Back when I was a kid, I really enjoyed doing crafts, making things with paper plates, obsolete catalogues, wallpaper scraps, and whatever else I could get my hands on. And, at one point, I actually felt confident enough in my own artistic abilities to enter (and win!) a fire safety poster contest at my school. (That was back when I was in Grade 3 and I still have that poster tucked away in one of the many “miscellaneous sentimental papers” boxes stacked in a corner of my office.)

But here’s the thing: at some point along the way, I lost confidence in my ability to draw or make other kinds of art. I somehow internalized a message that said that my art wasn’t good enough and that I should focus my energies in areas where I actually excelled, like writing. (This also explains why I stopped doing anything even remotely athletic, but I’ll save that story for another day.)

Anyway, fast forward a couple of decades and I found myself at midlife, living through a pandemic. At a time when there were fewer and fewer options for finding joy in the everyday, I found myself drawn to creative projects, like making digital art. I’m happy that I listened to that voice in my head that kept telling me, “You need to do something creative.” Because the moments I spent making art—either on my own or during a group Zoom call with friends—were some of the most relaxing and joyous experiences in an otherwise really stressful and difficult time.

This experience got me thinking about how common it is for adults to put creative pursuits on the back burner for years, if not decades; and how grateful I am to be stretching my creative muscles once again.

I decided to reach out to my long-time friend, creativity coach and writer Christine Hennebury, to have a conversation about this very thing.

What follows are the highlights of that conversation: my questions and Christine’s answers.

Not all adults are actively engaged in creative activities, including arts and crafts. What causes us to abandon the creative activities, like drawing, that gave us so much joy when we were kids? How do we find our way back to that joy?

There are all kinds of developmental and social reasons why many of us move away from creative activities. We seem to develop the idea that we have to be good at something for it to be worth our time. We become more likely to compare our creative efforts to reality (“This doesn’t look like a horse!”) or to a more experienced artist’s work (“I can’t draw like she does!”) and that frustrates us. Eventually we start thinking of ourselves as someone who can’t draw (or write or dance or whatever.)

But the joy of creativity isn’t about producing masterpieces. In fact, it is not about producing at all.

Sure, there’s a certain pleasure in completing a piece of art but the lasting satisfaction and joy comes from the experience of creating.

We need to focus on the activity of creating rather than on the results.

Try things like:

• drawing circles and colouring them in

• drawing a few scattered stars and then making lines all over the paper that stop on one side of each star and continue in the other

• writing a description of your cup or your dog or your morning

• tearing up bits of paper and arranging them in a pattern

• taking photos of each of the next four squares (or circles or flowers or shoes) that you see

• choosing family theme songs for the next few days

• creating a little dance to the theme song of your favourite show.

Don’t try to create something good, just stick with the process. If you make a mistake, decide that it is part of the project.

It will feel a bit weird at first because we are used to working toward an end product, but try not to talk yourself out of the process. Good feelings will come from letting go of the expectation to be good and from dismissing the idea of having an end product.

What would you say to an adult who insists, “But I’m not creative/artistic at all!”

Creativity is not just about being an artist.

Creativity belongs to everyone and we all express it differently.

You may not spend time doing specific artistic activities, but I’ll bet you use your creativity all the time.

Perhaps you’re a problem-solver, coming up with solutions by combining old ideas with new ones.

Maybe you rearrange things in your living room so they’ll be more pleasing to the eye.

You might be the person who creates the song parody for a family party.

You could be someone who doodles on your work notes, or who plays with filters on Instagram, or who adds a bit of flair to gift wrapping, or picks the perfect songs for the party.

We all have creative instincts one way or another and we can all choose to develop them in a variety of ways for our own enjoyment.

Creativity for its own sake helps us to weave extra relaxation and satisfaction into our lives. We don’t have to be good at our chosen activities, and we don’t have to have a finished product.

Doing something because we like it and because we like how it makes us feel is always worthwhile.

Start small. Choose something that only takes a few minutes of your time, and no special equipment, and practice it regularly. Notice how it makes you feel. Remember that fun is always the goal.

And if people aren’t sure how to get started?

Search for prompts or challenges on Pinterest or Instagram. Buy or borrow a book of creative prompts. Download a prompts app, or participate in one of these challenges.

To learn more about Christine Hennebury and her latest creative endeavours, please visit her website.

Ann Douglas is the author of numerous books about parenting including, most recently, Happy Parents, Happy Kids and Parenting Through the Storm. These days, she is hard at work on a book for and about women at midlife.