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We all need those light bulb or Eureka moments. In Greek, Eureka literally means ‘I have found it,’ and was famously shouted by Archimedes in his bathtub, when he discovered the core principle of buoyancy. In 1666, the sight of an apple falling to the ground at his family’s estate in Lincolnshire, inspired Cambridge University… Continue reading Light bulb moments

As I begin to embrace playfulness and attempt to recapture a childlike sense of wonder, I do recognise that humour is a key part of my playfulness. There is a teasing element to what I do as I play with words and objects, changing them or taking them out of context to give them status… Continue reading Entering the play-world

I have been thinking about what I do and why I do it. For me, playfulness is a way of living. It is not the same as play, which is generally considered an activity and has an end, or as the 20th century philosopher Johan Huizinga in his 1949 infamous book, ‘Homo Ludens: A Study of… Continue reading Living Playfully

We all have our survival kit. I realise that one of the most important tools in mine is playfulness. It is only as I research through reading and through my own practice that I have identified that playfulness is the survival skill that has sustained me. Having five daughters under the age of seven prompted… Continue reading Playfulness – a survival skill

I am also trying to understand how I use playfulness and arrive at it in my own work. There is definitely an intentionality about it. For example in this current playful project, I go out to look, I find an unsuspecting object, take it out of context, turn it into something else and then with… Continue reading Understanding playfulness

I have been questioning my own practice and how I work. My inspiration comes from what I see around me, often an object or thing that catches my attention. But it has led me to wonder where my playfulness originates. Do I see the potential of playfulness in something or do I use my attitude… Continue reading Playful and profound

My supervisors have sent me the challenge of widely researching where, how and by whom playfulness is manifested in today’s world. Whilst I dig deep into the world of academic papers and books, I thought to keep my own personal playfulness alive, I would set myself a challenge. As Lent starts today, I thought I… Continue reading Where playfulness manifests

Put shaving foam in a baking tray, add acrylic ink blobs, move them around, place a piece of paper on top and LIFT OFF! I have been reading Patrick Bateson and Paul Martin’s book ‘Play, Playfulness, Creativity and Innovation’ and was struck by their chapter, Childhood play and creativity where they pose the question, ‘does play in childhood enhance… Continue reading Childhood play & adult creativity

It’s always good to write down what you think about something before you start a process and then test it at the end to see if you still think that way. We all have our own theories and thoughts about different issues, but it is in the testing that our theory is either proved or… Continue reading The Snap Back Theory

In his book, Play Matters, Miguel Sicart maintains that playfulness and play are different. He believes that play is an activity as opposed to playfulness, which he states is an attitude. “An activity is a coherent and finite set of actions performed for certain purpose, while an attitude is a stance toward an activity –… Continue reading Bubble Play