> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.joinwimzee.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# What Looks Like a Mess...  might just be creativity in progress.
- URL: https://blog.joinwimzee.com/what-looks-like-a-mess-might-just-be-creativity-in-progress/
- Published: 2026-11-10T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-10T16:00:00.000Z
- Author: Jennifer Murray

# The MESS

### Maybe We're So Busy Cleaning It Up That We're Missing the Creativity Happening in the Middle of It.

I used to see those memes.

You know the ones. A child has somehow managed to cover an entire room in flour. Couch cushions are ripped apart and scattered across the house. An entire bottle of something has been emptied, smeared, or creatively repurposed. The parents look absolutely defeated.

And I would think to myself, **HOW did their parents let them do that?!**

Well.

Then I found myself raising four children.

And suddenly, I understood.

There's the bicycle taken apart on the front porch, only to be transformed into something entirely different. The Squishmallow pillow that was de-stuffed, repurposed as a sleeping bag, and eventually turned into a Halloween costume. The dresser covered in fingernail polish. The walls. The curtains. The bedframes.

And then there's the child who decided that a tube of diaper cream would make an excellent face mask.

You really can't make this stuff up.

Somewhere between the cleanup, the questionable decisions, and the occasional moment of wondering what on earth is going through their little heads, I've started looking at these experiences a little differently.

Because sometimes, buried underneath the chaos, there's something worth noticing.

**The thinking.**

### What's happening beneath the surface?

Think about that bicycle.

A child looks at something designed for one purpose and begins imagining what else it could become. Parts are removed. Pieces are rearranged. New possibilities emerge. The original object is no longer the point. What it could become is.

Or the Squishmallow.

It started as a pillow. Then it became a sleeping bag. Later, a wearable creation. Eventually, it became a Halloween costume decorated with felt shapes and sprinkles.

There wasn't a set of instructions or a picture of the finished product to replicate. There was an idea that evolved over time.

And that's what fascinates me.

Children are constantly discovering new ways to interact with the world around them. They're making connections, testing ideas, and figuring out what happens when they try something different.

Sometimes they know exactly what they're doing.

Sometimes they have absolutely no idea.

And sometimes, as parents, we're left holding a bottle of furniture polish and wondering where we went wrong.

But there's a lot happening in that process.

### Creativity doesn't always look like creativity.

When we think about encouraging creativity in children, we often picture art supplies, craft projects, building sets, or beautifully arranged invitations to play.

And those things can be wonderful.

But creativity isn't limited to making something pretty or producing something worthy of displaying on the refrigerator.

It's seeing possibilities. Looking at an ordinary object and imagining a different use for it. Taking something apart to understand how it works. Combining things that don't seem to belong together. Trying an idea, changing direction, and figuring out what to do next.

It's imagination, resourcefulness, initiative, problem-solving, and flexible thinking.

And these abilities don't develop simply because we tell children to be creative.

**They need room to practice.**

### Are we giving them enough room?

Think about the activities we provide children.

So many are designed to be completed a certain way. There are instructions to follow, examples to copy, steps to complete, and finished products that are expected to look a particular way.

Even activities labeled *creative* can leave very little room for children to make their own decisions.

We provide the materials. We demonstrate the process. We explain what to do. Sometimes, we even correct the parts that don't look quite right.

And while there's absolutely value in teaching skills and providing guidance, I wonder if we're sometimes overlooking something equally important.

**Are we giving children enough opportunities to come up with the ideas themselves?**

To try something without knowing exactly what will happen? To make decisions without waiting for someone to tell them what comes next? To discover that something doesn't work and figure out another way?

There's a difference between giving a child something to make and giving a child the freedom to imagine what could be made.

Both have value. But they aren't interchangeable.

### Maybe we need to rethink what we're seeing.

There are days when parents simply cannot handle one more creative surprise.

Trust me. I get it.

But when a child takes something apart, repurposes an object, mixes materials, or starts creating something we never anticipated, perhaps our first response doesn't always have to be stopping the activity.

Sometimes, we can pause.

We can watch. We can ask questions. We can get curious about what they're thinking.

What are you trying to make? What made you think of that? What else could you use? What might happen if you tried something different?

And sometimes, we can simply give them a little more time and space to figure it out.

Not every experiment leads somewhere wonderful. Not every creation is a masterpiece.

But the opportunity to think, make decisions, and work through an idea gives children the chance to develop skills they'll use long after the cleanup is finished.

### Where the magic happens.

I think back to those memes now, and I can't help but smile.

My children have taught me a lot more than patience (although they've certainly tested that, too!).

They've taught me to stop and look at things differently. To pause before deciding something is simply a mess, a mess-up, or a bad idea. To look a little closer and consider what might be happening that I haven't noticed yet.

Because sometimes, it takes a little creativity of our own to recognize creativity in someone else.

And maybe that's the point.

**The mess isn't necessarily a byproduct of creativity. Sometimes, the mess IS the creative process.**

So the next time you walk into a room and find that something has been dismantled, rearranged, repurposed, or transformed into something you never could have imagined, take a breath.

Before you clean it up, take a look.

You might just discover that there's more happening than you realized.

**Maybe the goal isn't to raise children who make less mess. Maybe it's to raise children who know what to do with the possibilities in front of them.**

And perhaps we need to leave a little more room for the MESS.

### Want to Make a Little Room for Creativity?

If you'd like to give your child a fun, low-pressure space to explore ideas, make decisions, and build confidence in their own thinking, I'd love to have you join me!

**For Ages 3–5:** [**Little Story Studio – Kindergarten & Reading Readiness**](https://wimzee1.mysharetribe.com/l/little-story-studio-for-kindergarten-and-reading-readiness/6a74c965-7df0-43b6-8df7-3b88578540c8?ref=blog.joinwimzee.com)

Young learners practice following step-by-step drawing directions, making their own creative choices, and turning their ideas into stories. It's a playful way to build early learning skills while leaving room for imagination.

**For Ages 8–12:** [**Creative Design Studio**](https://wimzee1.mysharetribe.com/l/creative-design-studio-ages-812/6a74c80d-71aa-4a43-acc8-39865b57f11f?ref=blog.joinwimzee.com)

Older kids experiment with color, patterns, and characters as they develop original designs and bring their own ideas to life. There's no one right way to create, and that's part of the fun!

### Meet Your Instructor

I'm Jennifer Murray, an educator with 24 years of classroom experience, an artist, and founder of JM Creative Studio. I love creating experiences that encourage children to think independently, make connections, explore possibilities, and discover just how much they can do.

[**Explore my instructor profile on Wimzee**](https://wimzee1.mysharetribe.com/u/6a675920-c2da-4b9d-a602-6a8c6f44cecb?ref=blog.joinwimzee.com) **to discover more workshops and creative learning experiences.**