Work hard, play hard is a statement I’ve heard since I was in primary school. Everyone speaks of having a balanced life, where you play just as much as you work. This is not entirely wrong but I would like to believe that your real work is play. I believe that when you focus on playing and not on results, you can become more creative and in turn produce better results.
“Play is the work of the child and it is also the work of the artist. I was once taking a walk in the Mission in San Francisco and stopped to chat with a street painter. When I thanked him for his time and apologized for interrupting his work, he said, ‘Doesn’t feel like work to me. Feels more like play.’”
— Austin Kleon, Keep Going.
Growing up, I had the privilege of owning an XBOX 360 gaming console. During holidays my friends will flock to our home and we will spend the entire day playing games (usually FIFA or some other player vs player game). The rule was very simple, the winner keeps the controller and I must say I was very good, so I rarely gave away my controller. This winner-stays-on format was fun and it kept everyone on their toes, so every match was tough. But what this also meant is that we were more focused on winning than anything else (waiting for your turn after being beaten was no fun at all). This meant that the focus was on results and not on playing and enjoying the moment.
“The great artists are able to retain this sense of playfulness throughout their careers. Art and the artist both suffer most when the artist gets too heavy, too focused on results.”
— Austin Kleon, Keep Going.
During those times, I saw guys pick teams or characters they would never pick on a favorable day, let’s say an ordinary day, just because they wanted to win. That atmosphere encouraged everyone to focus on winning above everything else (I too am a proud victim). However, we would occasionally get visits from friends or other family members who were much younger than us (kids under 10). They would lose over and over again and often times the margins were astronomical. I remember taking a glance at their faces many times and I can not remember seeing anger or disappointment. They were having fun, and even when they did display anger or disappointment, you could tell it was just a pretense.
They had constant smiles on their faces and they were always ready for the next game. If they scored a goal or landed a punch, they would celebrate even though they were probably going to lose in the end. Focusing on playing rather than results was clear to them. We can all learn a thing or two from kids, especially when it comes to how they play. All that matters to them is having fun and at that moment, when they’re creating art or simply playing a game, that’s their whole world. With laser beam-like focus, they dive deep into the process and only focus on the process.
The writer Kurt Vonnegut once gave high school students homework to write a poem and then tear it up without letting anyone read it. I have tried to incorporate this principle into my work. Sometimes I draw and write and then immediately discard my work without allowing anyone to see it (I don’t recommend doing it all the time, you will have nothing to show at the end). But the premise is simple, you are resetting yourself and learning that results aren’t all that matters, having fun matters too. I would argue that it matters more. Good work comes from a place of excitement and enjoyment. When you are too focused on metrics, numbers, and results you miss the bigger picture which is “real work is play”.
“You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty. Then you will be able to DO…Try to do some BAD work — the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell — you are not responsible for the world — you are only responsible for your work — so DO IT.”
— Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse
Learn to focus on playing and not on results. Write, draw, paint, create and discard. Sing without recording, invent without publishing. Or better yet draw awful pictures, write crummy poems, and sing obnoxious songs. I find that making terrible art is tons of fun. Look for new toys to play with. Set yourself free from the metric-centric world, and be the most awesome version of yourself and play, play, play.
