If you're like me, you would probably welcome more fun, carefree, childlike moments of wonder and play in your life.  And if you're like me, you also probably find yourself having been trained to be productive for so long, that when you do get some downtime to recharge, you're not even sure what sounds fun to you anymore.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about? If you draw a blank when someone asks you what sounds like fun to you, read on.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, among many other books, novels, and screenplays, shares a simple but effective exercise that has helped me in the past when I come up empty on ideas for play.  It's a simple activity that only requires a piece of paper, something to write with, and a watch or timer to keep track of time.

1. Set a timer for 90 seconds and brainstorm as many activities that you love to do as you can.  Make a list of these on your piece of paper and don't overthink it. These activities could be connected with your current art form or totally unrelated. They can be things that remind you of being a kid, such as playing with Play Dough or making macaroni necklaces. No creative censoring allowed.

2. When the time is up, put down your pen or pencil and review the list. Go though each item at a time and jot down the date that you last did that activity. It could be as specific as "last Tuesday" or "Fall 2016".  It might also be vague, such as "I don't remember when" or "a LONG time ago". No right or wrong answers here.

3. Once you have dated the list of activities, take some time to reflect.  What activities have you continued to do on a regular basis that bring you joy? How does that make you feel? What  activities have you not done in many weeks, months, or even years? How do you feel about these items? It is natural to feel a sense of sadness or even anger not having engaged with an activity that you love in a long time, and while it's vital to allow yourself to feel whatever emotions that this unearths for you, it is also important not to berate yourself for having gotten out of the habit of let's say, reading or rock climbing. The key to habit shifting is not shaming or punishing yourself, but accepting less than ideal circumstances or choices in the past, and lovingly and joyfully recommitting to giving yourself the chance to enjoy these things in the present. 

4. Choose one activity and make a point to schedule in some time to do this today, even if it's 15 minutes. Write it on your calendar. This strategy helps me to take play time as seriously as I would any other errand or appointment that I schedule into my day.  After you give yourself the time to play, you might even want to journal a bit about the experience of giving yourself the permission and space to do this. 

5. Hang this list on your fridge, above your desk, or on your bathroom mirror so that you can have a visual reminder of things that bring you joy for moments when you know you want to play but don't know what you might do. This list can be a wonderful resource for you when you need an idea, and you need it fast. 

If we can include one item from the list into our schedules this week, I believe that the joy we will feel from it will help make it just a bit easier to schedule it in again next week, and the week after that.  Getting started is the hardest part. 

Go ahead, give it a try! And leave me a comment to let me know what activity you are going to try this week, I would love to hear how you will be giving yourself permission to play. 

 






















I'm auditioning tonite for a local staged reading. I have been on a much needed break since the end of October and it has felt incredible to take a time out and recharge. I had basically done one show after the next since January 2016. I was physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. I love acting and writing and making things, and because I loved them so much, I had to take a break from them. That's the cycle of creativity after all: fill your well, make something, share that something, go back into your creative cocoon and recharge. Repeat.

But I finally feel ready to peek out a little more and try a bit of performing again. I am not ready for another full production, but when I saw this staged reading with only a couple performances and just two or three rehearsals, I thought: perfect. It's not all or nothing, after all. Six week full production schedule or nothing at all? Sometimes, it's a creative compromise. I'm ready to dip my toes back in.

I often have to call myself out on this all or nothing attitude when I am working on an independent creative project. I have been working on a creative manifesto of sorts for over two years now, and can't quite see the finish line yet. Part of my issue is that I have wanted to be able to quit all the other distractions that are keeping me from writing all day, every day. Life just doesn't work that way for most of us. So my solution has been not to work on the book at all.  All or nothing.

This morning I woke up at 5:30 am, completely by accident. I decided to write 1000 words for my book. I couldn't spend the day at home writing, but I could at least set the timer for 30 minutes and do  a little. 

A little versus a lot. 

Something versus nothing.

Gosh, this is hard for me. But if it's the way to keep going forward, even one baby step at a time, then I have to be willing to be a creative toddler for a bit. Step, step, fall. Tantrum! Step, crawl, sit. Lay on the floor for a while. Sleep. Head up. Step. 

Steal some time for you today. Set a time for 30 minutes. If you don't have that much time, set it for 10 minutes. Don't look at your phone, don't get up for a snack. Just sit there and do your work.  See how it feels.  See what happens. 

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! And never underestimate the power of What About Bob? to remind you how important baby steps can be :)