Why Grown-Ups Need Creative Play Too

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped doing things simply because they were fun. Maybe it’s time we started again.

When was the last time you played?

Not exercised.

Not worked on a hobby you’re trying to improve.

Not created something for your business.

Not baked because everyone needed dinner.

Not gardened because the weeds were taking over.

Actually played.

Did something with absolutely no useful outcome required.

Something you could be terrible at.

Something you didn't need to finish.

Something you did simply because you thought:

“Ooooh... that looks fun.”

If you're struggling to remember...

you're exactly who I want to talk to.

Because one of the things I want to grow at The Wildflower Field is something many of us have quietly lost.

Permission to play.

Children don't ask whether play is productive

Watch a child creating.

They can turn a cardboard box into approximately seventeen different things before lunch.

They paint.

Dig.

Collect sticks.

Mix colours that definitely shouldn't be mixed.

Build.

Destroy.

Start again.

Make up stories.

Change the rules halfway through.

And very rarely do they stop and ask:

“But what's the point of this?”

The experience is the point.

Then we grow up.

And suddenly everything seems to need a purpose.

If we're making something, perhaps we should sell it.

If we're walking, we should count our steps.

If we're reading, perhaps it should be educational.

If we're journaling, we should be working towards something.

If we're painting, we should probably learn how to do it properly.

Goodness.

No wonder we're tired.

When did we become so serious?

Adulthood comes with a lot.

Work.

Bills.

Children.

Parents.

Businesses.

Appointments.

Houses.

Relationships.

Meals.

Emails.

Things that need organising.

Things that need remembering.

And approximately 4,763 passwords.

There is always something we should be doing.

So play becomes easy to dismiss.

It feels indulgent.

Childish.

Unnecessary.

We tell ourselves:

“I don't have time for that.”

But what if play isn't something we need to grow out of?

What if it's something we've simply forgotten how to make room for?

Creativity is one of the easiest ways back to play

This is one reason creativity sits so beautifully inside The Wildflower Method.

Because creativity gives us somewhere to experiment.

What happens if I put this here?

What if I tear that?

What if I add paint?

What if I stamp this leaf?

What if I use coffee?

What if I glue this flower onto that page?

There doesn't need to be a five-step outcome.

You're allowed to follow:

“I wonder what happens if...”

That little sentence is play.

Curiosity without needing certainty.

But grown-ups are very good at ruining creative play

We really are.

Give us some paper and ten minutes later we're thinking:

Is this good?

What am I making?

What am I going to do with it?

Her one looks better.

Should I have put that there?

Maybe I need to watch a tutorial.

Nooooo.

Come back.

The point wasn't to make something impressive.

The point was to play.

This is something we'll keep returning to throughout the Wildflower world:

The finished thing isn't always the most valuable thing you created.

Sometimes the valuable thing was the twenty minutes you spent completely absorbed in making it.

You don't have to be good at play

This might sound ridiculous.

But I think some of us need permission to hear it.

You are allowed to do something you're bad at.

Paint badly.

Draw questionable flowers.

Make a wonky journal.

Try pottery and discover your bowl looks more like an ashtray.

Sing badly.

Dance badly.

Grow a plant badly.

Try something without intending to master it.

You don't have to turn everything you enjoy into something you're excellent at.

You can simply enjoy it.

Imagine the freedom in that.

The Wildflower Lessons are invitations to play

This is one of the reasons I'm creating the Wildflower Lessons.

Each lesson gives you one little creative idea.

Not:

“Today we are creating a masterpiece.”

More like:

“Want to see what happens when we stain paper with coffee?”

Yes.

Let's do that.

Tea-dyed paper.

Torn edges.

Botanical stamping.

Pressed flowers.

Vintage layers.

Coffee rings.

Splattering.

Textures.

None of these needs to become anything important.

They're little experiments.

And eventually, you start combining them.

Changing them.

Doing things differently.

That's when something lovely happens.

You stop following instructions...

and start trusting your curiosity.

Find Your 15 can be playful too

We've talked about Find Your 15 as a way to create little pockets of time to reconnect with yourself.

But please don't turn those fifteen minutes into another serious wellbeing practice.

Some days your Find Your 15 might be meditation.

Journaling.

Sitting quietly outside.

Being with a horse.

Beautiful.

And sometimes...

I want it to be ridiculous.

Paint something.

Make a collage that means absolutely nothing.

Pick flowers.

Dance in the kitchen.

Make something tiny.

Play with colours.

Put music on.

Try something you've never done before.

Do something simply because it feels good.

Joy counts as reconnection too.

If finding the time to play feels like the hardest part, start here: You Don't Need More Time — You Need 15 Minutes.

