I saw 40 women hold a paintbrush with the same fear you’d expect before a job interview. Here’s exactly why.

Because many of them were holding one for the first time after 10, 15, even 20 years.

It was a hand fan painting workshop for women at Costa Coffee in Lulu Mall, Lucknow.

When I host workshops for children, they dive in.

Without any second thoughts or hesitation, the brush touches the paper before I even finish saying “go.”

But with grown-ups, it’s different.

They hold back, look at others, and whisper, “What if mine looks bad?”

It takes 15 minutes of watching the room and seeing that no one is judging,

before their shoulders relax and they finally start painting.

And when they do, something magical happens.

📍 The laughter comes back.
📍 The child in them comes back.
📍 They hold up their fans, proudly saying, “Look what I made.”
That’s when it made me realise that,

📍 We don’t lose creativity as we grow older.
📍 We lose the permission to be imperfect.

But once we allow ourselves to play again, pride takes over fear.

This is why I’ll keep creating spaces where both kids and adults can make without judgment.


Because the act of creating isn’t just for children. It’s for every age.

If you haven’t held a paintbrush in years, maybe this is your reminder.

Your creativity was never lost. It’s just waiting for you to let it in again.