{Dancing in the Kitchen by Njella Photo Art}
This is the next post in a series from our Special Guest Blogger for June – Tania Wojciechowski from manusmade. Tania has a beautiful series of posts for you on how to use creativity to reconnect with your authentic self. You can read the first post here, and the second here.
In the last post in this series, I talked about getting into your body as a way to create authentically. Creative play was one of the ways to do this, and I’d like to look at this a little more, specifically how it can help you create from an authentic space.
What is Creative Play?
First off, what do I mean by creative play? Well, basically anything that is playful or fun, feels ‘right’ to you, and that inspires you creatively!
Why is creative play so important?
Creative play allows you to explore new ideas and activities, it re-ignites your creative spark, and it lets you reframe how you see yourself. By trying something new, or by allowing yourself to approach an activity you know well with a ‘beginners mind’, you get out of your routines.
For some of us, the way we express ourselves creatively is fairly set in stone. We have things in our shops that sell well and we make them over and over. We have been trained through all the business advice out there that our Brand is important and everything we make should fit into that company image.
Great advice, but for some of us, that leads us to only making things we could make with our eyes closed, or we don’t allow ourselves to push our limits, too fearful that the new product or idea won’t fit into our current brand.
We need to allow ourselves the space to play outside of those restraints, even if the things you are already making are truly authentic to how you want to create. Challenging ourselves to go beyond those limits, by trying something new or getting inspired by something completely outside our normal realm brings a new perspective to things we make and recharges our soul.
Additionally, as much as we may think we know ourselves, creative play can introduce us to a new part of ourselves that we never even knew about or acknowledged before.
Creative Play for Everyone
Here are some great ways to introduce creative play into your lives. Try one or all of these ideas, and stick to the ones that make you feel fabulous – those are the ones that are going to be right for YOU, and will really and truly regenerate your creative energy.
· Use a new medium – if you’ve always used pastels or watercolours, try using oils or a simple pencil. Drawing with a new tool in your hand makes your hand move differently – you might draw in a new and exciting way
· Borrow a child or two – hee hee I’m serious here! Be a hero to your friend and offer to babysit her child for a few hours. Play with them and see what happens – can you remember some of the games from your own childhood? Dive into this play time and let yourself be silly and see what comes out!
· Go on an “artist’s date†– this idea comes from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. She suggests taking yourself out once a week for creative inspiration – anything from a walk in the park to an art gallery or an art supply shop. By taking the time to feed your creative soul, you allow yourself to open to more creativity.
· Play with style – I was recently in Santa Fe, New Mexico for Spark Retreat. I went shopping before the retreat with my friend Sara who wanted to buy a handmade cowboy hat. While she was getting fitted and was choosing the style and colour of her own hat, I decided to spend the time playing by trying on all the hats. I’d never considered myself a cowgirl by any means, but had tons of fun taking on this new persona. I had the biggest shock in my life when I reached for the leopard print leather cowboy hat and put it on – I looked in the mirror and thought “OMG! This is so totally me!†I don’t own any animal print clothes – not because I don’t like them, I just never figured they were ‘me’. Finding out I was a leopard print cowgirl seriously changed how I look at myself (read: way more sassy and ‘take the bull by the horns’ than I’d let myself be in the past!!)
· Try a new activity – anything from skateboarding to going to the opera to ziplining to skydiving. Trying something new and out of your comfort zone will expand the way you think of yourself. As a bonus, you might end up finding a new passion!
What are some ways that you bring creative play into your lives? What are some of the fabulous lessons you have learn from it?
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Tania Wojciechowski is the owner of manusmade, where she makes modern goods for you and your home from natural materials.
She is passionate about helping people connect with their creative super powers, joy, and their authentic self through creative expression.
She feels most like herself when playing with linen and wool and everything tactile. The more she plays, the happier she is!