Play is an essential part of life. It’s through childhood play that we learn about ourselves and the world. But about the time we exit puberty, we’re told to put away childish things. It’s time to get serious and get a job. Something that pays well. The fact that we should actually love or even like said job doesn’t even come up in the conversation. Thus furthering the dreadful idea that work is just something we do to make money. In pursuit of adulthood, we join the Working Dead, spending most of our lives at jobs that financially sustain us, but are less than satisfying. To continue to develop as humans, we need play in our lives—and not just on the weekends.
Every job—especially every creative job—has two parts, an Objective and a Subjective. The Objective is to satisfy the commercial request: sell the product, attract customers, do what’s asked of you, get the job done. The Subjective is the much more engaging—but often left out—ingredient of play. It’s how you sell and how you attract customers. For example, a chef can cook food that’s hot and good, fulfilling the objective. Or, through play and imagination, she can stimulate the mind, surprise and delight, even create lasting memories. Play serves both the creator and the audience.
In teaching creativity, I often have to remind students to play, or at least give them the permission to do so. This is why I ask students to make 100 sketches on one idea. This process forces them to plow through all of the logical, usual answers to get to the good stuff. It frees them to make mistakes and entertain the illogical and the wrongest answers. Maybe a crazy idea is not so crazy. This practice helps students become adept at generating ideas faster and unlocks a wealth of possibilities. Their ability to play now becomes their professional shorthand to creativity.
New and innovative work comes from the unexpected places, not the “right” answer, and it’s our childlike sense of wonder, curiosity, and play that makes it possible.
