The Creative Brain - Lifelong Learning, Grace and the Importance of Psychological Safety

The Living Apothecary School | Education Room

Where science meets soul, wellbeing begins with trust.

Are we ever too old to learn something new?

Throughout my career in education, I have encountered people who believed that learning belonged to a particular stage of life.

Some felt they had left education behind. Others carried memories of classrooms where mistakes were embarrassing, questions were discouraged or confidence had been gradually eroded.

Yet one of the most important lessons I have learned as an educator is that our relationship with learning can change.

We are not simply the sum of our previous educational experiences.

We can rediscover curiosity.

We can develop confidence.

And we can create environments where learning becomes something to enjoy rather than something to fear.

Increasingly, neuroscience is helping us understand why lifelong learning matters.

But my interest in this subject began long before I encountered the language of neuroplasticity and psychological safety.

It began with people.

The brain that continues to change

Neuroplasticity describes the nervous system's capacity to change its structure, function and connections in response to experience, learning and other influences.

Although plasticity changes across the lifespan, the adult brain retains the ability to adapt.

Learning a new skill, practising an unfamiliar activity or engaging with challenging information can involve changes in neural networks.

These processes are influenced by many factors, including attention, repetition, sleep, physical health and the nature of the learning experience.

We should be cautious about claims that any particular creative activity can prevent dementia or reverse cognitive ageing.

The evidence does not support such sweeping conclusions.

However, research does suggest that intellectually and socially engaging activities can contribute to cognitive wellbeing and provide meaningful opportunities for learning throughout adulthood.

For me, this reinforces an important educational principle.

Learning does not have an expiry date.

Creativity is not reserved for artists

Creativity is often associated with painting, music, writing or other artistic pursuits.

But creativity is also involved in problem-solving, adapting to unfamiliar circumstances, developing new ideas and finding alternative ways of understanding the world.

It can be present in a classroom, a garden, a kitchen or a therapeutic consultation.

And sometimes it becomes most visible when our usual routines are interrupted.

Several years ago, I was introduced to Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way.

The book explores creativity through structured reflection and activities designed to encourage curiosity and personal exploration.

I completed the programme independently and found the experience valuable enough to return to it a second time.

But my second experience was remarkably different.

Creativity

I joined an international group working through The Artist's Way.

Our facilitator was based in Belgium, and our group included people from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Every Thursday at 12.30 pm, we gathered online.

Although we were separated geographically, we developed a shared space for creativity, reflection and conversation.

The programme encouraged us to undertake Artist Dates: time intentionally set aside to explore something creative or personally interesting.

We had to reconsider what a creative experience could look like within the limitations of our circumstances.

One activity remains particularly memorable.

We spent an hour painting while listening to music.

Afterwards, we came together to share our work.

But we were not simply discussing colour, technique or artistic ability.

We explored the emotions behind our paintings.

The same activity had produced very different experiences.

Each person brought their own memories, interpretations and feelings.

It was a powerful reminder that creativity can provide an opportunity for expression and connection.

And that understanding another person's experience begins with listening.

Grace: Learning to see another perspective

Earlier in my life, I was fortunate to experience a long period of reciprocal mentorship.

Our relationship involved sharing knowledge, exploring ideas and learning from one another.

One of the most enduring lessons was the importance of grace.

For me, grace involves the willingness to consider another person's perspective without immediately judging, correcting or dismissing it.

It does not mean abandoning critical thinking.

Nor does it require us to agree with everything another person believes.

Instead, it invites curiosity.

Why might someone understand an experience differently?

What knowledge or circumstances have shaped their perspective?

What might I learn by listening?

These questions are particularly valuable in education.

A learner who feels respected may be more willing to ask questions, acknowledge uncertainty and explore unfamiliar ideas.

And a teacher who remains curious about their learners may discover that the learning relationship is far more reciprocal than traditional classroom structures suggest.

