LET'S PLAY PRETEND BY JESSIE DOLBY

When I was younger, I would play pretend with my cousins and siblings almost every day. My creativity was flying through the roof. Some days I was the mom, other days I was the dog. Having the sense of control of coming up with my own world is what excited me the most.

One day I asked my sister if she wanted to play pretend and she replied, “playing pretend is for babies.” I went over to my mom and asked her what she meant. My mom explained that there’s a point in life where we stop playing pretend and begin to live in the real world.

Why do we have to stop being creative once we reach a certain age?

I had so many creative ideas when I was younger, yet I couldn't act on them in front of my friends. I believe this has pushed creativity into the back of my mind. Being told to not play pretend or to always follow the rules on the assignments has affected my life creatively.

I am now calling back to my younger self and trying to unlock the creative vault that has wanted to be opened for so long. I am trying to be the girl who once found a creative world in everything.

Let’s pretend … I’m wearing a banana costume in class.