According to Adobe, only one in four individuals feel they are maximizing their creative potential. Additionally, 52% of people believe creativity is undervalued today.

Art department chairperson Jen Bub said people often lose their creativity as they age, despite its benefits. 

“Creativity is about giving yourself permission to play,” Bubp said. “When you were a little kid, you had no problem just diving in and coloring, drawing, or painting—whatever the activity was. Somehow, that gets lost as we mature, maybe because of comparison. The goal is not putting the pressure on something having to turn out perfectly, but just to have fun and experiment.”

Bubp said breaks from school involving creative activities can break up an otherwise monotonous day that many students experience. She said taking time to create can help immerse students into a “creative flow.”

“Time is tight for all students, especially for our scholar athletes, who have a super busy schedule with training,” Bubp said. “But there is always downtime, even if it’s five minutes, which can grow and turn into 10 or 15 minutes.”

Junior Sophie Tahir said finding time for creativity has provided some benefits for her in school. 

“It’s really just fun and it’s a good break, which rejuvenates me and helps me get motivated for school work again,” Tahir said.

Tahir, vice president of Create and Donate Club, said participation in the club has allowed her to give back to the community. 

“We make bracelets and stuff like that to donate to hospitals and senior homes, which is really nice and rewarding,” Tahir said.

Junior Anya Stephenson said she has also found ways to use her creative hobbies to benefit others. For Stephenson, she said her sewing skills have proved to be valuable to others. 

“Since I do ballet, I make rehearsal skirts for girls and I also alter prom and homecoming dresses,” Stephenson said. “People reach out to me on Instagram and ask that I alter their dresses which is really fun. I like making things that are useful, that I or others can wear or use, so I find it really rewarding.”

A major factor that has been attributed to decreased creativity in adolescents is a reliance on technology, specifically social media.

“We are definitely in a digital age, so it’s kind of that double edged sword because you have so many possibilities at your fingertips, you just have to pick which medium to do, but it’s easy to get sucked into watching TikTok videos, which is basically just watching other people create, instead of creating something yourself,” Bubp said.

However, Tahir said social media also presents new opportunities and inspiration.

“In some ways, being exposed to different forms of art can increase your creativity and help you get new ideas, but sometimes, the time we spend online takes away from time we could put forward creating,” Tahir said. 

In honor of National Keep Kids Creative Week during the last week of September, Bubp said students should aim to create something new every day. 

“Creating gives you that sense of accomplishment. The Japanese have this thing called ‘ikigai,’ which is the reason why you get up in the morning,” Bubp said. “People who have a sense of meaning and purpose go into their day feeling ready for inspiration. It’s usually when we get older that people start to lose that sense of ikigai, and it impacts your health and wellbeing. If you wake up everyday excited because you can create something, it impacts your sense of purpose.”