Psychological safety and the learning environment

The concept of psychological safety has become increasingly important in education, leadership and organisational research.

Amy Edmondson's influential 1999 research examined psychological safety within work teams and its relationship with learning behaviour.

Psychological safety refers to a shared belief that people can take interpersonal risks, such as asking questions, acknowledging mistakes or offering ideas, without fear of humiliation or punishment.

Edmondson's research found an association between psychological safety and learning behaviour in the teams studied.

Although this research was conducted in organisational settings, its principles have important implications for education.

Consider two learning environments.

In the first, learners worry that asking a question will expose their lack of knowledge.

In the second, questions are welcomed as part of the learning process.

The subject being taught may be identical.

But the experience of learning can be profoundly different.

Psychological safety does not mean avoiding challenge, disagreement or academic standards.

It means creating conditions in which people can engage with those challenges constructively.

A safe learning environment is not one without difficulty. It is one where difficulty can be explored without humiliation.

What my own educational research taught me

In 2003, I developed an approach to learning with a group of apprentice students that challenged some of the assumptions surrounding teaching, memory and assessment.

My learners entered with Level 3 vocational study alongside a requirement to achieve Level 2 Key Skills in Mathematics.

We initially allowed twelve weeks to complete the mathematics qualification.

Rather than relying entirely on conventional note-taking and revision, I introduced a structured process involving learning, rest, reflection and recall.

We explored the required material during our teaching sessions.

The learners did not take their classroom notes home.

Instead, after a period of rest, they were encouraged to reconstruct what they could remember in reflective journals.

The intention was to encourage active engagement with learning and strengthen their awareness of what they understood and what required further attention.

I also joined the group as a learner.

I completed the assessment alongside them because I wanted them to experience education as a shared endeavour.

I was not asking them to undertake something I was unwilling to attempt myself.

All the learners passed within nine weeks, three weeks earlier than our original twelve-week target.

I passed the assessment too.

It was an important professional experience.

However, I would not claim that the teaching approach alone caused these outcomes. Without a comparison group and controlled research design, other factors may have contributed.

What the experience demonstrated to me was the potential value of confidence, participation, structured recall and shared responsibility for learning.

It also strengthened my belief that education should not be something done to learners.

It should be something developed with them.

Reflection, rest and memory

Modern cognitive psychology provides useful perspectives on some of the principles explored in that educational work.

Research into retrieval practice suggests that actively recalling information can support longer-term retention more effectively than repeatedly reviewing material alone.

This is sometimes described as the testing effect.

Research also suggests that sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation, although the relationship between rest, sleep and learning is complex.

These findings do not prove that my earlier teaching approach worked through one particular neurological mechanism.

Nevertheless, they offer a valuable framework for examining the educational principles involved.

Within The Living Apothecary School, reflective learning continues to be important.

Our Field Notes encourage apprentices to observe, question, revisit ideas and consider how new knowledge connects with previous experience.

Reflection is not simply an exercise in recording what happened.

It is an opportunity to consider what an experience means and how our understanding might change.

Learning through the senses

The Living Apothecary School also incorporates sensory exploration.

Through olfaction, botanical materials, therapeutic touch and practical activities, learners encounter information in ways that extend beyond written text.

A scent may prompt a personal memory.

A botanical specimen may encourage closer observation.

A practical demonstration may reveal something that was difficult to understand through explanation alone.

These experiences can support engagement and provide material for reflection.

However, sensory learning should not be confused with the unsupported idea that everyone has one fixed learning style, such as being exclusively visual, auditory or kinaesthetic.

Effective teaching is more flexible than that.

Different activities serve different educational purposes.

The important question is not simply how learners prefer to receive information, but which approaches help them understand, practise and retain the knowledge required.

The teacher who remains a learner

When I opened The Living Apothecary School to our founding apprentices, I was reminded of the value of bringing together people with different levels of experience.

Some were already qualified therapists.

Others were developing their understanding of new subjects.

