative growth, igniting curiosity, fostering sustainable success, and bringing clarity. They hope to create more curious leaders, teams and cultures.

Upon coining the term (and founding the company), Wiveka found herself in her element. She had finally bridged the business world with her creative self—a connection she hadn’t perceived before.

On how to be creative again

As Wiveka highlighted, this journey isn’t a lonely one—you’re one among many. That doesn’t mean that all of our journeys will look the same, though, Wiveka warns.

“Creativity can look very different from person to person. You can be creative in your problem-solving, in how you clean your house—you could even write a book! There’s all kinds of creativity, don’t limit yourself.”

The amazing thing about this advice is that Wiveka has already tried and tested it. On her last birthday, just as she was turning 50, Wiveka had one goal: to write, illustrate and publish her own book. To her, this birthday was a hard deadline she set for herself with no handholding. Determined to see it through as a way to invigorate the creative in her once again, Wiveka began her writing journey.

Of course, it was not entirely free of hurdles—self-doubt being the biggest demotivator she had to overcome. Despite this, on her 50th birthday, she held in her hands a copy of her book, ‘Simply Be Curious’, Wiveka’s invitation to the reader to “embrace the simplicity and profundity of curiosity.”

So, how did she do it?

A combination of self-care, useful tools, holding herself accountable and fighting that inside voice that says you can’t do it. And, of course, simply powering through it all.

This brings us to the next question: for those who want to do creative projects but fear they lack the creative spark they once had, is it possible to relearn creativity? Quite possibly, yes, if you put the work in. Let’s get into how you can get started.

Steps to being creative as an adult

The most important step when relearning how to be creative again is finding the “time” to do it. The biggest complaint most adults—especially working adults—have is that they’re short on time. So the very first step would be to allocate time for yourself, and don’t flake!

Set aside some time

Set a couple of hours (the more time, the better) to solely reflect on your current situation. During this time, you need to let your mind wander over a few things:

• What caused you to want to re-establish your creative spark?
• What interested you creatively as a child?
• Where is your well of inspiration now?

Let your thoughts take you on a journey—daydream. (Remember to quieten the voice that eats at you about Slack notifications and unread emails—you’re off the clock right now.)

Controlled daydreaming has been shown to be quite helpful in reigniting creativity.

Put technology to use

The next step, and one that Wiveka highly recommends, is using the plethora of technology available to us to play with. Use weird apps, try out new tools and let your mind and hands go wild!

If you want prompts, find generators online to throw random prompts at you and write them out or draw them. If you want to plan out a personal project, try out some project management tools like Notion to build out your maps and lists.

There are also tons of ‘sites for killing time’ that’ll have you thinking beyond the ordinary in no time.

Break out of your comfort zone

Make it a point to try something new now and then. Pushing yourself out of your comfortable bubble is the best way to discover new wells of inspiration. Go to that new restaurant around the corner that sells food you’ve never tried before—you might love it or you might hate it but it’ll still be an adventure.

If you want to try freestyle rapping, there are challenges online that’ll keep you on your toes—and no one needs to know you’re doing it either. On the other hand, a standup comedy show could really put your humour to the test.

Don’t be afraid of boredom

These days, we’re constantly either scrolling on our phones, watching back-to-back episodes of some show or listening to music. We’re so afraid of being bored—or alone with our thoughts—that we deprive our brains of much-needed quiet time.

Enjoy the boredom and let it take you away from the bustle of daily life for a bit. Sit in it and let your senses take in the world around you. You can even go for a long, quiet walk. For those who are used to constant stimulation, long walks (without music, etc., to keep you company) can help you bring your brain back to a state of equilibrium.

We need to play more

Lastly, don’t neglect the best part of creativity—have fun! You don’t have to find ways to monetise your creative endeavours and you don’t have to be the best at it, or even good at it. As Wiveka explained, “I think we just need to play more. We need to do more out of sheer joy. I’m better at it now than I was, say, five years ago because I see the importance of doing it. Just do it because it’s fun. It doesn’t need to lead to an income.”

The best thing about being human is that creativity is a natural part of our being but not all of us know how to—or allow ourselves to—tap into it correctly. This includes both your personal life as well as your professional one.

“I thought creativity didn’t have a place in the business world, but I was so wrong,” Wiveka stated. “Now, when I am being creative, that’s when the best of me comes out. Don’t stop being creative because we all have our own way of expressing ourselves and not expressing that is not right to the world. We are not giving our best selves to the world.”

Now that’s a sentiment we can all get behind.

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