November 15, 2022
Exploring Your Creativity at a Senior Living Community
Life at a senior living community can be exhilarating. A calendar of activities, events and social occasions can keep you busy learning, growing, and expanding your horizons. One of the most fulfilling aspects of a community’s lifestyle is the opportunity for creative expression.
“One thing that makes our community a unique place to spend your retirement is that we foster creativity in all its forms,” says Katie O’Brien, Director of Sales & Marketing at The Admiral at the Lake. “We showcase artwork and encourage residents to explore their creative sides.”
Keep reading to learn more about how retirement communities cultivate creativity.
Ways To Find Your Creative Outlet in Senior Living
Rediscover an Old Hobby. Whether it is a lack of time, energy or access, dedication to a particular pastime can wane over time. One of the best ways to rekindle your creative talents is to pick up a hobby that excited you at a time in life when you had the freedom to explore.
The best senior living communities offer a variety of classes and workshops. For instance, amenities featured at The Admiral at The Lake include a creative arts studio, music venue, and woodworking shop, giving residents the opportunity to learn the basics of a craft or build on existing knowledge or experience. Each person participates as much or as little as they like in whatever topics pique their interest.
Seek Inspiration. Your golden years should be all about following your passions and soaking in meaningful moments. The Admiral at the Lake gives you the chance to do this. Our spectacular views of the lake and the Chicago skyline, along with our gorgeous green spaces, offer the kind of experience that’s bound to inspire.
Inspiration to create can be contagious. In a community that promotes creativity and the appreciation of art, you’re likely to make friends whose creative pursuits spark something in you too.
Keep Learning. Curiosity is fuel for creativity and vice versa. At senior living communities, there are often opportunities for lifelong learning, with regularly scheduled lectures given by experts in their field.
Maybe a historian will kindle an interest in your family history. From there, you could begin archiving pictures through scrapbooking, or you could create a short film that combines your personal narrative with historical facts. Perhaps a lecture by an astronomist will inspire a stargazing night, a song, or even a painting.
Exposure to new and interesting information can set you on your own creative exploration path. Convenient access to a library at your senior living community can also support your quest for new learning.
Experiencing art at a senior living art gallery or at an on-site music venue can also feed your creativity. You never know where your curiosity will take you and what artwork it could inspire!
Take a Personality Quiz. Some older adults concede that a lifetime immersed in a career and family life has prevented them from exploring different types of creative expression. A personality test will help you reveal your unique interests. Try the 16 Personality Types or The Enneagram Personality Test.
While these quizzes may not point you directly to a particular hobby, thinking about your strengths and individuality will help you determine what might be a fulfilling pastime.
For example, if you’re an introvert who enjoys a more relaxed and quiet environment, you might look into knitting, bullet journaling or hand lettering. If you’re an extrovert, you might join a choir or work alongside others at a woodworking shop.
Regardless of what you choose, the amenities and maintenance-free lifestyle of a senior living community offer the freedom and opportunity you need for your favorite creative pursuits.
Redefine Creativity. Most people associate creativity with traditional arts and crafts like watercolor painting, cross-stitch, music, photography or writing poetry. But there are infinite ways to foster your creativity.
For example, many people consider gardening and cooking forms of art. Senior living communities like The Admiral at The Lake provide opportunities for residents to develop a green thumb. Also, there are senior living floor plans that feature fully equipped kitchens where you can hone and enjoy your culinary skills.
Perhaps in your retirement, you can use social media to explore popular hobbies that you’ve never considered. Creativity doesn’t fit any sort of mold. You might be surprised at what you gravitate toward and find fulfillment from.
Benefits of Finding a Retirement Hobby
Many people judge a creative pursuit by its end product. They emphasize the quality of their crocheted sweater or the realism of their drawing. But there is so much more that can be gleaned from a creative outlet. In fact, participation in the arts can contribute to healthy aging.
Consider the following benefits of embracing a creative hobby:
- Better Health: Research shows that older adults who participate in activities they enjoy are at a lower risk for certain diseases and can even live longer lives. This goes beyond activities that raise your heart rate and build muscle. There are significant benefits to the social aspects of hobbies and the purpose they can provide an individual.
- Sharper Mind: Learning new skills is invigorating. When a senior finds a hobby that strikes the balance between satisfaction and challenge, this is the perfect recipe for keeping their mind sharp.
- Reduced Stress: A hallmark of the right creative endeavor is the feeling of contentment it can provide. Finding this outlet can help you to remain in the present moment, work through current stress, and even resolve challenges you’ve faced throughout your life.
- Increased Happiness: The sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a creative project can increase self-esteem, pride and confidence. Even if the end result is not perfect, the act of creativity can provide a sense of contentment and joy.
- More Social Interaction: There are communities of people you can connect with who share an interest in your favorite pastime. Online or in your senior living community, you can find like-minded people with whom you can collaborate, learn new skills, and share finished projects.
Discover What City Life at the Lake Can Be for You
At The Admiral at the Lake, we value creativity and its positive impact on residents’ quality of life.
Our Life Plan Community offers comfortable and elevated senior living on Chicago’s lakefront. Here, you’ll find Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation to meet your needs wherever you are on your senior living journey. Come visit us and experience life in our community or request a brochure.