Your "Hobbies" Killed Your Creativity
99% of us fall off the Creativity Cliff - here's how to climb back up.
Hey there,
Katina here, Daydreamers’ Co-founder and Chief Science Officer. Do you ever feel like your creative hobbies need to be all or nothing? That if you’re not great at them, there’s no point in doing them at all?
That perfectionist mindset — even when it comes to enjoyable parts of life like creativity — didn’t come out of nowhere. It was ingrained in you, me, and the majority of us adults today.
I unexpectedly saw this issue in a new light last week while giving a talk on the science of Creative Health. During my speech, something hit me at my core: I’ve been telling my story around creativity all wrong.
Usually, I introduce the topic of Creative Health by sharing about how I grew up believing creativity was something you could only indulge in after you were successful, retired, or had free time to “waste.”
And most of the time when I tell this story, I see nods of agreement — people reflecting on their own experiences of sidelining creativity throughout their lives.
But this time, the room gasped.
“How could you grow up without being encouraged to be creative?” one person asked. “Isn’t that just something we all… do?”
They were right; and honestly, after I left this discomfort stuck with me for the rest of the day. I’ve told this story hundreds of times in many different rooms and it never left me — or my audience — confused. So, why now?
After letting my Imagination Network mull on it, it hit me. There was a nuance I was glazing over — it wasn’t that I was discouraged from being creative as a kid. In fact, I actually grew up as a competitive dancer and an avid singer. Creativity was a big part of my life.
But here’s where things got complicated: Somewhere along the way, my creative outlets stopped being about joy and self-expression. They became a binary outcome; a means to an end— a way to win competitions, stack up gold medals, and maybe, if I was lucky, become rich and famous.
And when it became clear that I wasn’t going to be the next Broadway star or award-winning opera singer, an unspoken question took over: If I couldn’t profit — literally or figuratively — from my creativity… why do it at all?
For so many of us growing up in a capitalist-driven, competitive world, creativity became a transaction — another box to check, another thing to optimize, another path to success; not something we did for the sake of it.
This nuance is so important and really, at the heart of everything we’re building at Daydreamers. Because for us non-artists, those 99% of us who were taught to turn their hobbies into gold medals or rid yourself of them completely, we need to re-learn the language of our innate creativity without the trappings of perfectionism.
We need to reconnect with the love of the game, the freedom of self-expression, our inner creative strengths and the enjoyment that comes from living a Creatively Healthy life.
This isn’t just a nice-to-do. Our future, whether we like it or not, is going to be creative. In a few years, we’re not going to reward the fastest workers, but the most imaginative. We’re not going to spend our free time becoming the best amateur photographer, but instead, use creative as a tool for mental rejuvenation.
So, let’s explore why so many of us fall off the Creativity Cliff and how to combat the perfectionism that often seeps into our creativity as adults — so that we can all return to our innate, joyful creatively healthy selves.
The Creativity Cliff: Why Most Adults Stop Creating
The majority of adults in the postmodern era fall off what I call The Creativity Cliff the moment they enter adulthood.
Just like me, you may have also been a competitive dancer or even a star in the marching band. But, as soon as you entered “real life” those aspects of yourself became a distant memory.
One of my favorite creativity researchers, Dr. Lev Vygotsky, describes The Creative Cliff like this:
“The majority of people gradually get lost in the prose of everyday life, bury the dreams of their youth, consider love an illusion, and so forth. This, however, is only regression, but not annihilation, because the creative imagination does not disappear completely in anyone, it merely becomes incidental.”
Dramatic? Yes. But, true? Also yes 😅 🤓
Though, I think our aversion to creativity goes even deeper than that.
It’s not that we solely get lost in the prose of everyday life; it’s that we were taught that if we weren’t good at something, if it couldn’t make money, or if it didn’t serve a clear purpose — it wasn’t worth doing.
A major symptom of a creatively-depleted society is perfectionism. Perfectionism, in the scientific literature, is defined as setting unrealistically high expectations for yourself and others. By no means is it about being perfect. It’s often marked by an inner self-concept filled with judgement, shame and unworthiness. And, it’s on the rise in staggering numbers in our world today — some experts believe by 80%.
Here’s why: For most reading this newsletter, we grew up in a time as the “play-based” childhood gradually disappeared from view. Instead of making up games in the dirt, organized hobbies filled our free time. We were taught, whether the adults realized it or not, that our self-expression could be good or bad.
This led to these perfectionist tendencies that still plague our everyday lives as adults — black-and-white thinking, procrastination and a loud Inner Critic, just to name a few.
This way of operating, as Jonathan Haidt says, isn’t just sad; it’s harmful. It puts our brains into chronic defense mode, which makes us more skeptical of others, stuck in constant comparison and living in a habitual state of anxiety. It seeps into our relationships, the way we show up at work and even our perception of future potential.
