What I've Learned About Prioritising Creative Play
'How we spend our day is, of course, how we spend our lives.' - Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
At the beginning of 2024, I made a commitment to spend the next 12 months prioritising creative play.
‘My guiding word for the year ahead is ’play’. I want more play and experimentation in my professional life and plenty of creative play outside of work. I want to play around with ‘frivolous’ things like fashion, beauty and the way our home looks and feels. I’m also thinking about playfulness as an attitude or mindset. I’m determined to create lots of opportunities for light-hearted fun, whimsy and magic. Above all, I want to focus on doing things I enjoy with unashamed enthusiasm and exuberance.’ - Hello 2024
As we approach the end of the year, here’s what I’ve learned over the last 12 months…
You can get a surprising amount of crafting done in just 15 minutes a day…
In terms of building a habit, I’m very into the idea of spending 1% of the day on creative play. In other words, 15 minutes. Do this for seven days, and you’ll have spent just over 1% of your week. For me, this feels nice and achievable and it’s been working really well.
Most days, 15 minutes is all I can manage, but sometimes I’m able to sit for longer and make more progress. I always achieve more than if I hadn’t tried at all.
However, my brain prefers long stretches of time dedicated to making…
That’s when I really feel the benefits, so I’m trying to carve out more time when I can. I’m lucky my current season of life {with one child away at uni and one with a social life that’s better than mine} makes this relatively easy to do. That said, I still have to set the intention and focus on making it happen. When it comes to consistently prioritising my own needs, I am a work in progress.
Keeping supplies visible and easily accessible makes making more likely to happen…
The supplies I need for my current scrapbook project live on my desk and my trusty craft trolley is always within reach. I’ve also been trying to keep the kitchen store cupboard well stocked with baking supplies so I can rustle something up whenever the mood takes me.
The biggest thing holding me back is my own perfectionism…
Next year, I’m thinking about trying some looser, messier forms of scrapbooking/mixed media to work on this. I might even buy a cheap canvas and just play around with some paint.
Focusing on creativity and playfulness is making mundane tasks more fun…
I have to cook dinner, but trying new recipes and playing with unfamiliar ingredients adds a layer of fun {mostly at weekends – midweek meals still feel like a grind, so that’s something to work on in the coming months}. Rachael Renae has been inspiring me in this area, especially this Reel she shared about making her trip to Paris more playful.
Creativity breeds creativity…
Honestly, once you start, the ideas keep coming! I’ve made SO much this year, and there are still so many things I want to make in the final few weeks of 2024. I haven’t even started on the Christmas baking yet!