Play is fundamental to evolution, but what happens when the evolution of our human cognitive skills can no longer keep up with the intensity of the flow of information, we are receiving? And how do we continue to be authentic and creative in our search for new ideas and solutions for an uncertain future, when our senses are flooded, and the level of distraction / noise makes it almost impossible for us to be fully focused on anything for more than a split second?
It’s no wonder that ‘creativity’ has become the buzz word of our time. The deep and undisturbed form of attention it requires has never been further from our grasp, and the idea of productivity, the rush we feel from being aware of all the rest of the world, all the time, pushes us into a re-cycling of ideas, images and thoughts that stay safely within the territory of what is already known and seen before.
In the introduction to her book ‘Deep Play’ American poet, essayist and naturalist Diane Ackerman approaches the subjects of play and creativity, by first outlining her territory of interest with the following quotes:
Deep Play
Deep. adj. 1. The most intense or extreme part. 2. Profoundly absorbed or immersed. 3. A distance estimated in fathoms.
— The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd edition
PLAY. It is an activity which proceeds within certain limits of time and space, in a visible order, according to rules freely accepted, and outside the sphere of necessity or material utility. The play-mood is one of rapture and enthusiasm and it’s sacred or festive in accordance with the occasion. A feeling of exaltation and tension accompanies the action.
- Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens
Diane Ackerman is driven by curiosity and looking for the origins of play, the fundamental questions of why, how, where and under what circumstances do humans play? What makes us feel the drive towards creativity? Why do some animal species play, while others seem less geared towards building life and survival skills through this kind of behavior?
“Play is far older than humans. It's so familiar to us, so deeply ingrained in the matrix of our childhood, that we take it for granted.”
Diane Ackerman quotes from p. 1-2, Chapter 1 in Deep Play
In the high-paced world of the post-Anthropocene, experienced through an ever-increasing number of new technologies that are ready to take over, where humans surrender, it seems more important than ever to address the more-than-human level of complexity we live in.
We are right to feel worried about being taken over by new technology, AI and the virtual, because if it all comes down to pace and the ability to absorb and juggle vast amounts of information, we are fighting a losing battle. In order to find a way forward, and make sure that human evolution continues to flourish, we need authentic imagination, creativity and PLAY. And it’s not possible to find a short cut that will take us there. The ‘rules’ are the same as they’ve always been. The creative process takes time. It wants nothing less than our full attention. It waits for us to let go of the outside world and disappear into the depths of imagination. And here, in the stillness of things unknown, it invites us to play.
Assuming that ‘authenticity’ still exists, where is it hiding? What will it take for us to reawaken it through the creative work we do and through play? How do we distance ourselves enough from the eternal demands of productivity and the awareness of the noisy world around us?
We are Imagination Friendly and we are here to help shed some light on the overgrown path that could potentially lead us back into deep terrain, towards original expression, wild ideas and the unknown.
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