Why does our childhood imagination die?

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I find that my imagination help me solve a lot a problems when I want to make something from scratch. I have made 12vot water pumps for camping and many other things. Some of the greatest people have crated lots of things in the past with there imagination, like Leonardo da Vinci and mean more.

but as for play, I find my self once and a while playing with things and toys. but I try to keep it down to a little bit so I don't embers my self to much
 
I don't think our childhood imagination ever dies, it's just that all the social influences around us teach us that we should repress it. Even since ancient times, there's been a concept of the 'passage of rites into manhood/womanhood' whereby we discard the behaviours and interests of childhood and supposedly make this comfortable, inevitable transition away from all the things of childhood, and instead take on all the logic, practicality and seriousness demanded of us by the 'real world'.

As we can see from artists, filmmakers, musicians etc., our imagination never really dies, and can exist in an environment of creativity and (relative) personal freedom. It's just that we're taught that 'growing up' means parting with daydreams and imaginative fictions, and this, combined with a more developed psychological understanding of reality and unreality that happens as we age, is why I think childhood imagination ends up locked in a dusty recess of many people's minds.
 
Wow, I had no idea that child imaginations die. I'm not being funny ether, as I've had my imagination for years. Granted it isn't the same like when I was back in grade school, but I still make sound effects and everything.

Lord knows, if it wasn't for the invisible brakes I put on when I almost run into someone while walking (inward sound effects included) or playing my invisible air guitar when I'm listening to really good classic rock, I don't know how I'd live life.

Ironically, I was just sitting up here the other day, thinking about how serious of an adult I have become LOL!
 
theQman said:
It's like I forgot how. I vividly remember how I'd be able to create my own little world for these toys fueled only by my imagination and I'd have a wonderful time. I used to be able to make a game out of anything and turn the most mundane task into an adventure. I used to be so creative and easily inspired when I was little. I miss that.

I'm just wondering what happened exactly? Why does it seem that as we get older this little part of ourselves just seems to gradually die off?

That imaginative side of your self is very much nurtured in early childhood. Parents are always encouraging small kids to imagine things and be creative. But around the time of Middle School, imagination is suddenly frowned upon and most people lose the ability to imagine things on purpose because it's no longer seen as socially acceptable behavior.

Artists and writers are among the people who never really lose this sense, it just matures as the rest of the mind does. I have artist friends who I can bounce ideas off of for hours at a time, just coming up with new stories and characters, but nowadays the stories are much more logical and linear than the fantastical adventures of childhood.

I would suggest trying out roleplaying on a roleplay forum (maybe even the AB roleplay boards here on ADISC) as a creative exercise -- I've tried a lot of methods to jumpstart my creativity and a good roleplay seems to be the absolute best way to get me out of a creative funk.

Oh, and start actively daydreaming. I remember as a kid I actually had to force myself to daydream at first (I was very serious child!) but after a while it became second nature and now I daydream all the time.
 
Some people never really grow out of their imagination. These people are your authors, screenwriters, movie directors, etc. It's a talent everyone had as a child but only a select few can carry it over into adulthood. I know I'm glad to be one of those who never grew out of their imagination, especially since I have over 100 novels I want to write and a comic book series and I'm only 20. For some people, the "force" is strong, while others don't have it.
 
BinkyBoi said:
Some people never really grow out of their imagination. These people are your authors, screenwriters, movie directors, etc. It's a talent everyone had as a child but only a select few can carry it over into adulthood. I know I'm glad to be one of those who never grew out of their imagination, especially since I have over 100 novels I want to write and a comic book series and I'm only 20. For some people, the "force" is strong, while others don't have it.

I like your style, BinkyBoi :)
 
Ve'are getting old. There's not anopther explication. World of kids is very simple, life of adult is something harder.
 
I never even had an imagination to begin with. I for example never understood how to play with Lego's. A more recent thing is that I can't play creative in Minecraft, because my brain just draws a blank. I miss having that sort of free thinking now that I wanna play pretend or something artsy or whatever. It sucks.
 
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