✨ Introduction:
When we think of creativity, we often picture crayons, cardboard castles, and finger paint. But creativity isn’t just for kids—it’s a powerful skill, one that many adults find gets lost in the mundane and the responsibilities of day-to-day life. We forget that when you’re negotiating a client contract while making a snack plate, or brainstorming a business idea during school pickup, your ability to think differently is a career superpower.
Here’s how creativity shows up in parenting and business—and why it may be the secret sauce to your success.
🎨 Redefining Creativity
If you’ve made it this far and looked at my little artist’s palate in this header, you may be rolling your eyes and saying, “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.” Maybe you are like me and can barely draw a stick figure, I get it! Creativity isn’t about being artistic just from an artist’s standpoint, it’s having the ability to come up with ideas to solve problems in a different way than the norm and doing things in a new and original way. While I may not be an artist like my daughter is, I can design and sew a dress without a pattern and I can somehow figure out changing the layout of the downstairs of our house to re-arrange a bathroom, create an office, and change the entire kitchen layout so the functionality works a million times better for our family. I can also sit with a team and listen and observe their current processes and quickly identify what systems and processes are causing problems and where they can make modifications to improve their overall workflow. Those are all instances of being creative.
- Solving problems in new ways
- Adapting quickly when things don’t go as planned
- Seeing potential where others see limitations
- Connecting ideas others might miss
Sound familiar? That’s parenthood. And that’s also entrepreneurship. It’s also a side hustle, balancing a part time job or millions of other examples. The possibilities are endless.
👩👧👦 How Parenting Builds Creative Muscle
Slowly the world around us is beginning to recognize that being a parent is also a superpower. Taking a break from your career to stay at home is no longer quite as frowned upon and in the western world more people are slowly acknowledging that parenting trains your brain in ways no classroom ever could. Such as –
- You improvise daily. From forgotten lunches to last-minute changes in childcare, you’re constantly reworking plans on the fly.
- You think resourcefully. No glue? No problem. You find solutions with what’s already in front of you.
- You innovate out of necessity. You create workflows between work and family life that most productivity experts haven’t even imagined.
These aren’t just survival skills—they’re the same traits top business leaders and creators use to grow. It doesn’t feel like it in the moment but part of that is because our culture has conditioned us to think that one or the other isn’t enough.
💼 Creativity in Your Career
You may have grown up like I did in a house where one parent worked and the other stayed home. I loved that and it was highly encouraged by my parents and was the culture I grew up in. Reality though was that I found fulfillment in helping others and enjoyed bringing in an income while doing it. I also needed to work to financially provide for my family. We were a two-income family and that’s ok. What has evolved though in the last decade or so, especially with social media and the COVID pandemic has been an explosion of creativity and new jobs. Many sparked from lessons learned in parenthood. Here’s a few key lessons in creativity learned in parenthood that can help fuel career growth:
1. You’re a natural problem-solver.
You troubleshoot daily, whether it’s a toddler meltdown or a last-minute email crisis. That ability to stay calm and act fast? Employers and clients love it.
2. You see the bigger picture.
Moms juggle multiple priorities. That teaches you how to connect dots, plan for what’s next, and build systems that support both life and work.
3. You create connection and meaning.
Great brands and businesses are built on human connection—and as parents you must become an emotional intelligence pro. You learn the difference in a cry of hunger or tiredness. You know what provokes the witching hour in the evening and how to strategically stay ahead of it with snacks or preparation. You know that a story and a cuddle can end a meltdown after a splinter. Your experience brings heart and story into everything you do. Yes, we all hear how AI is taking over the world and going to replace jobs. Yet, while there is truth to that, the same was true of cars, and assembly lines and printing presses. The truth is there is nothing that can replace the beauty of human connection and emotional intelligence. As a parent you improve those skills daily, so leverage those skills and that super power in your career!
🌟 Why It’s a Superpower (Even If It Feels Invisible)
You might not always feel creative when you’re running on coffee and four hours of sleep. But trust this:
- Your creativity is what helps you adapt.
- Your resourcefulness is what helps you grow.
- Your problem-solving is what keeps your life and work moving forward.
In a world that rewards automation and sameness, thinking differently is your edge. In a world where speed and hustle are rewarded, know that connection and creativity are what gives you an edge. Knowing how to pause, solve a problem and adapt are what makes us human!
🖍 Action Step: Reclaim Your Creative Confidence
Here are three ways to start embracing your creativity:
- Write down one creative decision you made each day—even if it was how you got your kid to eat broccoli.
- Build “idea time” into your week. Give yourself permission to brainstorm, doodle, or journal for 10–15 minutes.
- Surround yourself with possibility but also give yourself time to rest. Follow other mompreneurs, creatives, or communities like Crayons and Careers that inspire you to think big. Just don’t forget to pause and rest, all super hero’s need that break, even if it’s just fifteen minutes to relax before you tackle the dishes.
💡 Final Thought:
Creativity isn’t childish—it’s courageous. I know that’s hard to think about as adults, we are constantly just trying to manage our to do lists and we so often are focused on what we are afraid of instead of how to be courageous. You show your children courage each day by just putting one foot in front of the other and getting you and them through the day. When construction delays the drive to your child’s practice, you quickly pivot to find another route or have the kids eat their snack in the car before dropping them off. Every day you are a creative force in motion.
The world may subliminally message to us that we outgrow creativity but it’s not something we ever outgrow, in truth it’s something that we grow and expand every day! We just need to recognize that!
I hope this encourages you a little today and that you find a little more room to acknowledge your own creativity each day. If you want more inspiration for blending motherhood and meaningful work subscribe to Crayons and Careers!
Leave us your thoughts in the comments!