The more I do this work, creating for my own self expression and guiding others to connect to Self through art making, the more I am reminded of it’s importance.  Perhaps a better word than work is PLAY.  Yes I know sometimes it does seem like work, to find the time to actually be able to create. Sometimes it does seem like work to give yourself that permission. Sometimes seems like work to go with the flow, letting go of inhibitions and accepting what unfolds on the paper in front of you or in whatever medium you are using. Sometimes seems like work to fight off those inner critics, who if they had their way would keep us from even attempting to create something. So how can it be PLAY?

Play is what children do. Children play to learn about the world around them.  Children learn to problem solve through play. Children are natural players. They dont’ play for the end result until we introduce them to the structured play of board games where “winning” is the built-in focus. Play is a process, a doing, enjoyable experimenting.  It is a letting go to see what happens, an engagement of our imagination.

Though we are all creative beings, we are also thinking beings.  Sometimes the thinking part can dominate.  The logical, practical side of ourselves that is meant to keep us functioning in a world where social, professional, and emotional demands can be so high, keeps us stuck.  We think that we don’t have enough time.  We think that playing is for children. We think that creating is not as important as everything else on our “to-do list”.  We think that if only we finish doing all of the things on our list “correctly” then maybe we deserve to have some playtime.

If we have a closer look we will see that this kind of thinking keeps us from engaging our creative side.  And yes, we are all creative.  I have had participants come to my workshops because of this very phenomenon: they get so stuck in their thoughts that it leaves no room for exploring their creativity.  Many are in professions which are analytically based.  They feel stifled.  When they begin to explore their creativity through art making, this slowly unravels.  They struggle with limits they put on themselves about “doing it right”, not making “mistakes”.  Slowly they begin to allow themselves to discover that they make their own rules.  The way they think about their creative process influences outcome.

Herein lies the problem and solution.  Through creative process we  can discover just what trips us up.  The way we approach our art making whether with trepidation, fear, rules, expectation and so forth, is often a microcosm for the way we approach our lives.  The creative process can be a reflection of how we engage in the world as a whole.  Which also means that it becomes a playground from which to test out new ways of being and creating our lives.  If we are able to recognize this as we explore our creative process, then we can begin to find solutions to shifting the ways in which we engage in our lives that keep us stuck and are not helpful.  The ways which may be keeping us confined can be discovered and worked through by art making.