Does Paint by Numbers Improve Creativity — or Just Imitation?

Last weekend I was checking out at Hobby Lobby, and the woman in front of me had eight paint by numbers kits in her cart. Eight. Everything from Starry Night to a custom portrait of her golden retriever.

The cashier casually said, “Stocking up again?”

She laughed and replied, “This stuff makes me feel like an artist.”

I remember thinking — is she actually becoming an artist? Or is she just executing an expensive set of coloring instructions?

Let me be direct: paint by numbers won’t make you an artist, but that’s not the point.

It’s like asking “can a treadmill make you run a marathon?”
Technically, no.

But if you’ve never run before and can’t make it around the block, spending three months on a treadmill first — what’s wrong with that?

The problem is when people stay on that treadmill for three years, then wonder why they still can’t run a marathon.

Here are three hard facts you need to know:

Fact one: Your brain isn’t “creating” when you paint by numbers

When people draw freely, the prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for decision-making and creative thinking — lights up. When people do paint by numbers, that part is mostly quiet. What lights up instead are the visual cortex and motor cortex.

In plain English: your brain state during paint by numbers is closer to washing dishes than writing poetry.

But that’s not necessarily bad.

If you just spent six hours in strategy meetings at work and your prefrontal cortex is ready to go on strike, coming home and not wanting to make any decisions — paint by numbers is perfect. It keeps your hands busy while your brain can zone out.

That’s its real value.

But if you think you’re “learning to paint”? Those expectations might need adjusting.

Fact two: Skill transfer is almost zero — unless you actively hack the system

People can complete dozens of paint by numbers kits and still freeze in front of a blank page.

They know how to fill in colors.
They don’t know how to paint.

It’s like playing Guitar Hero for six months, then someone hands you a real guitar. Pressing colored buttons and actually playing music are two very different things.

The only time skill transfer really happens is when people stop treating kits as finished products and start treating them as material to analyze.

Instead of immediately taking a photo for Instagram, spend ten minutes asking yourself:

Why is the sky three blues instead of one?
Why are distant trees lighter than close ones?
Why is that shadow purple instead of black?

Then — and this is the key part — grab a blank piece of paper and try to paint anything using what you just noticed.

Most people never do this step. They finish, post, buy the next kit. Rinse and repeat.

That’s why three years later they’re still saying, “I just like coloring, I can’t actually paint.”

Fact three: 70% of adults never get past the “execution layer”

Creativity isn’t a switch. It’s a building.

First floor: execution — you can hold a brush and control paint without making a mess.
Second floor: decision — you know what to paint, what colors to choose, how to compose.
Third floor: concept — you have ideas, style, something to express.

Art schools assume everyone already lives on the first floor. Reality is most adults don’t. Their last painting experience was elementary school art class, where everyone painted the same turkey and learned that “looking wrong” felt embarrassing.

Paint by numbers gets people through the first floor quickly.

The mistake is treating the first floor as the destination.

This is especially true for adults starting late — people who want structure without being talked down to. That’s also why adult paint by numbers exist in the first place: not as shortcuts, but as scaffolding.

We’ve been asking the wrong question

The real divide isn’t “paint by numbers vs free creation.”

It’s passive consumption vs active learning.

I’ve seen two extremes.

One person completes fifty kits. Her Instagram is gorgeous. Ask her to paint her backyard and she panics: “Oh no, I can’t actually paint.”

Another completes far fewer kits, but after each one she deconstructs what she just did, then tries something else. Her feed is messy. Lots of failed sketches. But now she can create independently.

Same tool. Completely different mindset. Completely different results.

Paint by numbers is a mirror — it reflects how you learn, not what it can teach you.

Paint by numbers reveals a blind spot in art education

Paint by numbers exploded during the pandemic, not just because people were stuck at home, but because traditional art education never built a reasonable on-ramp for adults.

Want to learn piano? Clear progression.
Want to learn a language? Same thing.
Want to learn painting? “Here’s a still life. Good luck.”

When beginners struggle, they’re told “art is subjective” or “as long as you’re happy.” That sounds kind, but it teaches nothing.

Paint by numbers fills that gap by offering three things art classes rarely provide:

Immediate success
Zero shame
A clear definition of “done”

Most people using these kits aren’t escaping creativity. They’re escaping failure.

Imitation isn’t the enemy

Every master copied before they created. That’s how learning works.

The problem isn’t imitation. The problem is stopping there.

A simple inflection-point rule helps: for every three paint by numbers you finish, try one original piece. It doesn’t have to be good. It probably won’t be. That’s the point.

If you keep resisting that step, it’s worth asking yourself why.

Social media changed what “creating” feels like

Paint by numbers is safe to post. If someone criticizes it, you can always say, “It’s just paint by numbers.”

Original work doesn’t have that shield.

There’s no moral judgment here — just honesty. Are you choosing paint by numbers because it helps you grow? Or because it lets you look creative without risk?

Both motivations are valid. Confusing them is the problem.

Practical note, not advice

If you’ve never painted before, starting with paint by numbers is fine — but difficulty is where people quietly trap themselves.

Too easy, and nothing transfers.
Too hard, and they quit.

I’ve written more about how paint by numbers difficulty actually works for anyone who wants the breakdown. You don’t need it to agree with this article. It’s just there if you’re curious.

The deeper truth

Paint by numbers gives you the ritual of creation without the vulnerability of creation.

That’s why it’s comforting.
That’s also why it can become limiting.

One day you’ll finish a kit and feel the framework is too small. When that moment comes, the question won’t be whether paint by numbers failed you.

It’ll be whether you’re ready to step beyond it.