Get in Touch with Your Creative Side at the Village

Perhaps one of the most exciting things about the retirement years is having the time to try new things and explore your own creativity. Here at the Village, we have all kinds of opportunities for residents to get in touch with their creative sides.

Creative Activities at the Village at Germantown

We’re happy to report that we have several resident groups that meet regularly to work on creative projects, such as a knitting crew known as Loops of Love, a new sewing club called Seniors in Stitches, and a cooking group for those with a passion for the culinary arts! While the ladies love to get together over their sewing, several of the gentlemen in our community can almost always be found whittling away in our community’s woodshop!

We’re also fortunate to be able to bring in local artists to host workshops for us. In the past few months, our residents have enjoyed art classes in glass fusing, sponge painting, printmaking and bubble blower paint, just to name a few!

Besides specialized art classes, the Village residents also participate in regular arts and crafts sessions, and we’ve recently joined in on the trend of adult coloring, with our own special twist of smooth jazz playing in the background. Experts actually say that adult coloring is a great relaxation technique - similar in effect to meditation - as well as a fun social activity if done in groups.

Our residents also like to venture outside of our community on daytrips to tour current exhibits at local art museums like the Dixon and the Brooks. And of course, visual art isn’t the only form of creativity appreciated at the Village. Special musical performances held in our auditorium are also quite popular among our residents!

Rediscovering Your Creativity in Retirement

Clearly creative outlets abound in our bustling retirement community, but what if you’ve never thought of yourself as a creative person? We have good news: everyone can be creative, especially in retirement!

You know how you get your best ideas when you leave a project for a little while and go for a walk, just letting your mind wander? There’s actually a good reason for that, and it also explains how creativity becomes easier to grasp in retirement.

According to University of Mexico professor of neurosurgery Dr. Rex Jung, the frontal lobes of your brain act as “gatekeepers” for creative thought processes throughout a workday or other very rigid routine. When you let your mind wander though, the frontal lobes are less engaged and allow a more fluid stream of creative ideas. So it makes sense that as you have more time to relax in retirement, your mind is more open to creative thinking.

How Creativity is Important in a Retirement Lifestyle

Why are creative activities so beneficial for those in their retirement years? “Discovering and exploring your everyday creativity can make a difference between boredom and the pure joy of being alive,” explains Julia Valentine, author of Joy Compass: How to Make Your Retirement the Treasure of Your Life. In other words, creativity can lead to truly enjoyable retirement experiences.

In fact, according to an article in the Journal of Aging Studies, creative activities lead to a sense of fulfillment, serve as a source of motivation, foster continued personal development, and encourage flexibility in problem solving situations.

What Creativity Means to our Germantown Retirement Community

Almost needless to say, the Village at Germantown recognizes the benefits of creativity for our residents, and we do everything we can to make sure they have the facilities and resources needed to engage in and appreciate artistic expression. In fact, we would love to show you some of those spaces in person and introduce your to some of our creative residents! You can schedule a tour today on our website or give us a call at 901-752-2500 to set up a visit.