Let Yourself Cook

Welcome to Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter about navigating creativity in the 21st century. It inspires, encourages, and empowers readers to take back their creative power.

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When was the last time you did something you used to love as a kid?

For me, it was last Friday. 

I was volunteering at our local maker space, and they had Rexlace thread on one of the tables (if someone knows the name of that type of craft, please let me know; I always just called it Rexlace). This unlocked a core memory for me, as weaving keychains from Rexlace was something I was obsessed with as a kid. 

So, I picked up some strings and started messing around with it. There were no expectations; just play. It was like riding a bike—the muscle memory returned to me, and I started weaving and forgot how much I truly enjoyed that craft.

Coincidentally, I saw this post on Threads over the weekend that ties back to this: "It’s funny how so much of ‘finding yourself’ as an adult is simply getting back to who you were and what you loved as a child.” 

I can’t stop thinking about how true this sentiment is. As I’ve been trying to reignite my creative practice as an adult, I’ve asked myself this question: 

“I used to love doing X. Why don’t I do that anymore?”

I truly believe we were our most authentic selves as children. What we loved doing as kids represents our true selves and interests before they became masked by societal expectations and pressures that come with adulthood. 

A big part of that was our ability to just play. 

When we were kids, we didn’t put expectations on ourselves and our creative work—we just created. We weren’t doing it for praise, attention, or money. We weren’t afraid of failing or wasting our time. We didn’t have to worry about technique or being perfect; we just messed around and figured it out along the way. We would pick something up, try it, and decide if we liked it, and if we did, then it became something we just kept doing. It was all driven by pure passion.   

As we age, we lose the ability to play in our creative practice. We feel pressured to perform and succeed. What was once something we did with pure passion becomes something we feel pressured to monetize or pursue professionally. We lose the ability to say, “What if?” We skip over the exploration phase that we get when we play because we instantly expect to master our craft instead of enjoying the journey of learning it in the first place.

We need to bring that play back into our creative practice. But to do that, we need to remember how we like to play in the first place. 

Finding your play personality 

I first came across the idea of “play personalities” in Ali Abdaal’s book, Feel Good Productivity. He references the work done by Dr. Stuart Brown, who identified eight different play personalities we can engage in: 

1. The Collector. The Collector gathers and organizes. They usually engage in hobbies that involve collecting, such as antiquing, plants, or stamps. 

2. The Competitor: The Collector thrives on playing games and sports. They enjoy trying their best and winning and will engage in hobbies that allow them to do so, such as gaming. 

3. The Explorer: The Explorer wanders and discovers new places and things they've never seen before. They usually gravitate towards activities like hiking and traveling. 

4. The Creator: The Creator is defined by their desire to make things. They might partake in craft-oriented hobbies like sewing, painting, or candle-making. 

5. The Storyteller: The Storyteller has an active imagination and uses it to entertain others. They find joy in creative writing. 

6. The Joker: The Joker’s goal is to make people laugh. They typically find pleasure in performing comedy or improv.

7. The Director: The Director plans, organizes, and leads others. Their hobbies might include leading a service project or being a camp counselor. 

8. The Kinesthete: The Kinesthete enjoys anything that gets their body moving. Their hobbies might include acrobatics, gymnastics, or running. 

(For those wondering, I personally identify with the Collector, Explorer, Creator, and Storyteller personalities.)

As we grow up, it becomes harder to stay true to ourselves. We’re so inundated and pressured to be a certain way and do certain things that we lose sight of who we truly are. Identifying how we like to play is a way to reclaim our true passions and interests. It’s a reminder of who we were as kids and what we loved doing in the hopes that we reconnect with those interests again. 

We can use play to find ourselves again, especially if we’ve lost sight of who that is as the years have passed. If that’s you, you’re not alone—I’m right there with you. In my experience, it’s so easy to lose yourself and so hard to find your way back.

So, this year, I’m on a mission to find myself again—who I am at my core and what I love doing—to truly live as my most authentic self. And it all starts with play. 

Who’s with me?

CREATIVE CORNER

• 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: Season 3 of Bridgerton, what else? #TeamPolin

• 💡 What I’m Loving: Entertaining at my apartment! I had a group of friends over last weekend, and it filled my cup so much that I’m making it a goal to entertain at least once a month this summer.

• 🎨 What I’m Working On: I finally chose the photos I want to print and hang in my apartment, so now on to the editing phase.

• 💭 Weekly Musing:

Thank you 💕

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