Exercise #3 in Stage Three – Play
You may have no memory of the joy of finger painting, of what it felt like as a kid to plunge your fingers into paint and to experiment with mixing colors, with moving paint around on a page, but your body remembers. Locked deep within you is that feeling of joy, that sense of play that comes with creating. This exercise will bring it out and help you remember.
Supplies Needed – paint (finger paint, poster paint, whatever), paper, plate or palette, paper towels
This exercise is inspired by the dot by Peter H. Reynolds, which is a fantastic children’s book about a girl who discovers her artistic talent by making dots. I particularly enjoy that the first dot she makes is by taking her pen and stabbing the crap out of the paper when her teacher told her she had to put a mark on the paper. I can totally see myself doing that. “Oh yeah, you want a dot? I’ll give you a dot…”
So, make dots. This is best done with paints if you have them. Squeeze out a few colors of paint onto a paper plate, a palette, the lid to last night’s takeout pad thai, whatever. Or get some watercolor paints wet. Dip a finger into paint and use your finger to make a dot on paper. Make more dots. Just keep making dots. After a few minutes you may feel silly, but move through that and keep making dots. After a few more minutes you’ll realize that you’re having fun. Keep it up for 15 – 20 minutes.
When the timer rings, take a few minutes to reflect on the activity. Did you experience a whole range of emotions? Did you hear some negative voices telling you that playing with paints like a kindergartner was silly? Did your authentic voice appear telling you how much fun she was having? After you have cleaned the paint from your fingers, make a few notes about your experience.
Want to join others on the journey with you? Come to the Creativity Explorers Club on Facebook.
