Do You ‘Play Hooky’?
I “played hooky” yesterday to fill my heart with some creative joy.
In third grade, my teacher Mr. Jones brought art and joy to all our lessons. I remember learning about colors and painting alongside math and mythology. That was my favorite year of elementary school
Let’s be honest, playing hooky has a connotation like I’ve done something “wrong” or “without permission”.
I could have said I took PTO for some self-care. But in honesty, I did feel a little indulgent, a little like I was “cutting class.” But you know what? It felt incredible.
The Art and Soul Retreat
A few weeks ago, I learned from a friend Eliana Temkin about the Art and Soul Retreat hosted by Glenny Moir. This was the 20th anniversary of this event.
On a recent Thursday evening, I attended one of the dozens of classes offered as part of the event. I was surprised. There were women who had flown in and taken an entire week to take classes and make art. It was liberating. I thought, “WOW, I want to sign up for something else, a day-long class.” So that’s what I did.
My Big Takeaways
I took away a couple of great reminders about working on art from my two teachers that are also relevant to our work/careers.
1 – Don’t Compare Yourself
If you DO, you’ll have one of two things happen. First, you’ll decide other people are better than you which isn’t ever a good assessment. Perhaps they do have more schooling and experience or have been doing it longer. Any of those things will make you feel bad about yourself. We all start somewhere.
Alternatively, you might judge other people around you. You could be acting superior and think, “Why are they here? They aren’t very good.” Meaning your ego has taken over. Again, everyone starts somewhere.
2 – Refresh Your Perspective Frequently
When working on art, you will always reach a stage when you think it’s not working, it’s horrible. At that point, walk away, take a break, and then view it again from various distances.
The same is true of our work/careers and sometimes those new perspectives might help you decide – I still LOVE what I do, or maybe it’s time to make a change.
3 – Make Time for What You Love Doing
I love making art. Getting messy and sticky like a little kid brings me so much creative joy. So, I put “more art classes” on my vision board back in 2022. It is so fun trying something new and different and getting into the zone of creating that makes time simply fly by.
What do you love that fills your heart with creative joy and simply feels like play? Don’t forget to schedule some time for yourself this spring to “play hooky!” You’ll be so glad you did.
When was the last time you “played hooky” and gave yourself time to indulge in creativity? Do you encourage your employees to tap into their creativity? Consider organizing something like the Art and Soul Retreat for your office. Who knows what could come out of being inspired? Join the conversation with us on LinkedIn!
