Work vs. Play

Lately I’ve been contemplating my relationship with work and play, especially as they relate to my art practice. As modern humans in a modern world, we think of work and play as fundamentally different activities. In fact, the two words are considered opposites. 

Society’s definition of work brings to mind commutes, chores, cubicles, to-do lists, meetings, never-ending piles of dishes, and a general feeling of fatigue. It’s homework, desks, and memorization. Counting the minutes, trying to focus, and dreaming of the weekend.

Play on the other hand, is a trip to the beach or a day at the park. It’s bikes, monkey bars, and “You’re it!” It’s jumping in puddles, looking under rocks, and building snow forts. Play is something we anxiously await, and fondly remember– a stark contrast to dreaded work.

But work and play are not opposites. In fact, I now believe there is no visible difference between the two, and society’s definitions are reductive and even harmful for people in creative professions.

• • •

In the spirit of play– and to better illustrate my point– let’s play a game. Of the following descriptions, guess which childhood activities were assigned by a teacher as “work,” and which I voluntarily did on my own as “play.”

1. Film and edit a movie with a cohesive storyline.

2. Write a daily newspaper documenting my family’s everyday life.

3. Read the first four volumes of “The Story of the World.”

4. Write a fantasy novel.

5. Make an informational poster about each planet in the solar system.

Which of the above activities did I choose to do on my own? 

Answer: all of them. 

This is where society’s neat line between work and play starts to blur. 

Because the difference between work and play doesn’t lie in the results. It lies in the process.

Work and play aren’t enemies sitting on opposite sides of the aisle, rather they’re tightly-knit partners that elevate each other.  We can play hard at our work in the same way we can work hard at our play. 

I’ve experienced this adjacency many times while working on client projects. I frequently begin a project squarely in “work,” even dreading a few aspects of my assignment. But as my mind shifts from contracts, to thumbnails, to design and I sink deeper into the drawing, my thoughts quiet. I begin to experiment with shape, color and composition. The more I experiment, pushing my understanding of what’s “right,” the further into “play” I travel. Pretty soon the time-warp of “Flow State” takes over and the assignment feels effortless. 

This feeling vanishes once I receive revisions. Suddenly, with the scan of an email, I’m back in “work.” Once again I’m dreading aspects of my assignment, and even yearning for the deadline. But despite the resistance, when I start again, I inevitably drift back into “play.” 

Depending on my attitude, I’ll cross between work and play sometimes dozens of times per project. While the frequency of this crossing depends on a lot of things– deadline, stress-level, medium, contract, etc.– I’ve noticed one unavoidable constant: I make my best work while in “play.”

And I’m not the only one. There is solid evidence that humans are more creative while in playful states. According to numerous studies, play creates the ideal conditions for creativity by increasing cognitive flexibility, reducing our inhibitions, and encouraging exploration. (Psychological Reports, 1990)

I entered my career misunderstanding play. I thought that it had to be earned– that it only existed after the “real” work was finished. I thought that “effort” meant “lack of enjoyment” and that if art was fun, I must be doing something wrong. This belief tracked neatly with society’s definition. In fact, the Apple Dictionary says that play is “to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” 

Respectfully, I disagree. Play is not only serious and practical, if you want to create anything worthwhile it’s required. The means to innovative work was never drudgery. It was enjoyment.

As an illustrator, I’ve finally learned that play is not for “after the work.” Play is the work. 

Citations:

Berretta, Stephen, and Gayle Privette.

“Influence of Play on Creative Thinking.” Psychological Reports, vol. 71, no. 2, 1990, pp. 659–666.