Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
Having just stepped out of the Festive Season I can answer this slightly awkward question from Bloganuary. Playing is not built into my daily life. Far too much White Anglo-Saxon Work ethic has leached into my core. The Festive season is a rich and embellished few weeks, where hard work and the gathering of family and friends allows time out to play board games or read books. To go on real and imaginary adventures with small or large people. Playtime perfection some might say.
Having semi-retired from a serious and sensible career to take up a second career as an artist, could be construed as being pretty playful all the time.
How is playful defined or calibrated. Who sets the protocols or parameters on play?
The truth is that I struggle with the words play and playful. But if I could replace the word play with fun then fun is a daily activity both the planned and the serendipitous. Fun appears in the darkest of moments or the least expected places. It can be scheduled or awkward. Bubbling up out of the fun gland when seriousness or professionalism are expected and the correct response. I am an exploder of mirth, sometimes inappropriately. Is that playful or just bad?
I struggle so much with the word I looked it up. At last I could feel some comfort with this topic. The hook-in for me is light-hearted.
I can actually sign up for light hearted, so much easier to live with. Unless of course it is the Festive Season when anything goes.
theoldmortuary.design 
I’m all about play, I teach a play-based preschool class with one day a week outside, and it takes a lot of explaining and some time to explain it to parents who fear their child won’t learn. When they see their children thrive, enjoy learning, trying new things, being curious and filled with lots of new knowledge and wonder , they love it. It’s a natural way to learn, and being open and whimsical in the process certainly increases the learning. I also have this approach to life, adult style and many people have told me that I think and act like a child. I wish all adults could think like them and you certainly seem to embraced it no matter what you call it.
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I did ponder that exact thought. If play is your chosen work is it always playful? Sometimes my artwork sets out as work but becomes playful other times the reverse.
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I guess I see play as using the imagination, less boundaries, discovering as you go, enjoying the process more than the outcome, unsure of what will happen, mind open to possibilities. A way of approaching things and being in the world
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My other slight concern with Playful is the current trend of saying that almost anything new or re-invented is a playful or joyful interpretation of something that is already established. Your word of imaginative works so much better for me. I also love safe uncertainty. I love love love your definition of play.
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