One of the most important lessons I learned from The Art of Creative Thinking is this:
Never grow up completely. Keep the playful part of yourself alive.
As we get older, people start treating playfulness like something embarrassing. They tell you to “be serious,” “act your age,” or “grow up already.” At some point, adulthood becomes associated with shutting parts of yourself down.
But what does “growing up” even mean?
Does becoming an adult mean giving up fun?
As children, we create naturally. We draw, write stories, play games, build imaginary worlds, throw snowballs, dance badly, laugh loudly, and try new things without worrying whether we’re good at them.
We do things simply because they make us happy.
And strangely enough, many of those “childish” things become art, sports, careers, or passions later in life.
I’ve been told too many times that it’s time to grow up. That I’m too old to keep trying new things. Too old to dream in certain ways.
But I’m here to say the opposite.
Maybe refusing to fully grow up is a good thing.
We live in a time where it has never been easier to pursue what you love. We have the internet. We can share our art, our writing, our photography, our ideas with people across the world. We can find communities full of people who love the same strange little things we do.
Of course, not every part of it feels magical. As a photographer, I’m not exactly thrilled about making silly little videos to promote my work. Sometimes it feels awkward. Sometimes it feels ridiculous.
But then I try to look at it differently.
Those videos become memories. Tiny time capsules of who I was. They connect me to people I would have never met otherwise. They remind me that creating is supposed to have joy in it too.
So maybe being “childish” is not the insult people think it is.
Maybe staying playful is how we stay creative. Maybe the people who keep exploring, experimenting, laughing, and trying new things are the ones who stay most alive.
You only get one life.
So draw boldly. Make art. Try new hobbies. Dance. Start projects you might fail at. Be excited about things. Let yourself look silly sometimes. Because having fun might reconnect you with the most creative version of yourself.