Journal
The Problem with “Play” in Creativity (And What It Actually Means)

A few weeks ago, someone in The Studio brought a perfectionism problem to our Friday gathering. She couldn’t start projects, or if she did, she felt she’d already ruined them before she’d really begun. Everyone offered advice, and the same word kept coming up: “Play. Just play with it.”
But I noticed I was having a strong physical reaction to that word. It conjured up bright colours, noise, children’s TV energy - everything that makes me uncomfortable. So I went for a walk to figure out what was going on.
Turns out, my understanding of creative play was completely wrong - or at least unnecessarily narrow.
What Play Actually Means
Play in making isn’t about being loud or messy or forcing yourself to be spontaneous. It’s simpler than that: making something with no set outcome, no purpose to measure against, and therefore no way to be perfectionist about it.
In this week’s Friday Film, I share three real examples from Studio members showing what this looks like in practice:
- Making quilts in deliberately uncomfortable colours
- Drawing with your non-dominant hand to see what emerges
- Understanding that nobody else knows what you were trying to make
Plus the story of my embroidered duck that, according to my friend, looks like it’s been run over. She’s not entirely wrong.
Watch: Creative Play & Perfectionism
If you struggle with perfectionism or getting started on creative projects, this might help. It’s not about adding another practice to your day - it’s about recognizing the play that’s probably already there in your making.
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