How to be More Creative – Allowed to Play

How to be More Creative is part of a series of blog posts and projects that focus on giving ourselves permission to be creative. Today you have permission to play.

Yes, you heard me right. You are allowed to play.

As a child, I loved creative things: music, art, writing, and even a little acting. I learned the rules, but no one taught me how to explore the creative world beyond them. And it never really occurred to me to simply play around with my creative interests.

Oh, I made music on the piano and with my voice, reading the notes on the page. I wrote and illustrated stories with real life images and structured characters. But I never really stepped out of that rule box.

But I don’t remember anyone suggesting that I play with the notes and sounds, with tools and techniques, with abstract ideas, with words and characters … just to see what would happen. So, I learned to give a scripted result in a said time frame, leaving little time to spend in exploration.

Creativity thrives in play and a little nothing space. (If you’re interested in an article on a study about how boredom affects creativity and how we are less bored than we used to be, here’s an interesting read.)

As I grew into adulthood, I realized something was missing, something connected to joy.

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Learning How to be More Creative

I’ve noticed a spectrum of unspoken thought regarding the creative process and how to approach it.

• Follow the rules. Excel there.
• Learn the rules first, then play. Choose what you like and mix them together.
• Play first, then learn the rules to see if you missed anything important or interesting.
• Forget the rules! Who needs them?! They’re too confining anyway.

When I had my own children and watched how they played and wanted me to play with them, I really began to understand play and its benefits.

I found myself stepping out to re-learn how to play, to experience the joy of discovery and experimentation, the revival of ideas and fun. To put the rules aside for a while and just wonder what will happen if I try this or that. Then, this was in regard to my children and their learning. Now, I apply it to art.

Eventually, I realized if I play first, before spending much time thinking about the rules or the ‘shoulds,’ I can see more options. And my mind keeps thinking of new ideas even when I look at the rules later. But if I start with the rules, it’s harder for me to think beyond them to new styles. Not impossible. Just harder.

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Tips for Learning to explore and play … creatively:

• Try not to focus on goals or perfection. You can have goals, but let them flow naturally rather than forcing them to happen within a time frame.
• Relax. Gather the supplies that feel fun. Maybe you want to try a new tool or just use your fingers.
• Be creative with someone. My son doesn’t like to paint with rules as much as he likes to paint his own way. His attitude encourages me to spend time playing.
• Loosely hold the rules. Maybe there is a technique that you learned that you want to apply in a new way. The technique may feel like a rule, but you can incorporate it into something different.
• Give it time regularly. Try to capture time for creative play. The more you enjoy it, the more you’re drawn to the experience much like how you are repelled by a bad experience.

In my opinion, playing is more a way of looking at what you’re doing than anything else. Maybe the real definition of play is “Create with freedom and fun.” If it reaches a point where it isn’t fun. Take a break. It’s no longer play.

When was the last time you let yourself play? Give it a try. It just might change everything.

In the next post, we’ll talk about some ways to play with watercolors and ink.

Happy Creating!

If you want to see how I did a little playing with styles, check out my alphabet style study here.