Let the kids paint your face

I read about this wonderful idea of letting your kids paint your face. It was in the context of play-time and doing things with your kids that make both you and them happy. The bright colours, the big reveal of the end result and the inevitable mess that comes with the process. The greatest part? Paint washes off. 

I started thinking about the process of play, and how we grow and become reluctant to spend time playing. We create a picture in our minds of how we must be, how we must react to situations and not let our guard down for fear of rejection in  the “playground” from our peers, colleagues and acquaintances. 

What if we make a mess?

I want to challenge and grow the chance to play more. John Cleese discusses this very thing in his book Creativity, the power of play and creativity and how taking the time to slow ourselves down and explore the challenge, often gives us the opportunity to see things a little differently and ultimately leading us to a solution we might have overlooked. 

Do you dare to be different?

There’s safety in numbers, that’s a given. I look at stepping out into play-time as a challenge for us to go against the grain of what’s expected from us. The behavioural standards, how we view ourselves and each other and the work we must do. Play time doesn’t have to be shoes off, get the matts out and build with some blocks, or painting rainbows on each other's faces. 

It’s the freedom within your mind to explore. 

Removing those assumptions of what play-time might look like, immediately begins you on the journey! 

What ideas do we deny ourselves from rushing to the solution and not going back to the problem. How do we encourage others to play and explore? It takes time, nurturing and a heavy dose of realising it isn’t sitting in the sandbox throwing your toys around. It’s uncovering new ways of looking at problems, reframing them as challenges and thinking about how you might execute them.