Why You Lost Your Creativity (And How to Get It Back)

NASA did a shocking study that completely changed the way I view the world. NASA wanted to measure the creative potential of their top scientists and engineers. But here's where it gets interesting. The researchers decided to give it to a completely different audience. Kids. They tested 1,600 children between the ages of 4 and 5 and the results were mind-blowing. 98% of these preschoolers scored at creative genius levels. According to the test, they were all born creative geniuses. But then it got even crazier. They kept testing the same kids as they got older. By age 10, only 30% still scored at the creative genius level. By age 15, that number dropped to 12%. By the time they were adults, only 2% of people maintained their original level of creativity. Let that sink in. 98% of kids start out as creative geniuses and by the time they grow up, only 2% still have it. And so, the question is, where did their creativity go? Pablo Picasso once said, Every child is an artist. The problem is remaining an artist once they grow up. Did these kids just lose their creativity? Did their brains change? Well, not exactly. According to Dr. Land, creativity isn't something you lose. He found that our lack of creativity is learned over time. Largely due to how we're taught to think. Our brains have two modes of thinking. Divergent thinking and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking is your imagination. It's where new ideas, wild possibilities, and out-of-the-box thinking comes from. Convergent thinking is your judgment system. It's what evaluates and critiques and filters ideas to decide what's right or what's wrong. And here's the problem. Our education system and society at large forces these two types of thinking to happen at the same time. We're told to think creatively but also to get the right answer. We're encouraged to dream big but are then graded and judged and measured against rigid standards. This constant pressure to self-edit and self-criticize and get it right kills creativity at its source. If you ever felt like you used to be more creative, if you ever wondered why do I struggle creating art now when I didn't as a kid, this is why. You didn't lose your creativity. It's still there. But over time, you've been trained to doubt, suppress, and second-guess yourself. This lifelong suppression has influenced you in ways you probably don't even notice. And the good news? You can unlearn this conditioning. And I'm going to show you exactly how to do that. Exactly how to rewire your brain, break free from creative blocks, and get your artistic spark back for good. Let's get into it. Once upon a time, everything was enchanted. The clouds weren't just clouds. They were dragons and castles and secret islands floating in the sky. The shadows in your room weren't just shapes. They were monsters and mysterious creatures. And a cardboard box wasn't just trash. It was a spaceship, a time machine, a portal to another mind, another world. A stick on the ground wasn't just a stick. It was a sword, a wand, or a key to another dimension. As a kid, you lived in a world of wonder. When I look at my niece, Nori, and I see the world through her eyes, I notice that the world didn't lose its magic. Somewhere along the way, you just stopped seeing it. The world became predictable. It became routine. You stopped looking at the sky for dragons and started looking at your phone for emails. Your brain, in an attempt to be efficient, started filtering out the wonder, the tiny, strange, beautiful details of the world. But here's the thing. Creativity lives in those details. It's built on noticing. To fix this, you have to train yourself to see differently. Write down one strange, beautiful, or interesting thing every day. A thought, a color, a conversation, a weird dream. Anything that just sparks your curiosity. Become a tourist in your own city. Walk as if you've never been there before. Look up, look down, look around, right? Notice all the details you've ignored a thousand times. Take photos of textures and shadows and patterns, things that feel out of place or just oddly beautiful. Treat the world like a scavenger hunt. Creativity isn't born from peace. It's born from friction, from tension, from that edge-of-your-seat feeling where your brain is forced to adapt, stretch, and find new ways to move forward. Kids are constantly in a state of discovery. They're learning new things, failing, making mistakes, testing limits. Their world is unpredictable, so their brains are always making new connections. But as an adult, you've built a world of comfort, routines, familiar places, predictable days. You've removed uncertainty, risk, and failure from your life. And when there's no tension, no challenge, your brain stops reaching. Comfort kills creativity. When life becomes predictable, your brain stops searching. It stops problem-solving. It stops creating. Shake things up. Do something uncomfortable every day. Try something you suck at. Struggle. Fail. Feel discomfort. Have a conversation with a stranger, you know? Ask them a deep question. Listen like they're the most important person in the world. Say yes to something you normally avoid. An invite you'd probably turn down or food you'd never order. A challenge that makes you nervous. When your brain is forced to adapt, it starts making new connections. Real quick, y'all. If this is hitting home and making you rethink your creativity, it will mean the world to me if you hit that subscribe button. You see, I break down creativity and how to tap into your creative genius. So if you want more content like this, there is a lot more to come. Remember when you were a kid and used to sit with crayons for hours, lost in the world of your own imagination? No distractions. No rush. Just you and the act of creating. Now, your brain is different. It's been hijacked by social media, streaming, endless scrolling. Here's an uncomfortable truth for creative people. Inspiration without action is just distraction. You feel productive when you're binging tutorials or researching techniques, scrolling through Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube, collecting endless inspiration. You absorb masterpiece after masterpiece, waiting for the perfect moment to feel ready. But the reality is, you're just hoarding ideas and not making anything. Your brain starts mistaking consumption for creation. And creativity doesn't work that way. The real spark doesn't come from consuming. It comes from doing. You don't get inspired to create. You get inspired by creating. Action comes first. The muse follows. Your brain used to crave creation. When you stop chasing quick dopamine and make intentional time to create, I promise you, your creativity will return. I challenge you, for every hour you consume, spend an hour creating. Read a recipe. Make a dish. Watch a movie. Write a scene or script. Listen to music. Make a song. Listen to a podcast. Record your own. Whatever you do, make this your new rule. Inspiration in, creation out. No more passive consumption. If something moves you, respond with action. I've spoken to kids and adults throughout the country, and I noticed something very interesting. Before I start any of my speeches, I always ask the same question. Raise your hand if you're an artist. When I talk to adults, maybe one or two of them would reluctantly raise their hand. But when I asked kids, they'd all jump up, excited and proudly waving their hands. Adults stopped calling themselves an artist. You used to know you were an artist. Not think, not wonder. Know. Because you created. That was the proof. You didn't need validation or permission. You just made things. Paintings, songs, stories, imaginary worlds built with Legos and sidewalk chalk. You created because that's what artists do. Now you hesitate. Now you second guess. Now you tell yourself, I used to be creative. I'm not really an artist. Not anymore. It's been way too long. And whether you realize it or not, your brain follows your identity. It listens. It adjusts. You didn't lose your creativity. You didn't outgrow your creativity. You just stopped claiming it. If you want your creativity back, you have to take your identity back. No more waiting for inspiration. No more looking back at who you used to be. Act like an artist and your creativity will return. I'm an artist. I'm a chef. I'm a writer. I'm an interior designer. Even if it feels weird. Even if your voice shakes. Identity is built through repetition. So start repeating it. You didn't lose your creativity. It got buried. But now you know the truth. And more importantly, you know how to get it back. And if you want more insights like this, more ways to unlock your creativity, subscribe to this channel. And I'll catch you in the next video.