I often ask myself if there is a way to inject playfulness into my art making but as soon as I worry about the result, I forget the fun of the process.
Bathtime
Unnecessary angst can spoil a good time. I do believe that enjoying what you are doing will tell. However, telling yourself that you are having fun when you clearly are not having fun, does not always end well. Walk away, turn the page, sing a song, walk in the garden, read a book, dance the flamenco, pat a pet, listen to a child or the child within you. Do whatever you need to do to let go (the angst). Of course, whatever your objective, there is often a lot of serious hard work required to achieve a particular end but before it becomes torturous, take a moment to ask yourself, “is there anything I can do to make this task more enjoyable, and therefore, more successful?” The answer could be to include a pinch of playfulness. Playfulness is different for each of us and can vary from one day or moment to the next. It has to do with how we frame the place we are in, and although hard to do sometimes, reframing if necessary. Well, that’s enough philosophy for today.
For me, scribbling in my sketchbook, with no great expectations or objectives, is a way to playfulness found in the nonsense that happens where my pencil meets the paper.
Sketchbook scribbles
If I were a cat
No, better than that,
If I were as philosophic.
Then somehow, I know,
although a bit slow,
I’d still be as catastrophic.
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