The necessity of Creativity

And now, we play….

When was the last time you felt playfully at ease, creative, in flow – and what did it give you to have that experience?

What happened to us, and at what point, that took us out of our childish and necessary habits of play (to learn, to explore, to make sense of the world) and into a way of thinking that relegated play to a luxury, a non-essential, a ‘would-like-to-one-day’ on our list?

Playfulness is the very beating heart of autonomous learning and of creativity – that space where we feel enlivened and with a sense of our own agency, captivated by our own interests. It allows us to experiment, fail, grow and emerge with new ideas, emboldened confidence and a stronger sense of self.

Play allows us to emerge, to become - and to know more about who we are.

Play = well-being and self-care

And that playful space is a necessary part of our self-care and well-being, as it requires us to use a very valuable part of our nervous system – the parasympathetic branch. This part of our system works to recalibrate after stressful times, it helps us rest and restore, and it helps us to resource ourselves – physiologically and emotionally – for more challenging times.

We can’t be playful and stressed at the same time. It’s just not possible! Making time for play (and turning on our parasympathetic nervous system) allows us to reduce our stress responses to our lives and feel in greater control.

This means, were we to find time to deliberately play, we would also be ensuring we moved out of our ‘fight-flight-freeze’ reactions to the world – and into the ‘rest-digest’ part of our system that calms our stress responses and enables us to think with more clarity, positivity, and perspective.

And so, play ceases to be an optional extra, and becomes central to a more positive and functional relationship with the world.

Do I have time for play? Really the question should be… Can I afford not to?

Emerging as…

Playfulness is also essential if any part of your life requires you to innovate, be creative (in your thinking or doing), or find fun and lightness in what you do and how you are. So, that’s in most parts of our lives, right? In our work, in our relationships with others, in our parenting – and beyond.

And so, as you allow new things to emerge in our lives, and move forward with plans for your future – how could play and creativity enable you to grow further, alive and curious – rather than stressed and concerned?

If playfulness engages our creative, parasympathetic nervous system – what would it give you to incorporate an hour, maybe two, of deliberate play into your week – every week?

What does play look like for you – and what would it give you to play more?

First – Notice.

So, the first job is to notice. And ask yourself…

· When did you last do something fun for yourself – purely for the pleasure of it?

· When did you last feel fully relaxed, at ease, in flow?

· When did you last engage in playful activity – for its own sake, without striving to do or learn something new?

· When did you last get lost in playful adventure with your children – or with anyone else?

· What are you missing out on when you limit the possibility for fun and playfulness?

· What do you need, right now, to become more playful?

Then, find the opportunity

Now we need to drill down into what opportunities might be available.

· Now you have noticed what you need, what does play look like to you?

· Is it with someone else?

· Is it in a specific place?

· Do you need anything to make it happen (eg kit, tools, space, childcare)? Who could you ask for help?

· What time will you need, and when will it happen in your day?

· What new thing will you try to see if you like it?

· What could you do for the sake of doing it – without striving to achieve or reach a particular goal?

Lastly, reflect…

And then it is important to note – is this activity serving my needs – and is it having the impact I want it to? You might ask yourself:

· What has it given me to engage in this new activity, relationship, or habit?

· What have I sacrificed – and was it worth it?

· What have I learned by creating moments of play?

· What brings out the playfulness in me – is it playing music and dancing, getting some pencils and paper, going for a walk, watching a show or event… what is it that brings me into peaceful and easeful focus?

· What effect or impact does finding these moments of creative flow have on other areas of my life?

· What is happening to my own creativity when I play, when I remain curious, when I lean into adventure?

· What will I continue to do and what will I leave behind now?

Good luck creating those precious moments of playfulness and fun. Enjoy watching the very essence of you emerge and explore the world – however childish and silly that may sound and feel.