When Did We Stop Being Creative?

Before we learn to speak, we hum and sing to communicate. Before we learn to walk, our bodies move to the sounds around us. Before we learn to write, we doodle and color outside the lines. Before we learn to read, we listen to magical stories. Our imagination is vast, instinctive, and full of wonder.

And then one day, we’re told to be quiet. Sit still. Do our work. Because that’s what “good” kids do. Good kids follow the rules. Good kids don’t wander. Good kids don’t question. Good kids don’t follow the pull of their own curiosity. Good kids don’t daydream - and they certainly don’t play outside the allowed time.

So, we learn to please. We learn to conform. We learn to shove down what once came so naturally.

So, where did our creative self go? To grown‑up land. Fortunately and unfortunately. It makes perfect sense that so many kids don’t want to go there or many adults who actually want to be there - grown‑up land is boring as hell.

Our instinctual creative outlets turn into ‘acceptable’ vices, and eventually into escape mechanisms. We become bound to what we’re supposed to do and who we’re supposed to be, instead of becoming who we’re meant to be.

Sure, growing up comes with responsibilities - personal, relational, societal - but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of feeling miserable or unfulfilled. And yet, so many people are just going through the motions, day by day. The sense that there has to be more to life is palpable … to anyone who is paying attention.

Somewhere along the way, we learned to turn our back on our naturally curious and creative selves … and we became people our younger self would never accept.

How, then, do we become the person our younger self would be excited to grow into? How do we even recognize this person, if we’ve never met them?

Think back to a time when you had a certain uncontainable energy … full of joy, excitement and wonder … the kind that was instinctual.

Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with?

What was it about that moment that made you feel so alive?

As you remember that experience, notice where you feel it in your body. What’s moving through your mind as you sit with it? What does your gut tell you?

And then ask yourself: how interested are you in feeling that kind of energy again — now, as the person you are today?

Accepting what is and consciously choosing how to move forward are key to either becoming the person you were meant to be … or remaining the person you are. Which version would your younger self be excited to grow into?

What is the first step you can take toward becoming the person you consciously choose to be? How will you keep yourself accountable to continue the journey ahead?

Reintroducing yourself to the part of you that you learned to shut down, like any relationship, takes time. Time to understand. Time to nurture. Time to find your way back into a state of natural flow.

And it will take work to go deep. As deep as you decide is fulfilling. This isn’t child’s play … this is real life.

Give yourself permission to be.

Reclaiming your creative self isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about consciously choosing to return to what’s always been there … the part of you that knew how to feel, imagine, and move before the world told you otherwise. Start where you are, without judgment or urgency. Start with what feels honest. And trust that every step, no matter how small, is a step in the direction you choose is right for you.