When we hear the word “creative” most people automatically think of the arts—musicians, painters, writers, sculptors, etc. We have all heard those who say, “I’m not creative” because they don’t feel that they have the skills or ability to create beautiful works of art or write music for symphonies or have voices capable of winning singing contests. But the reality is that if we can imagine new things, processes, systems, constructs, solutions or ideas that do not currently exist, we are creative.
To be Human is to be Creative
Rooted in the creation stories from the book of Genesis, those in the Judeo-Christian traditions believe that human beings are created imago Dei, in the image of God who is the creator of all that is. So if we are earth-bound beings are in the image of the Creator, creativity is core to our being human.
In the creation story from Genesis 2, the Creator tells the first human to name all of the animals that God has created. Giving a name to something is a creative act because the name previously was not established or given. It requires imagination.
When the human is told to tend and keep the garden, that is a creative act. Planting seeds in the ground requires thinking about the plant that is yet to grow and finding ways to bring forth the harvest. This depends on conceptualizing how each plant will grow.
Raising children, as the first couple is instructed to do in the mandate to “be fruitful and multiply’, is a creative process, as parents throughout time have discovered. Trying to anticipate outcomes that haven’t happened, finding ways to teach the individual personalities of each child, establishing ways to provide safety are creative acts. Try getting a child to do something they don’t want to do, for instance, can require a lot of creative thinking on behalf of the parents!
Creativity and Play
And speaking of kids, just as we assume that all children play, so too should we assume that all adults can be creative. Play can be an important catalyst to creativity and innovation. Play has to do with any activity that we do for the sake of the experience without regard for producing something. It allows us to experiment, explore and develop ideas that lead to different outcomes. And those new outcomes, those different solutions, are the result of creativity. It provides fuel for creativity throughout our lives.
And even if we are not all artists, we do know that creativity is much more expansive than artistic endeavors:
“The essence of creativity is to look at the world around us, see how it is and imaging other possibilities that are not immediately present or based on our immediate personal experience. Creativity is seeing the possibilities and then trying to make those imaginings into material reality.”
- Agustín Fuentes, The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional
As we age, there are any number of changes that are happening in our physical bodies. Some of these changes are a normal part of living. Other changes are the result of disease processes associated with aging. For instance, we all can experience the loss of muscle mass and we find that we can no longer physically manage a task that in previous years was unconsciously completed.
We all find creative solutions, new ways of doing things, if only for ourselves, in order to do what we need to do every day. For instance, we may buy a half-gallon of milk instead of a heavy gallon jug which is too difficult to carry to the kitchen. Or we buy slip-on shoes when tying laces becomes difficult. Or we keep the rubber jar-lid opener by the door into the house from the garage because our hand can no longer turn the mechanism in the round doorknob. Coming up with a new method to complete those tasks and learning those new ways, are all creative processes.
Creativity as We Age
The role of creativity as we age will be the focus at this year’s annual Symposium. Not all of the changes that happen as we age are about loss and decline. In fact, there is much evidence that creativity increases and is even more beneficial to supporting our physical, mental and spiritual health in later life. Additionally, we will look at how creative activities related to the arts can also be therapeutic in promoting health and wellbeing. Some would say that the aging process allows the brain to work better and be more agile which promotes creativity. Life’s experience helps older adults see patterns, solve complex problems and imagine new possibilities as both of the brain’s hemispheres work in tandem.
We will take a look at the role of creativity as we age and how it benefits the well-being of individuals and our communities. We will consider how creativity can help create openings of connection for those living with dementia. We will hear from researchers who work in the area of creativity and aging in their professional lives and those who are experiencing the benefits personally as they themselves are aging into late life. And we will explore and experience a variety of research, evidence based creative programs that are improving the lives of older adults today.
Come join us in person on the north side of Columbus. Beginning at 9:00 there will be opportunities for participants to get their creative juices flowing! The formal programming will begin at 9:45.
Or join us on-line via zoom throughout the day. There will be opportunities for on-line participants to interact via chat and bring their questions into the space for interactions with the presenters as well.
You can get more information here or use the QR code. 
We are so excited for this event and the possibility that you will join us! Come and let your creativity be ignited to the possibilities that aging provides!
For Reflection (either individually or with a group)
Read the blog. Read it a second time, maybe reading it aloud or asking someone else to read it aloud so you can hear it with different intonation and emphases. Invite the Divine to open your heart to allow the light of new understanding to pierce the shadows of embedded assumptions, stereotypes, and ways of thinking so that you may live more abundantly. Then spend some time with the following questions together with anything or anyone who helps you reflect more deeply.
- Are you creative? If you can imagine new things, processes, systems, constructs, solutions or ideas that do not currently exist, you ARE creative.
- How are you creative? Share a recent example of your creativity.
- Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you find a creative solution to a problem?
Download a pdf including the Reflection Questions to share and discuss with friends, family, or members of your faith community small group.
