Sometimes I just want to play, rather than create. When I choose bead components for my jewelry. When I’m shopping, I often remember how much I like the color, shape, texture and design of the components and other parts of the piece I’m planning to make. Finally I remember how fun it is to experiment with all of these components until I find just the right combination and create a new piece.

When I write, I love to play with words. Sometimes I use exercises to help in word play. Other times I will try an exercise that I’ve created on my own. I can use any journal exercise to help my writing skills and to play. I can also use more standard writing exercises as well. Recently, I’ve been discovering the fun of doodling in my journal. It used to be something I did to keep myself on track during a lecture or to keep myself from falling asleep in a meeting. Now, I work on my doodling, sometimes. I look at the patterns that I make. I experiment with shapes and amounts of ink. I also experiment with different backgrounds and objects, just to see what looks good in darker and lighter backgrounds. I’m still learning about this type of visual journaling. Visual journaling contains many layers. One of my journal friends has developed this skill into an art. I know that she started with doodles too, but now her work is very artistic and a little intimidating to look at. She’s one of my visual journal role models. She’s encouraged me to continue with my doodling and see where it takes me.

When I coach, I address the issues of play with my clients. I believe in creating or finding a working balance in a creative persons’ life. I find that making adjustments to one area of life, often brings the rest of the client’s life into a good working balance. I like to discuss what makes life fun for each client. I can then challenge her to fit that ‘fun’ stuff into her creative process. For some clients, creating their work is playful, and sometimes it isn’t. So, I suggest that the client her creative skills and practice outside of her workplace. I don’t mean taking a vacation. Rather I mean moving your work to a different spot or inviting a friend to join you in your play experiment. It’s more of a matter of switching mindsets and just playing like children do. Give children a few age-appropriate toys or games and stand back. Before you know it they will be teaching each other how to pretend, make something new or play new games with the other children and all of their toys. .I’ve already mentioned some ways that I play with my writing and beading. What ways do you use your creativity to play just for fun? Answer this question by developing at least one new fun idea for each creative skill that you have this week.

Now, I want to remind you of the benefits of increasing play in your life:

1) It gives your right brain a chance to exercise, with little or no editing. Some of your current problems, may be answered after you have taken some time to play.

2) It gives your left brain a change of pace. The left brain may try to interrupt the right brain’s work. But the right brain will just redirect the left brain to another job, so that it can keep busy until the right brain finishes it work.

3) It helps you relax. When you give both sides of your brain a workout, you are teaching yourself how to cultivate overall balance. Neither area has to overcompensate for the other. It promotes overall relaxation and freedom to think, feel, learn and create.

4) You can develop new ideas or just seeds of ideas. Some ideas will come in fully developed form. Other ideas may come as an image or phrase. You can play with those ideas until something new develops or additional new ideas emerge. You may even discover the answer to a previous problem while you weren’t focusing on it. Your brain is always working, even when you can’t or aren’t.

I’d encourage you to explore new ways to play this week. Don’t make your explorations to complex. Creating or using simple exercises can produce just as much creative energy and ideas as complicated exercises. After practicing this idea for a few weeks. Challenge yourself to add a ‘play time’ session to your week. Remember that adding play to your calendar will only benefit your creative work and bring more balance into your life. Enjoy playing!

Further Reading:
Creativity Coaching Articles and Journaling Articles
Here are some articles to consider:
The Importance of Percolation
Top Five Journal Exercises
Stop,Look and Listen
How to Create a Mini-Journal

Tags: Articles - Creativity Coaching //