Why creativity belongs in every classroom (and every neighborhood)
If creativity had a sound, it would be the hum of thinking out loud — messy, curious, tentative, yet excited. It would be the sound of many minds saying “What if…?” and “Let’s try it this way.”
Creativity is a way of being, and that’s precisely why it belongs in every classroom and, if we’re dreaming big enough, every neighborhood.
I’ve seen this truth play out across the spectrum of my work — in studio moments, sketchbooks, Chickenisms pages, and most certainly in the bright eyes of children creating beside me on Freddie the Bus.
Creativity is a foundation of human growth, community connection, and emotional well-being.
Creativity and cognitive development
Research makes it clear that creativity supports healthy cognitive development. Children who participate regularly in the arts are less likely to develop social problems as teenagers. They tend to have better relationships with peers and teachers, stronger decision-making skills, and higher rates of engagement in school.
Art engages the brain in unique ways. It requires active attention, interpretation, invention, and problem-solving. Whether a child is using blocks to build a tower or an adult is mixing paint to create texture, both are tapping into neural pathways that help with focus, planning, and flexible thinking. In fact, research shows that making art can even increase blood flow to the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain associated with focus, meaning-making, and executive function.
In other words, creativity builds our brains in ways that can impact other subjects, behaviors, and life skills.
Creativity and emotional well-being
The arts are also deeply connected to emotional regulation and well-being. Even short bursts of creative activity can significantly lower cortisol, the hormone tied to stress. Activities like doodling, painting, collaging, and free drawing activate areas of the brain linked to calm and focus.
Social and emotional learning (SEL), a set of skills including self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and relationship building, is enhanced when students engage in creative practices. Art gives language to the internal experience, providing a safe way to explore tough emotions without judgment. Sharing an artwork then becomes a chance for storytelling and dialogue.
This matters for adults too. Creativity invites us to slow down and be present. In a world where we’re pulled in a million directions, that quiet focus is nothing short of therapeutic.
Creativity builds community
If creativity strengthens individuals, then it also strengthens communities. Art invites participation and breaks down barriers by shifting attention from perfection to process and evaluation to exploration. It invites groups to think together, make together, and celebrate together.
This is why I started Jumpstart Art — to bring creativity into neighborhoods through Freddie the Bus and our community programs. Creativity shouldn’t be confined to the pages of sketchbooks or the walls of galleries. It should live wherever people gather: at a park picnic, in an after-school program, at a block party.
When neighbors make something together, something shifts. Children sit side-by-side with adults, questions are asked, laughter emerges, and messes become memories. These moments plant a deeper sense of belonging.
Every space is a creative space
Creativity doesn’t need a classroom, a lab, or a studio. It needs curiosity, materials, and space to explore. And the more we normalize creative expression as part of daily life, the more resilient, joyful, empathetic, and confident we become.
Every child deserves access to the arts, and every adult deserves permission to make without judgment.
In the end, creativity is a way of thinking that we explore early on and carry forward throughout our lives. It’s a language of joy, connection, and discovery that belongs in every classroom and every neighborhood.
