Let’s Play…

The importance of creativity and play have been popping up a lot in my life lately. One podcast would lead to another would lead to a book would lead to an article would lead to an interview and they were all taking about how important it is to cultivate creativity and feel a sense of play, every single day, no matter who you are. I’ve been meaning to write a post about this for months, but reading Brené Brown’s book “The Gifts of Imperfection” last night really sealed the deal. Like I said, I’ve been on a Brené kick lately, and this is one of her oldest books. When I first heard of her a couple years ago, this was the book title that caught my eye first and I bought it to read on my phone. I didn’t get very far before I started reading other books instead, but I finally circled back around to it a couple weeks ago. (Ironically I did the same thing with Marie Kondo’s books, and I’ve been meaning to write a post about those, too. Maybe that one is next...) The Universe works in mysterious ways, people. This book is EXACTLY what I need to be reading right now. Brené is talking about SO many things I’ve been thinking deeply about during quarantine. I’ve been doing A LOT of self reflecting during this quaranpause...probably because I finally stopped moving long enough to hear myself think. I figured everyone must be doing the same thing, but after talking to a friend the other day who was definitely not self reflecting, I realized yet again how different we all are and how differently we’re experiencing this period. But, it sounds like even science tells us that creativity and our need for play is a common thread for all humanity, especially in times of crisis. 

I listened to the “Press Play” episode of the TED Radio Hour podcast a couple of months ago and the biggest thing that I remember is a scientific study that linked lack of unstructured play to serious issues in adulthood. One of the most serious was that multiple serial killers were shown to have been starved of unstructured play when they were kids! So crazy.  (I didn’t go back and re-listen to get specific facts/quotes...hopefully that will inspire you to listen for yourself because it was really fascinating.) Who knew unstructured play was so important!? I never really gave it much thought...it was just something that happened when you’re young, I guess, but it can’t matter as an adult, can it...?

Fast forward to my next finding that echoed the importance of creativity in our lives-Chase Jarvis’ book Creative Calling. I found him and his book through a Marie Forleo podcast around the same time I listened to the TED Radio Hour podcast. (Ps. I’m a big Marie Forleo fan- I need to do a post on her book, too- Everything Is Figureoutable...absolutely amazeballs.) I was so fascinated by what he said in the interview that I listened to his whole book on Audible. He says a lot of the same stuff that Brené talks about in her chapter on creativity, but the most fascinating thing that came from both of them is that creativity doesn’t have to be something big and official, it can be as simple as doodling, cooking, or journaling. It doesn’t have to be your job or even be for anyone else other than yourself, but just taking the time to do something creative every day will help bring meaning to your life. I had never really thought of creativity this way...maybe because my college degree is in Theatre (and also English) and I spent so many classes studying creativity... Which made my concept of creativity, at least my adult concept of creativity, that it had to be “structured.” This is apparently a huge part of our problem! When we’re kids, we’re told to amuse ourselves by being creative- following our imaginations wherever they may take us- we’re encouraged to have down time and let our minds wander and daydream and do art projects for no “reason.” Why do we think this stops being important as adults?! When you turn 18 or 13 or 15, it’s not “important” or “useful” to be creative anymore unless you have a good reason for it? How crazy!!! When Chase and Brené called this to light, I realized how f*ed up my own personal concept of creativity had become. I’m always hustling and definitely ascribe to the If-I’m-Not-Doing-10,000-Things-At-Once-I’m-Not-Being-Productive tribe. The quarantine has really made me question the longevity of that tribe and whether or not I even want to be a member. And then here Brené is with her chapters on creativity and rest, play, and creativity. 🤯 

One of my favorite quotes from Brené’s creativity chapter is “the only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity.” Wow. Like, duh, right?! But totally NOT duh. I hadn’t considered my creativity for YEARS and now it turns out that it’s one of the most important things I have?! Shit. Sorry, creativity! I promise I’ll feed you and water you and give you sunlight every day from now on! I definitely hadn’t stopped using my creativity, but I wasn’t really conscious of it and I certainly wasn’t giving it the credit it deserves. Brené has a great quote from writer William Plomer who said creativity is “the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” And then she goes on to say, “As long as we’re creating, we’re cultivating meaning.” So, all this time I thought making space for my creativity was a little frivolous, it actually wasn’t frivolous at all, it’s ESSENTIAL to who we are as beings on this planet. 

The chapter in “The Gifts of Imperfection” after creativity is on rest and play. Quarantine has definitely been teaching me how important all three of these things are, and reading about them in Brené’s words was just an affirmation of what I had already been realizing. The title of the chapter is “Cultivating Play and Rest” and the subtitle is “Letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self worth.” Oh, shiat. She SEES me. (In case you missed it a couple lines earlier, I’m a member of the If-I’m-Not-Doing-10,000-Things-At-Once-I’m-Not-Being-Productive.) As I read that, I was like, “oh noooooo. That’s me! I’m one of those people and I really don’t think I want to be,” I do want to be a productive person, but not at the expense of my sanity, and I feel like that’s what I was hurtling towards loosing before quarantine hit. 

She talks about the research of Dr. Stuart Brown who is a psychiatrist, clinical researcher, and the founder of the National Institute for Play. (I’m also pretty sure he was on the TED Radio Hour podcast I talked about earlier.) Dr. Brown’s research shows that “play shapes our brain, helps us foster empathy, helps us navigate complex social groups, and is at the core of creativity and innovation.” Guess taking some time off isn’t as frivolous as I thought... He also says that “play is purposeless” which is such a crazy thought in a world where we’re all so desperately trying to find our place and get all the things done that we need to do to claw our way up the imaginary ladder to our dreams. But, according to all these wonderful experts, and my heart, maybe there isn’t a ladder. Maybe we’re already inside our dreams, but we’re too used to running so fast we didn’t notice. The more we rest and play, the more obvious our path will be. And, apparently, the more innovative and clear we’ll be in our work, too. The very things we’ve been running from so very fast are the things that will bring true meaning to our lives and help us create a lasting impact on the world for ourselves and for others. So, take a leaf out of these experts’ books like I have and know that it’s ok to take a nap. It’s ok to do something “frivolous.” Those moments of frivolity are doing you more good than you think...😊💫💜