The "Aging as a Creative Question" Project: A 24-Month Master Tool Kit – Orienting the Mind to "Think Like an Artist"

The "Aging as a Creative Question" Project: A 24-Month Master Tool Kit – Orienting the Mind to "Think Like an Artist," suggests a program of creative activities for older adults. The “Aging as a Creative Question” Project is part of the collaborative research of Dean D. VonDras and Scott F. Madey. It champions a positive outlook on older age and proposes that later adulthood is more than a time of ill-health, decline, and disability, but rather a time rich with new experiences, creative undertakings, and renaissance in our being. At its heart is the conviction that aging is not a fixed state of decline, but a continuous Creative Question, asking: What might be possible? How may I continue to live meaningfully? What are the next steps in my journey?" By emphasizing a creative and humanistic approach, we hope this toolkit will promote self-discovery and opportunity for new artistic expressions (e.g., new dances; new sketches and paintings; new poems, songs, and stories; new fiber, wood-working, and photographic projects), whose cathartic characteristics direct the individual on to personal growth and renewal.