Creatively-inclined people tend to produce great work throughout their entire lives, but is there an age when creativity peaks? Everyone’s imaginative process is unique, and if we trace the trajectory of history’s most creative minds, they seem to have peaked at different times — whether it’s when they’re relatively young, middle-aged, or well into their golden years. Of course, there are also people like self-described creative genius Kanye West, who out-geniuses himself each and every day (according to him).
In a recent Fast Company article, Drake Baer suggests that people who peak in their twenties tend to be more creative thanks to their lack of inhibition — they’re less jaded by their medium and more eager to take chances. Look at America’s current sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence; she’s experiencing what will doubtless be the peak of her career, partially because she’s so uninhibited. While other starlets talk about dieting, she talks about eating pizza.
Of course, some people experience their creative peak a little later. A recent study found that physicists make their most notable discoveries when they’re in their late forties, and many painters did their best work later in life. This may be due to “practice making perfect” — especially when it comes to creative minds who are scientifically inclined. Or, someone like Betty White, who’s at the top of her creative game thanks to her ability to persistently reinvent herself and adapt to the ever-changing entertainment industry.
Fast Company postulates that a person’s creative peak may be determined by whether they’re an “experimenter” — someone like Betty White who refines their creative process and tends to peak in their golden years (insert Golden Girls joke here) — or a “conceptual artist,” someone who masters their creative goal at a young age and moves on to something else. What do you think?
Source: Fast Company
