Should you make a play date with your muse? Remember the fun-filled days of friend play dates? The ones where you set an entire afternoon aside to hang with your bestie, roaming free and using your imagination? Think back to how nurturing those times were. Don’t you think it’s high time you made a play date with your creativity?
Make Friends with a New Medium
Have you ever played with a new creative medium? Something you felt completely new to? Perhaps something you were horrible at? Or suspected you’d be horrible at. If so, did you stop and return to something safe—the tried and true—where you felt confident? How does jumping in with both feet—risking making a big mess—sound to you?
No matter how you answered the questions above, let your thoughts sit with you for a while.
When we were very small, we knew very little. The first time we picked up a crayon, we didn’t know how to draw or even fill in a shape with color. Yet, we reveled in the lines of color that we could make appear on the blank page. What if we could get back to the place of wonder?
Creativity vs Competency
Often, as adults, we prefer to feel competent at the activities we fill our time with. I am a writer and I spend the majority of my time writing. I feel confident that I can craft a thrilling plot, engaging characters, and a satisfying ending. The more I practice my art, the better I get. I am comfortable there.
But should creativity always be comfortable? What type of art or expression have you always admired but never tried?
I’m a creative soul. I write, paint, draw, quilt, design stained-glass, garden, sing, bake, cook, and much more. Still, there are areas where I’ve allowed some vague fear to keep me from trying things outside of my comfort zone.
I adore the theatre. I love going to plays and musicals. Everything about the experience excites me. I love dressing up, the hushed atmosphere in the auditorium before the show, the dissonant notes of the orchestra warming up. The distinct smell of paint on the sets, stage lights heating their colored gel covers, and the powdery scent of makeup. The expectant vibration from the audience when the lights go down. And best of all: the performance!
When I was in high-school, I worked on the stage-crew for many of the theater presentations. I helped build sets and was on the make-up crew. Those are some of my favorite memories of that time in my life. But—I never tried out for a role in a performance. Never. Fear kept me away, and that same fear has left me with regret.
Will you allow fear to win?
This fear still resides somewhere in my psyche. I secretly would love to be in a play, but I surround myself with a vast array of excuses for not going for it. “I live in the country and there is no local theatre group.” “They’re (who are these mystical and tyrannical They?) only looking for people with experience.” “I would suck and embarrass myself.” “I might die.” Though I don’t really think I’d die, my subconscious believes I will, and so…
Do you have a secret (or not so secret) creative venture you’d love to try, but haven’t yet? How can we get past our self-protective barriers and give ourselves a chance?
We can do this! (and should!)
We can take baby-steps. Stick our toes into the creative pool a little at a time and practice. Sure, we might be truly bad at something new, but the trying builds a muscle. Keep at it and the creative muscle gets stronger. The more we try new things, the easier it gets. We realize we don’t die.
This week, make a play date with your creativity. Pick one completely new creative activity to try. Choose something that stretches you, something you’ve never done before. One easy idea to get started is a Paint and Sip event. Remind yourself that this is play. Then, please, comment on this blog and let me know what you tried and how it went for you! I can’t wait to hear!
Follow me on Instagram!