The Art of … play

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. 

Pablo Picasso

a little bit of something from this week's art night... 

Oh I know, I have been all up in your face about getting work done and being the very best that you can be exactly where you are. I am certain you are asking yourself, so what is she talking about? Taking time to play!?

May I ask you what fun is life without time to play?

There is a reason we have weekends, vacations, hobbies. There is a reason we veg out in front of a movie or our favorite television show. 

There’s a reason.

WE NEED TO PLAY (notice the all caps- sometimes we seem to need a billboard to remind us what is important)

Picasso suggests that art is pure even easy for children. They have no quandaries with making a tree purple or maybe even polka dot kittens.  Perhaps remembering to play, remembering that sort of innocence assists our spirits, even bolder it might inspire the purity of our souls. I suggest that it washes the dirt of life off of our souls and allows us to refocus on what is important.

Art Night-

I have an electronic calendar. (A sign of the times!)  On my weekly “docket” is a standing play date (some days it works out better than others as sometimes real life gets in the way)  Each Wednesday evening I have created an annual event- “Art Night”.  The details of this event are merely “get thee to the studio!” I try (note the word TRY) to approach the evening with no expectations, with just the spirit of a child. As a professional artist it is sometimes difficult to let go and just play. I feel like I am supposed to be constantly in research for the next step. However it is often in these decadent creative moments I find my greatest joy. I suppose for me it is a combination of a mid-week vacation, a sanity check along with a healthy side of a creative outlet. As you might imagine I am not often gifted with a gratuitous amount of time for artistic explorations, yet they are as life giving to me as the air we need to breathe.

I invite you to play! 

Playing can be anything- it’s personal to you. Go see a movie and really be present in the movie, turn off your cell phone, take in the screen, the sounds and even the smell of the popcorn. Take a mental break!  If that doesn’t appeal to you- take a hike, see something new, feel the air, experience the physical rush and breathe in the moment.  Finger-paint with your child, fly a kite, or even make a sandcastle. There are countless ways to take a moment, to play- it’s as personal as your shoe size, find your own glass slipper.

It’s not easy in our hectic lives to find time to play. Most of us sleep too little, and enjoy too little downtime. I will suggest that it is as vital as air that you do so. Just as art enhances life, so does the opportunity to play.  

Now get out there and do something fun! Yes, that's an order!

In Peace-

Susan