Adam Blatner

Play is fun, and creativity as play is fun, is heaven. It’s not done “for the hell of it.” That was from a time when the Protestant Ethic ruled, and if it was fun, there must be something wrong with it. Duty and work were unpleasant in the old days, at least in the minds of many a sourpuss. But the point is that the nature of work and play are shifting!

Play is still in some contexts the opposite of work, but increasingly it is becoming a channel towards useful creativity-work. As innovation becomes valued, then experimentation, exploration, resting and letting the subconscious operate, opening to inspiration, all these partake of playing. One’s nose is not applied to the grindstone, one’s shoulder is not consistently applied to the wheel, one’s eye does not remain on the ball. Creativity as a valued activity involves a different repertoire of moves, reminiscent of musing, drifting. Some have found this a heavenly way to be productive. I do it this way in my life.