My girlfriend Leila loves to be playful. When I first met her I noticed a spark in her eyes and she smiled all the time. As our relationship grew, I continued to enjoy her spontaneity and soon enough something really cool happened. Whenever we spent time together we started to share our creative side and before long discovered our respective interests complimented one another and we ended up collaborating in co-authoring a book. It’s actually a Coloring Devotional.
EDITOR’S NOTE – SEE SESSION #2 BELOW
It was a wonderful experience. Playfulness is contagious. It revives our energy and I believe it brings out the best in us!! Spark your creativity and be more playful. What a great way to live life, make friends and become an all-around happier person!
Here are 7 tips to be more playful
? P L A Y — W I T H — Y O U R — K I D S! (If you don’t have kids…borrow some! ?
? Dance: This one is quick and simple…go to YouTube or your favorite music platform and D A N C E!
? Playfully decorate a small space: No need for a huge Spring cleaning or anything like that! Find an area of your home and play with it. Add a fun lamp, paint a small mural, add art on the walls. Find something that sparkles to place on a small table along with a new scented candle or add some scented oils! Decorating small areas in a home adds playfulness to your life. Practice, look at decorating magazines and remember to take small and playful steps!
? Doodle: Keep some markers and a small sketch pad on your desk or in an easily accessible space and draw and doodle. Doodles are fun to do because you can spend a few minutes looking at it and often you’ll see a cat, a dog or some abstract shape you’ll want to define or color!
? Innovate in the Kitchen: Find a recipe you’ve never done. I recommend AllRecipes.com You get to choose your meal and add the ingredients to a shopping list all at once! Have fun cooking and then play with setting up your table. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns for texture and interest, like a happy blend of stripes and florals or set a “Black & White” table.
? Play with Paint and Sponges: Using different tools to create art is fun! I love using sponges palette knives and glitters! Just grab some round sponges and go for it! Gold & glitter paint is super fun to apply on a canvas or an art board. Let it dry and use acrylic markers to write a quote or a word to remind you to P L A Y! Use sparkle paint along with your crayons when you color!
? Let it Drip: Buy mini canvases and always keep one on your desk or an area of your home where you spend a lot of time. Keep watercolor paints + small brushes handy. Take a few breaks throughout the day to dip your brush in various watercolors and create endless drips…watch the colors mix together and take your time observing each drop fall. Leave your canvas there and come back to it often…it’s never finished until you say so…
Nathalie, I love your tips as always! You must be a lot of fun to be around!!! I also go to allrecipes.com when I want to play cooking 🙂 And I love to re-do small areas with crystals, objects d’art, and light.
I love this! Who said growing up meant stop playing? I love spending time looking at the world through the eyes of a child. I’ll make up stories of what they see in their pure thought before the world has tainted their view to tell them what to see. That and some dancing and being goofy is always freeing.
Playing is so important and I need to start doodling again. I used to create magical images and recently seem to have maybe become to serious, so thanks for the reminder 🙂
Playfulness is such a tonic! I love being playful with my sense of humor. And with simple art forms, such as sticker books. Your Coloring Devotional looks so beautiful and creative. And your 6 suggestions are spot-on! It’s encouraging to get easy tips for someone like me who is not an artist.
Children are the ultimate guides in joy 🙂 – great post, thanks!
Nathalie, what a great article. Yes, playfulness is contagious as is laughter and smiles. As we get older we can forget that we have Inner children who still love to laugh and play. It gives balance to our serious lives as adults. Thanks for reminding us.
I agree Kat! Playfulness comes naturally when we are kids. How wonderful it would be to retain some of those natural instincts! I believe we can rebuild our creative muscle and start with with easy exercises like drawing, doodling or coloring!
I believe doodling is a form of Inner communication spoken by our inner children.