Friday 19 August 2016

LOST ART OF PLAY

 





The art of play has to be one of the most underrated desires and drives in human beings. It is something that we are all born with, yet is slowly but surely discouraged as we age. 

But it surfaces, sometimes when we least expect it.

Over the past few years I've noticed that many people who pursued sensible, corporate-style careers in their twenties and thirties start to yearn for something more creative and hands-on as they approach the age of forty.

Through work and my own circle of friends I have encountered many women who have left their jobs to have children and then undergone a re-evaulation process when deciding to resume some sort of work.

Many don't want to return to what they did before. Perhaps partly inspired by their own home-making journeys or renovations, many of them want to become interior designers or stylists. I've spoken to doctors, fashion designers, journalists and lawyers who have enrolled in courses to help this desire become a reality.

But it's not just women. And, again, this is from my experience. But I have spoken to men who have wanted to get more hands-on in other ways - giving up careers as journalists to become joiners and managing directors to become builders.

This desire to be hands-on and more creative with what we do with our everyday lives is lived out on a minute-by-minute basis on Instagram. I think it's perhaps part of the reason the application has become so popular. It has allowed people to indulge their creativity like never before. All of a sudden people from all walks of life have become stylists, photographers, crafters and chefs. They have been given an opportunity to express themselves, visually. And receive instant gratification for their work. Of course, the neurology of the effects of likes is another discussion. But there's a lot of good that can come from a creative life. Elizabeth Gilbert has written about it brilliantly in Big Magic. 

"Do whatever brings you to life. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart." - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

The images above were created in a burst of creativity after a walk along one of the roads near our property. The desire to create was overwhelming and thoroughly enjoyable.

images the indigo crew



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