Yet everyone arrived with something to contribute.

The purpose of the School is not simply to provide information.

It is to encourage curiosity, thoughtful discussion, practical exploration and the confidence to continue learning.

This is also where our Elderwood philosophy, The Wisdom Keepers, becomes particularly meaningful.

Wisdom is not the exclusive possession of the oldest or most qualified person in the room.

It can emerge through shared experience.

It grows when we question our assumptions.

And it becomes more valuable when we remain willing to exchange knowledge with others.

Creativity and the later chapters of life

There is something particularly meaningful about considering creativity alongside menopause and later life.

Women are sometimes encouraged to understand ageing primarily through physical changes and limitations.

Yet creativity offers another perspective.

It reminds us that identity is not fixed.

We can begin new projects, explore unfamiliar interests, develop skills and form meaningful relationships at many stages of life.

This does not mean creativity is a treatment for menopause or that artistic activities can prevent neurological disease.

It means that opportunities for expression, participation and continued learning can remain important throughout adulthood.

And perhaps we should make more room for them.

Bringing creativity into The Sanctuary

One of the experiences I would like to develop through the Elderwood Research Café is a creative reflection inspired by the principles of shared learning and emotional expression.

I call it The Colours of Wisdom.

Participants would be invited to listen to music and explore colour through painting or another creative medium.

There would be no requirement for artistic ability.

No expectation to produce something beautiful.

And no correct interpretation of the finished work.

Afterwards, participants could choose whether to share what they experienced.

The intention would not be to provide psychotherapy or to analyse anyone's emotional state through their artwork.

Instead, the activity would offer an opportunity for personal reflection, creativity and respectful listening.

Participants would always be free to keep their reflections private.

Because psychological safety includes the freedom not to share.

A reflection from The Living Apothecary School

Looking back over my years in education, I recognise that some of the most meaningful learning experiences have been those in which the distinction between teacher and learner became less rigid.

I have learned from mentors.

I have learned from colleagues.

I have learned from students.

And I continue to learn from the people who enter The Sanctuary.

The international creative group I joined during lockdown reminded me that meaningful connections can develop across geographical and cultural boundaries.

My educational research reinforced the importance of confidence, reflection and participation.

And my experiences of reciprocal mentorship taught me the enduring value of grace.

Together, these experiences have helped shape the philosophy of The Living Apothecary School.

We are never finished becoming.

Learning can remain part of our lives long after formal education has ended.

Creativity can continue to offer opportunities for discovery.

And wisdom grows when we remain curious enough to listen.

Perhaps the most important question we can ask is not whether we are too old to learn.

But what might we discover if we give ourselves permission to begin again?

From the Education Room: A reflective invitation

The Colours of Wisdom

Set aside a little time for creativity this week.

Choose some music, gather a few simple materials and allow yourself to create without worrying about the outcome.

You might paint, sketch, write, arrange flowers or explore another activity that interests you.

Afterwards, reflect on three questions:

1. What did I notice about my thoughts or emotions while creating?

2. Did I feel free to experiment, or did I find myself worrying about getting it right?

3. What might this experience teach me about the way I approach learning?

You may wish to record your reflections in your Field Notes.

Remember, creativity is not a competition.

It is an invitation to explore.

References and further reading

• Cameron, J. (1992). The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Jeremy P. Tarcher.

• Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.

• Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Psychological science about retrieval practice and long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.

• Diekelmann, S., & Born, J. (2010). The memory function of sleep. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11, 114–126.

• Park, D. C., et al. (2014). The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: The Synapse Project. Psychological Science, 25(1), 103–112.

• Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119.

Author's educational research

Connor, J. (2003). Educational research and reflective learning practice with apprentice students. Unpublished practitioner research.

Further information about this work, including the original educational approach and its outcomes, may be requested directly from the author through The Living Apothecary School.

The Living Apothecary School — Where science meets soul, wellbeing begins with trust.