Child's Play

                                                               Artist: Joe Cartwright

I've been going back in time these days. Aka time travel which is rather nice as I can travel to past or future. It feels a lot like the Wonka factory elevator!  I've been looking at the ways in which I played as a child.  Part of that exploration is due to the Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, which I'm currently making my way through.  She'd asked the question a few weeks ago about childhood which led to the question of how we played.

I was as industrious as a child as I have been as an adult.  I played house (cooking, cleaning, tending to baby dolls), work (secretary, teacher) and of course, I played dress up.  Sometimes we 'gardened' or farmed.  You'll note that pretty much all of those activities are things I've been as an adult in some form or another.  I found that rather ironic that I'd mimicked so much real life in my play.  I think that sort of play was pretty much normal for all of the children I knew.  We merely copied what the adults were doing.  

So, when Ms. Cameron suggested we 'play' as adults, I admit, I was a bit taken aback for a moment.  I didn't much think I wanted to play at any of those things!  Yet at one time in my middle years, I'd been quite good at playing.

At one point I'd bought myself a Barbie doll...but the girls soon took that over.  I acquired paper dolls, but I confess those didn't hold my interest as much as I'd thought they'd might.  I've spent many a lovely afternoon blowing bubbles. Maddie was unaccountably afraid of them, so I gave them up.  The truth is that I feel a bit silly playing, and yet, I do feel it's very necessary.

And I think Granny must have thought so, too.  She too was an industrious sort of person, but I arrived at her home one day to find her coloring.  It was a coloring book she'd never put out for the children, and she had a brand-new box of crayons, too.  At the time she was in her mid-seventies.   She'd never been the crafty sort or one to make quilts. But I found it absolutely fascinating that she'd bought 'toys' of her own. 

I realize that a lot of what I'm incorporating into my life once more are activities I enjoyed as a child.  Swimming, singing, piano, coloring, and more recently drawing.  I plan to get bubbles once more, too.  They don't bother Rufus in the least.   One of the things I played with often as an adult in my middle years was a camera.  I can't recall how I acquired it, but I had a grand time taking pictures.  Some were decent.  I'm not a natural at photography the way my Katie is, but every now and then I catch a photo just right.  I used to print some of the shots off as a calendar through Snap Fish.  

A few weeks ago, I went to an estate sale and found a camera for $5.  It was quite a good one as it happened.  It needed only a memory card which it turns out I can't buy for that model any longer.  However, John picked up on my excitement at having a camera once more and bought me one as my Christmas Gift for this year.  

Today I received a lovely gift in the mail from Kim T. who can only be a kindred spirit for sure.  She sent me watercolor paints and an Emily Lex studio watercolor workbook, something I've been eyeing for the longest period of time.  I haven't mentioned to anyone that I'd been looking at those watercolor sketch books.  Only a Kindred Spirit could think of me when she saw it!  There were also a set of color pencils and a coloring book. I'm taking that on a trip with me next month!

One of the assignments that is supposed to be ongoing with The Artist's Way, is an artist's date weekly.  Just one day a week, for however long we opt, to get out of the house, away from the work and distractions to go somewhere, such as a museum or to a bookstore to get a fancy magazine.  I confess I haven't been very good about this practice at all.  We live so far away from museums and bookstores about 90 miles round trip.  

There are so many things I'd like to try my hand at these days: junk journals (terribly untidy but appealing at the same time), keeping an art journal, making collages, watercolor painting, perhaps watching a movie, photography... But I find that more often than not, I think I'll do something and then I end up doing some tasks or other that I recall I'd meant to do.  I'm not very good at play!

One day this past week, I took advantage of being on my own and didn't work at all.  Instead, I picked up some takeout for lunch while I was running another errand.  And when I got home, I rented a movie and sat down to watch the whole thing. I opted for the Ang Lee directed, Emma Thompson screen play of Sense and Sensibility one of my most favorite versions of my most favorite of the Austen books.  The world didn't come to an end...The jobs I ought to have done were waiting patiently upon me when the movie was done.  

I think it's time I plan a little time for play every week.

I'm writing it in ink on my calendar as an unbreakable date with myself.