The creative power of play
On my pin-up board I have a quote that is supposedly from Albert Einstein. Having consulted with Google as the source of all truth, I don’t think Einstein actually ever said it - I think it’s more likely it was good old Anonymous - but I still like what it has to say: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
I like to think of the word “intelligence” broadly here to mean the reasoning part of our brain. This part of our brain is constantly helping us to make sense of the world, interpreting sensory data for us and assisting us to work out solutions to problems. It helps us out on a more or less constant basis, and many of its tasks are quite serious. (Is that car approaching too fast for me to walk in front of it safely? Do I take the new job or stick with the old? And WHO is going to be eliminated next from The Bachelor??)
However – when our intelligence has less pressing issues at hand, it has a bit of a yen for fun. It likes to make new connections and come to new insights, often for no better reason than the sheer pleasure of it. In other words, our intelligence loves to play. It loves new sensory inputs which can help spark new thinking. It loves shilly-shallying around with words or images or sounds or textures or patterns. And here’s the magical thing – allowing your intelligence to have some fun, by giving yourself permission to play, is like a direct conduit to creativity.
I think as adults we sometimes get so caught up in our everyday ongoing tasks and obligations that it can be hard to remember that once upon a time, creativity mostly came really naturally to us. It was usually something that felt spontaneous and joyful, and at the same time it often felt as though it was happening without any real conscious effort. You’d start drawing a picture and know exactly what part you were going to draw next. Or you’d write a story and feel almost as though it was flowing out of your pen without you even consciously thinking about how the story would evolve. As kids, we were experts at creative play without anyone having to teach us this.
So as adults, how can we recapture this spontaneous, playful and creative state? I’ve already alluded to one of the biggest factors: actually giving ourselves permission to play. Actually saying to ourselves – today, I’m going to experiment with X because it sounds like fun – or – today, I’m going to go out for a walk and do leaf rubbings of 10 of the most unusual leaves I can find – can lead to some surprising and enjoyable results! (Or at the very least, a new-found fascination with obscure leaf varieties, which could always come in handy, right?)
As well as giving ourselves permission to play while creating, another way of connecting to creativity through play is quite simply to do something that’s playful - even if it seems completely unrelated to our creative practice. Whether it’s dusting off the Chinese Checkers set, or splashing around in the bath, it’s a well known fact that sometimes new ideas can spark in the most unlikely contexts. (Eureka!) Different sights, sounds and other sensory inputs can be unexpected sources of inspiration, particularly when we’re feeling engaged yet relaxed.
So the next time you are feeling a bit stuck when engaging with your creative practice, see whether it makes a difference to try out one of these ideas. Let your intelligence goof off for a while with some exuberant and silly play and just see what comes up! I’m not promising you it will lead to amazing masterpieces, but there’s every chance it will help spark some new ideas, which could lead to other ideas, which… well, you get the idea! It could be the start of a whole new adventure.