The magic of intergenerational creativity

The family that plays together stays together, or so the saying goes. 

The same is true when families engage in creative experiences together. In fact, something almost magical happens. Family members - children, teens, parents, and grandparents - gain new insights about themselves and each other as they collaborate. In the process, their bonds become even stronger.

COMPAS Teaching Artist Kelley Meister has witnessed this phenomenon first-hand while leading workshops on everything from stop-motion animation to filmmaking, computer game design, and other technology-infused arts. “I really like doing inter-generational workshops,” ze explained. “We all wear different masks in different places, whether we’re at home, at school, or at a creative workshop in a library. When you get into a creative setting and have a facilitator who’s mindful of that, there’s the possibility of the growth or expansion of those roles. It’s like an interruption to your regular dynamic, and that’s valuable for families because they have such set dynamics with each other and perceptions of their individual roles.”

Dr. Diana Shabtai, a clinical art therapist with expertise in marriage and family therapy, echoed this idea in a blog post, explaining that, “The art process can help families strengthen their bond and better appreciate each other’s varied perspectives. It also encourages the family’s creative thinking skills and stimulates the family’s identity as a team. This, in turn, can help with mental health care and well-being for the family.”

Protecting the mental health and well-being of families is more important than ever since many households are now multigenerational. In fact, a 2021 study from Generations United, Family Matters: Multigenerational Living is on the Rise and Here to Stay, found that the “number of Americans living in a multigenerational household with three or more generations has nearly quadrupled over the past decade.” Generations United estimates that 66.7 million American adults are living in multigenerational households.

That means more than 1 in 4 Americans are living in a multigenerational household.

These sweeping demographic shifts, which are occurring during a time of broader societal turbulence caused by COVID and other crises, make functioning as a cohesive unit key to fostering family mental health. One important element of that cohesion? Accepting failure, which is something Kelley incorporates into hir workshops. “It’s a space where it’s ok to fail,” ze said. “It’s safe to embrace failure and experiment with how it feels to fail and try again.” 

When a multigenerational family works collaboratively on a project, embracing failure, or at least acknowledging and navigating frustration, can require setting aside the usual family dynamics and engaging in some role reversal. In hir work, Kelley has witnessed this many times, including during a recent workshop where a mother and child were creating a shadow puppet diorama together. At one point, the mother struggled with a task, and her son provided support as she worked. “The child took up the mantle of encouraging their parent’s work. It was exciting to see the reversal of that dynamic,” ze shared.

Today’s need for multigenerational collaboration isn’t confined to the home. It also extends into the workplace, where, for the first time in history, five generations are working side-by-side (GenZ, Millennials, GenX, Baby Boomers, and Traditionalists). Each generation has its own needs, work style, and relationship with authority, which can lead to conflicts fueled by miscommunications and misunderstandings. (AARP data shows that 60 percent of workers report the presence of generational conflict in the workplace).

While conflict between generations in the workplace may seem insurmountable, there’s a reason for optimism. In the same way that creative experiences bridge multigenerational differences in the home, they can be employed in the workplace. The act of collaborating on a creative project, like a mural or a song, could be a powerful professional development opportunity, one that bridges generational divides and forges new bonds between colleagues. 

So often, we talk about the differences between the five living generations as if they are deficits or liabilities, but we should be talking about what they really are: A once-in-a-millennia convergence of diverse talents, perspectives, abilities, and resilience. The challenge is harnessing these differences in a way that fosters empathy and understanding. Fortunately, we know the answer. It’s being creative, together. And that understanding means amazing progress is within our reach, and we, our families, and our colleagues will be the beneficiaries. 

Better - creative - days are ahead!