What We Play Is Life: Why Grown-Ups Need Creative Play (and How to Get It Back)

“If you’re going to be creative, you have to be in a state of play.” — John Cleese

Julia Cameron quotes Louisa May Alcott in The Artist’s Way: “What we play is life.” It sounds simple—until deadlines, laundry, and inboxes crowd the sandbox. In this episode of The Creative Commune, Demi, Amy Jane, and Daniela unpack why play is the first thing to disappear under stress—and the missing ingredient that brings creative work (and daily life) back to life.

1. Why Play Feels Risky When We’re Stressed

• Play demands safety. When we’re stuck in fight-or-flight, being “careful” feels essential—but careful kills spontaneity.

• Perfectionism disguises itself as productivity. Amy admits that when workload spikes, she retreats into colour-inside-the-lines projects that look busy but feel joyless.

• The inner critic rewrites the rules. A game is only fun when mistakes are allowed. If every “wrong” brushstroke means you’re off the team, who would keep playing?

“You can’t call a new idea a mistake until you’ve explored it.” — John Cleese

2. Play vs. Product: Re-learning Process Pleasure

Product-Focus	Play-Focus
Pre-defined outcome	Open-ended exploration
Evaluation while you work	Evaluation after you experiment
Comparison & competition	Curiosity & collaboration

Daniela’s sketch-journaling began as an “outcome-free” exercise—it’s now the practice that anchors her entire art life. The lesson: value the doing, not just the done.

3. Five Traits of Playful People

1. Presence – They watch ideas unfold instead of forcing them.

2. Loose Grip – No attachment to a single “right” result.

3. Process-Driven – Joy sits in the middle, not at the end.

4. Deliberate Boundaries – Self-imposed “game rules” (limited colours, time boxes) shrink decision fatigue.

5. Movement & Humour – Singing out loud, dancing in the studio, weird voice-note accents—anything that keeps the body (and ego) lightweight.

“Dance in front of your work. William Kentridge does. Why shouldn’t you?” — Amy Jane

4. Practical Ways to Re-Invite Play

If you’re a…	Try this
Solo introvert	Switch morning pages to morning doodles. Draw with your non-dominant hand for five minutes.
Over-scheduled parent	Let your toddler pick the art supplies; follow their colour chaos.
Spreadsheet lover	Design a “game board” with mini creative quests—track attempts, not “wins.”
Community-driven extrovert	Sign up for low-stakes workshops, print-making jams, or sketch-crawl meet-ups.

The secret move: Frame every session with one playful rule—only scrap paper, only three colours, dance break at the 30-minute mark. Constraints build the sandbox; freedom does the rest.

5. Safety First: Healing the Block to Play

Demi links play to nervous-system regulation; joy and creativity bloom when we feel secure inside ourselves. If showing work or experimenting triggers comparison spirals, try:

1. Body check-ins—breathing, stretching, quick walks.

2. “Borrow” safety—work alongside playful friends until the energy rubs off.

3. Micro-tasks—one sketch, one sentence, one 15-minute timer. Momentum beats magnitude.

   
   

6. Community: The Ultimate Playmate

Every host circled back to the same conclusion: people matter.

• Amy’s creativity spikes when studio friends drop in to experiment.

• Daniela’s most joyful art days happen in group workshops.

• Demi’s tap-dance nights feed her sketchbook more than any solo exercise.

If play feels impossible alone, borrow a buddy—or a whole community. That’s why The Creative Commune exists.

Key Takeaways

1. Play is a state, not a luxury. It regulates the nervous system and unlocks new ideas.

2. Process over product. Treat rules as game mechanics, not constraints.

3. Safety fuels spontaneity. Build it through movement, humour, and supportive people.

4. Make deliberate space. Schedule dance breaks, workshop days, or toddler-led messes.

5. Community keeps you light. Find (or create) circles where mistakes earn applause.

“What we play is life. So play often—and watch life get lighter, louder, and far more creative.”

Listen to the Full Conversation

Cue up “Process Over Product: Why Play Makes Better Art” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the laughter, vulnerable moments, and extra tips we couldn’t fit on the page.