Remembering to Imagine

Recently, during one of our programs, I sat with a woman who was sharing her writing with me. She had crafted a moving story about grief, and I told her she had a gift—for creating nuanced, believable characters and for exploring such a complex topic with beauty and humor.

Her eyes filled with tears as she shared that she had not written creatively in more than 10 years before this program, ever since someone commented negatively on her writing, essentially shutting her down. She had loved crafting stories as a child but no longer believed she had any talent. So she stopped. For more than a decade.

I hear stories like this over and over again. Mostly from adults who somewhere along the line had their writing marked up with a red pen (it’s why I never used a red pen as a high school English teacher). Writing can be so personal, an extension of ourselves, so when someone makes a negative comment, especially in a thoughtless way, it can feel like a judgment of who we are.

It’s one of the reasons why I believe so strongly in the importance of Project Write Now’s creative, expressive writing programs. Our programs give people spaces where they can be reminded that they are inherently creative, imaginative beings. That they have their own unique voices and styles of writing. That their voices matter and their stories deserve to be told.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the value of our imaginations, especially in a world saturated with AI and screens. Dr. Cassandra Vieten, Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego, calls it “The Great Flattening,” referring, yes, to literal flat screens but even more to the idea that when we are constantly besieged with information, our imaginations, wonder, and curiosity can flatten. For Dr. Vieten, our imaginations are something we need to give attention to and practice using. Her new book, Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Live, and Feel With the Science of Imagination, explores the idea that imagination is not just for artists and dreamers, it’s for everyone. 

Our imaginations are something we need to prioritize as much as we do our physical health and emotional well-being. Our imaginations can help us travel into our past, sifting through memories to make meaning of them. Our imaginations can help us stay in the present moment by inviting us to pay attention and notice what’s around us. What do we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? And our imaginations can help us dream into the future, moving us from reality to possibility.

This is especially important for young people. When they use their imaginations—to create a character or simply wonder what if?—they’re practicing how to consider different perspectives and explore multiple possibilities. There are few things more joyful to me than being with a young writer sharing a story they’ve just created. “He was a tall green creature with two heads and multiple eyes who had a fish named Cuddles for a best friend!” Or hearing a teen share a poem aloud that came from their heart—about heartbreak and loss but also about love and gratitude. Creative writing gives young people the opportunity to play, wonder, and dream. It gives them a tool not only to solve problems but also to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

After we spoke about her story, the woman shared that she was inspired to keep writing. There was so much she wanted to say, more than 10 years of stories locked inside of her, ready to come out on the page.

It reminded me that our imaginations are always there for us—whether we are just beginning to explore them or returning to them after years away.