When you are a kid creativity doesn’t require fancy tools or lots of planning. It’s spontaneous, heartfelt, and a natural part of your expression. To revisit with that more playful part of you, it can be a lot of fun to reconnect with a creative childhood toy you’ve always loved and watch what happens.
For me it was crayons. I love the expansive range of colors, the fun names and possibilities waiting right in the palm of my hand. Even though I am not an artist by any means (I still draw stick people in the same way I did when I was five), the crayons helped crack open my imagination.
Instead of focusing on making something specific, I went with whatever color drew me in and I took things from there. The act of connecting with my heart and how I chose a color to express myself in that moment was just so carefree and fun. I still get excited when I see a brand new box of crayons – so many possibilities!
Old School Creative Loves Inspire Creativity in the Current You
That’s why when I started my writing business 14 years ago (pre – Creative Katrina) and was stumped on what to call it, I bought a brand new giant box of crayons. It was almost a reflex in a way. This trusty, creative toy always invited me to step into new realms creatively, so why should now be any different?
I sat down on my couch a couple hours a day with my box of colorful opportunities paired with a dictionary and started flipping away. Any time I found a word that resonated with me, I wrote it down in a different color crayon. Once I was through the whole dictionary and added any other suggestions that hit me, I narrowed it down to my favorites. The next step was sending the list out to friends to collect their input to help me make the final choice.
When a made a final choice, I was inspired to make each letter in the logo a different color (think Google logo), almost like a homage to my crayons without even realizing it. I still have that same box of crayons 14 years later. It was one of the first tools that helped me take a step closer to believing in my own creative abilities, and write content to support client’s as they followed their own creative pursuits.
If there is something from your childhood that really inspires you to be creative, why aren’t you still using it in your life today? Just think of how much fun it will be to reconnect with the first toy that sparked your creativity, allowing you to explore the real you?
Special Note: Today’s post was fueled by music from the 80’s, in particular Xanadu by Olivia Newton John. Yea, I said Xanadu.
Photo credit: Chris Metcalf, Cordey