Co-Creating a New Perspective on Creative Ageing – Legacy

In many ways, the life of this work has only just begun because there is so much potential for these resources to kick-start new discussion and reflections. But for brevity, the legacy of this work can be summarised in 3 key ideas that emerged from the discussions and are not often part of the Creative Ageing narrative:

More is More
The stories begin with the person, not the project, which is unusual for
evaluations which tend to focus on the impact of one creative activity. What
we can draw from this alternative approach is the idea that, once someone
has experienced a spark of creativity, it is just the beginning of their journey-
and more is more. Supporting people to feed their creative curiosity beyond a
single project is crucial.

Ecology is Key
The Creative Ageing ‘sector’ is not easy to define and it includes a vast array
of different projects, activities, and partners. Mapping this is a challenge, but if
we consider the idea that ‘more is more’, then it is critical that the we build
better connections and actively support those older people who engage with
one project, to connect with more creative opportunities to nourish their
journey for the long term.

Transition Moments Matter
For this project, we have focussed on older people who have experienced
barriers to creativity and are often taking part for this first time. In many ways,
the stories show that ‘age’ has not been the main barrier to creativity- they are
representative of people who have experienced barriers throughout their lives.
This is why ‘transition moments’ (retirement, new diagnosis, bereavement)
appear to become more important when it comes to engagement as we age;

These significant moments of change of circumstances and identity can be an
opportunity for creativity to offer significant benefits.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank CHWA and Creative Lives for being such supportive and generous partners throughout the life of this project.

For more resources on this theme, check out our library. Check out the legacy section for more information about how this strand of work of work is developing beyond 2024/5.