How confident are you in expressing your creativity? Do you get excited about showing off your creative side? Or do you shy away from your creative expressions?
Do you even consider yourself creative?
There are many studies that indicate creativity increases as we age. However, many of the same studies suggest self-perception and societal feedback can negatively influence how we value our creativity.
What does all of this mean for those of us seeking to live a happier, more fulling life?
We will answer that question and more in the eighth and final article and video in my series on “Being Enough After 60”.
If you missed the previous 7 articles, please find them below:
Part 1: TOP 10 BENEFITS OF SELF-ESTEEM AFTER 60
Part 2: 10 STEPS TO BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AFTER 60
Part 3: 7 CHALLENGES OF BEING ENOUGH AFTER 60
Part 4: 10 STEPS TO DISMANTLE AGEISM
Part 5: LOVING YOUR BODY AFTER 60
Part 6: OPENING YOURSELF UP TO TRY NEW THINGS
Part 7: 10 STEPS TO OVERCOME SHAME AFTER 60
My Mother’s Secret Life
For many women over 60, the last time we felt encouragement to express our creativity was in our adolescence. For as we got older, most of us were told to focus on being practical.
One of the things being practical translated into was not wasting time on creative pursuits in lieu of learning and embracing our roles as productive women in society.
It’s not as if creativity wasn’t valued. We simply grew up in an era where society did not place a lot of value or respect for a woman’s creative expressions.
Take my mother, for example. She was an incredibly gifted artist. Her specialty was water paints and oil painting. When I was growing up, she kept her creativity hidden as she lived a secret life as a housewife.
My mother rarely showcased her beautiful artwork, even to her friends. When I went off to college, I was pleasantly delighted to discover she not only began to paint more, but she was also allowing her works to be shown in galleries.
My mother even orchestrated and led outings with regional artists who would gather in groups around Southern California to paint everything from buildings to nature.
What precipitated such a profound shift in my mother’s creative expressions?
It was due to her upbringing and society’s perception that a married woman with children was to sacrifice her needs and wants for her family. She would later tell me that when I left for college, she felt she would not be questioned or shamed for her artwork now that her daughter was out of the home.
Sadly, she was not alone.
10 Steps to Honor Your Creativity
Our creativity was generally encouraged and valued as children. What about now?
How many of us genuinely value our creative expressions? How many of us have people in our lives who actively encourage us to explore our creative passions?
Research has shown that confidence can wane in older age due to various reasons, including physical health challenges, cognitive changes, or societal views on aging. This decline has a direct effect on how confident we are in embracing our creative side now.
Is there anything we can personally do about this? Yes, but we must first believe we are worthy of our creative expressions.
To help develop your sense of creative confidence, here are 10 steps you can take to cultivate and honor your creative expressions:
Embrace Life Experiences
Age brings a richness of experience that can deeply enhance your creativity. In what ways can your passions and experiences be woven into a creative outlet?
Open Yourself to Being Inspired
Engage with creative works from artists of all ages and backgrounds.
Growth Mindset
Attend workshops, classes, or online courses as a means to invigorate constant growth in learning new things.
Create Without Judgment
Give yourself permission to create freely without immediately critiquing your work.
Share Your Work
Showcase your creations every chance you get with friends, family, or even a broader audience through exhibitions or online platforms.
Collaborate
Join a community or group where you can collaborate with others.
Overcome Perfectionism
The value of creative expression often comes from its imperfections and the emotions it conveys, rather than technical perfection.
Seek Feedback
Constructive feedback can help you grow and see your creative expressions from a new, fresh perspective.
Celebrate Small Wins
Appreciate and celebrate every creative achievement, no matter how big or small they may appear to be.
Reconnect with Your Inner Child
Remember why you started creating in the first place by reconnecting with the power of your childhood imagination.
Creativity Is Ageless
Women over 60 have a distinctive voice shaped by experiences, wisdom, and personal growth. Embracing and expressing this unique voice adds fuel to your creative fire.
Creativity is not relegated to music, writing, and artwork. It can involve arranging a set of flowers, putting together an outfit, adding in a little extra flare to your meals, and even the way you decorate your home.
Everything in life can be a form of creative expression. Your responsibility is to discover your creative expression and honor your own unique creative voice.
Remember, creativity is boundless just as it is ageless.
I invite you to join me in the video where I will share additional insights, along with five journal prompts to help you integrate what you are learning.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How do you creatively express yourself? Have you been told that you are creative? Do you believe it?
