The Power of Play
The 1970s was the era of Flower Power, I think 2020s motto should Be the Power Of Play!
Play Time
Play isn’t something that comes naturally to us once we hit that period of adolescence and descend into adulthood. It come even less naturally after decades of building your career and being conscious of personal brand. But with Creative Visionary Programme starting this week I’ve enjoyed the free workshops and am trying to rediscover play in my art.
I remember back in 2021 when I first did the course it took me several weeks to really let go of control and allow myself to just play with paint. The focus on how things look, whether its heading in the right direction, balance, etc is so hardwired it’s difficult to shake it off. I can’t say that I’ve reached that state of joyful abandonment, but I’m determined over the next few weeks to work on letting go of expectations and just enjoying the process.
Benefits of Play
It is crazy that we don’t carve out more time for play. Especially when you read up on the benefits of play for adults. We all carve out leisure time for meeting with friends or catching up on the latest ‘must see’ TV series. But play is often neglected. Those short bursts of carefree activities are the perfect counter to our hectic, modern lives. And according to experts they can help relieve stress; fuel our imagination and creativity, improve our problem-solving abilities, and of course are a boost to our emotional well-being.
So, Why Don’t We Make Time for Play?
The honest answer is, its quite hard! Well at least at the start. That little voice in your head that tells you, you have a 101 other more important things to do it difficult to ignore. It feels frivolous, like a guilty secret. But when I do manage to ignore the noise I can feel myself relaxing and breathing more deeply.
And it can huge benefit in your art. Ok, so you don’t end up with a finished masterpiece. But what I do end up with are lots of new discoveries. New colour combinations that I would never have chosen. Shapes and marks that seem to work their way out of my unconscious. And every now and then an idea that might make its way onto a finished painting.