Theodore Roosevelt said, “When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all” –and the sentiment persists today. No fun while working. Just get the job done.
But is it true?
What really happens when you play at work? Or with your work?
Magic.
Pilobolus dance company had hit a wall one hot humid afternoon in 1981. They had been trying to choreograph a new dance for hours and hours in a “steamy rehearsal barn,” but hadn’t made any progress.
Then the rain stopped and the sun came out, coaxing them out of the barn for a much needed break. They stomped in the puddles and mud and climbed on the roof. The stomping quickly turned into dancing—for fun, from the heart, not because they had to—and voila! A new dance took shape, seemingly of its own accord. They gave this dance a fitting name: “Day 2.”
It’s as if it already existed somewhere deep within…or without..and gained a body through their playfulness. I believe it does.
Play gives birth to creativity because it taps into intuition, deep emotion and desires, which are where creative ideas are conceived. Creative ideas cannot be conceived in boredom, frustration or pessimism.
Does our education system tap into our children’s intuition, deep emotion and desires? I believe conventional schools, in general, attempt to do exactly the opposite–disconnect children from their intuition, emotion and desires…at least to a certain extent. It’s incredibly difficult to control and mold a child–let alone a classroom–the way you (or the state) want to, if he is in tune with his own intuition, emotions and desires. You need to make your desires–your one plan and timetable for all of them–the desires of the child as well. And if they don’t comply, you must use external punishments and rewards–excuse me, “consequences”–so at least their behavior complies. And if that doesn’t work, then drugs are justified.
“Don’t listen to your own intuition and desires; they’re not important” is the message, “just listen to me and follow my directions.” There may be a time and a place for that, but children’s lives today are so micro-managed by adults that play and agency–indeed democracy–in education has all but vanished.*
And so we need to create classes in college for engineers that teach them how to be creative because they have lost the ability! And college classes where students take apart mechanical devices and put them back together–something children who are inclined to that field have done on their own throughout history! Until recently, of course.
Bring play back to work and school!
The playful dancer, like those in Pilobolus, asks questions like, “What if we danced below an imaginary ceiling that was only 3 feet above the ground?” or “What if our audience was watching us dance from below, not in front of us? What would that look like?” and through playing around with weird and fun ideas, becomes an innovator…and enjoys a rich and fulfilling life.
And that’s exactly what Pilobolus did–choreograph a dance that was intended to be viewed from below. My family had the opportunity to see this exciting work of art live:
*Think kids today have more freedom than ever? Think again. In a study done by Dr. Robert Epstein, former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, he discovered that teens under 18 today have fewer freedoms than incarcerated felons, and twice as many restrictions. Here’s an example of a truly playful, democratic school, and studies of its graduates show they thrive in adulthood–Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts: https://www.google.com/#q=sudbury+valley+school
Nourishing Genius 