So, is it all lost? Is there a way to reclaim our creative imagination, confidence and freedom?
Of course. If you’ve been part of the Daydreamers Universe for a while, you know that creativity is a natural part of being human — one that we can never lose, and only gets stronger the more that we exercise it.
But, it won’t be fixed at a random paint and sip night with friends once a year.
We have to turn our creative hobbies into habits for our health, fulfillment and ability to live a long, flourishing life. We have to create as an extension of living.
Creative Habits: Yes, You’re Allowed To Be “Bad”
How many times have you went to sign up for a creative hobby as an adult — maybe even join Daydreamers — and had the creeping thought: I’m going to be bad at this, so why bother?
Here’s the thing: Creativity inherently is about imperfection. It requires openness, curiosity, experimentation, and appreciation. It’s about taking an emotional risks and ultimately, developing a deeper connection with yourself, your people and the world because of it.
Even more, it’s the consistency of the act — not the outcome — that matters. By simply by incorporating the mini-c creative habits into your life, regardless how they look, you’re starting to rewire the rigid, perfectionist tendencies you developed as a kid.
Simply put, the pure creative process is doing the healing work without you even realizing it; it’s building new pathways to make your brain more mentally flexible. Research shows that small, frequent creative acts literally rewire your neural pathways, making you more flexible and resilient — two key facets of living a creatively healthy life.
And, we’ve seen this change in action at Daydreamers. After analyzing thousands of outcomes from our members, we realized that this rigid way of approaching the world was a common struggle — and creative habits could solve it. So, we designed an entire journey within the Daydreamers Ecosystem to help you unwind perfectionism and cultivate a consistent, open and curious creative practice.
The big secret? Showing up to create regularly - no matter if you’re good at it, feel like you’re wasting time, or think you look silly. It’s the exercise that matters.
So this week, I challenge you: No matter what type of creative habit you experiment with — do it badly. Do it imperfectly. Do it just because you can.
Because this is how we take back our Creative Health. Are you with us?
- Katina
Daydreamers’ Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer
Enjoy what you’re reading?
At Daydreamers, we’re here to make creativity a natural part of your life—not just something you wish you had time for. Think of us as a digital gym for your creative brain.
And, joining Daydreamers isn’t just about unlocking your own Creative Health—it’s about fueling a movement that keeps these free resources alive for everyone 💭✨
Creative Brain Teaser 🧠
Here’s a little taste of what we do at Daydreamers. Each week, we’ll share a creative concept or tool from the Daydreamers Platform to help you turn this week’s insights into action.
The Perfection Journey
What it is: Perfectionism isn’t about flawless handwriting or a perfectly organized home—it’s about how you handle risk, shame, and self-judgment. It’s that voice in your head saying, If it’s not great, don’t bother. But here’s the truth: Creativity thrives on imperfection.
At Daydreamers, we’ve found that consistent creative practice—especially when you focus on the process, not the outcome—rewires your brain. It builds confidence, boosts mental flexibility, and quiets your Inner Critic. Our Perfection Journey is designed to help you break free from procrastination, black-and-white thinking, and fear of failure one small creative act at a time.
How to experiment with it: This week, you can try an easy version of one of our favorite exercises in this journey: Externalize your Inner Critic.
Notice when your judgmental voice creeps in. Pay attention to where your Inner Critic shows up most often in your life—your work, your hobbies, or even your relationships.
Give it a name and a personality. Is it a strict teacher from your past? Or maybe a made-up villain? Make it something separate from you.
Tell its story. This is where our secret sauce comes in at Daydreamers, but for now you can write or doodle a short, playful backstory about your Inner Critic. What’s its deal? Why is it so obsessed with perfection? What happens when you ignore it?
Curious to explore more? We’ve got a whole library of science-backed creative exercises waiting for you in the Daydreamers Universe.
What We’re Loving This Week 🪐
Each week, we’ll share something that’s that’s helping us live a more creatively fulfilling life — whether it’s a book, an idea or even product we love. Think of it as a little dose of inspiration straight from me, Katina, and the team at DD HQ 🚀
Returning to analog gifts: Hobby Collection Books
As a couple who lives and works together, Dupi and I sometimes struggle to find creative ways to show love. Anyone else relate? 😅
This year for Valentine’s Day, we’re going back to the nostalgic basics: handmade scrapbooks and photo albums. In a world of digital everything, there’s something magical about tangible, imperfect, analog memories. We love the simple options at Semikolon, but it doesn’t need to be fancy in order to be meaningful.
🧠 Your Turn: What’s your favorite way to make creativity tangible?
In a world of emails and AI, there’s something really powerful about creating with your hands. Tell us how you express yourself in the real world in the comments! 💡
P.S. Help us reach our goal of 20,000 community members here on Substack! Share this newsletter with a friend who needs a dose of creative living. We so appreciate you helping us spread the Creative Health movement 🤍