Play Area

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves. C. G. Jung

The Play Area is full of the things we love. Sometimes we get a strange amnesia and we can’t remember what those things are so its good to remind ourselves from time to time. (Its good to make a list and add to it as we remember things.)

It seems odd that we might forget what really makes our heart sing, but we do. Maybe its because the world is always telling us what we SHOULD like - shouting at us from billboards, magazines and TV. Obviously that’s because the advertisers are trying to sell us something. Our friends and family have a habit of telling us what we should like as well; That’s because if we like the same as them they feel more secure.

Here in the play area we don’t have to think about anyone but ourselves. The only rule is that we do what we please or rather what pleases us. If we don’t like something then we just toss it out into the wild (let the goats chew it up!)

IMAGINATION AT PLAY
…a little fun can go a long way toward making your work feel more like play. We forget that the imagination-at-play is at the heart of all good work.
Julia Cameron: The Artist’s Way (p18-19)

Often the things and activities we like best are things that other people can’t see any value in; quite simple things or things that just remind us of the wonder and delight of being a kid.

As we spend more time in the play area we begin to realise that we actually never stopped being that kid. Our inner child is alive and well and the play area is a safe place for it to come out and really kick up some dirt!