Or explore Find Your 15 and discover simple ways to create little pockets of time that bring you back to yourself.

This is why I want creativity available at The Wildflower Field

Imagine coming to Gather & Graze with your friend.

You order coffee.

You're talking.

Then you wander past the Creative Bar.

Something catches your eye.

You both decide to try it.

Half an hour later, the table is covered in paper.

Your friend is laughing because something has gone completely wrong.

You're both arguing over the good scissors.

Nobody is thinking about whether this is an appropriate use of your time.

You're just there.

Making.

Talking.

Laughing.

Playing.

That's exactly the kind of moment I want to create more opportunities for.

Play can help us connect with other people differently

Some of our best conversations don't happen when we sit down and decide:

“Right. Let's connect.”

They happen while we're doing something else.

Cooking.

Driving.

Walking.

Gardening.

Creating.

When our hands are busy, something softens.

There's less pressure.

That's part of why I love the idea of mothers and daughters creating together.

Friends.

Sisters.

Grandmothers and grandchildren.

Partners.

Different generations around the same table.

You don't need an enormous agenda.

Give people coffee, something delicious and something interesting to do with their hands...

then let the conversation find its own way.

And sometimes play connects us back to ourselves

This is where something that seems very light can become surprisingly meaningful.

When you give yourself permission to play, you might notice things.

What colours are you drawn to?

What do you enjoy?

What makes you lose track of time?

What are you curious about?

What haven't you done in years?

What did you love before you became so busy being everything to everybody else?

There doesn't need to be a dramatic answer.

But sometimes creativity quietly reminds us:

“Oh. I like this.”

That's worth noticing.

Nature doesn't seem terribly concerned with perfection either

This is another reason I love having all of this inside The Wildflower Field.

A wildflower field isn't perfect.

One flower is enormous.

Another tiny.

Something has grown sideways.

One hasn't opened yet.

Another is past its best.

There's probably a weed in the middle of everything.

And somehow...

it's beautiful.

Nature doesn't need everything to match.

It doesn't line the flowers up and compare them.

It simply grows.

There's a lesson in there for us.

Perhaps creativity doesn't need to be so tidy either.

Horses remind us to be present too

There's another kind of play and curiosity in our Wildflower world.

The horses.

Spend time watching horses and you'll notice how incredibly present they are.

They respond to what's happening now.

They notice.

Explore.

Move.

Interact.

Rest.

Play.

They aren't mentally writing tomorrow's to-do list while standing in the paddock.

At least Maggie hasn't mentioned hers to me.

Our Wildflower Connection experiences will have a different purpose from creative play, but the thread underneath is similar:

Come into the moment you're actually in.

Creativity can do that.

Nature can do that.

Animals can do that.

That's part of why these seemingly different things belong together in The Wildflower Method.

Play doesn't have to become healing

This is important too.

Because we're building a world that includes deeper experiences through the Wildflower Soul Sanctuary, it would be very easy to start attaching meaning to everything.

Sometimes a collage is just a collage.

You don't have to uncover a childhood belief while botanical stamping.

You don't need a breakthrough while making a bookmark.

You don't have to explain why you chose pink.

You chose pink because you like pink.

Excellent.

The deeper paths are there when you want them.

But lightness belongs here too.

Fun belongs.

Laughter belongs.

Silliness belongs.

Play belongs.

When did you last try something for the first time?

There's something wonderful about being a beginner.

And terrifying.

As adults, we tend to stay with things we already know how to do.

It's comfortable.

We know what to expect.

But trying something new wakes up curiosity.

A new creative technique.

A workshop.

Flower arranging.

Journaling.

Painting.

Sourdough.

A guest maker's craft.

Something you have never even heard of yet.

You don't need to become good at it.

Maybe you try it once and think:

“Well. Never doing THAT again.”

Fine!

You still tried it.

Or maybe you think:

“Where has this been all my life?”

That's the joy of curiosity.

You don't know until you try.

The Little Wildflowers might teach us a thing or two

I have a feeling our smallest visitors are going to understand this place immediately.

They won't need the philosophy explained.

They'll see things to touch, make, notice and explore.

And they'll begin.

Perhaps one of the loveliest things we can do is create alongside them without taking over.

Not:

“No, put it there.”

Not:

“Let me fix it.”

But:

“I'm going to make one too.”

Imagine children watching the grown-ups in their lives create without worrying about whether they're good at it.

That's a beautiful lesson all by itself.

Maybe your girls' day doesn't need to be another lunch

There's absolutely nothing wrong with lunch.

I love lunch.

But perhaps next time you gather your people, you do something different.

Coffee and creating.

A workshop.

A Field Day.

Flowers.

A seasonal Gathering.

Something you've never tried.

Maybe you come to The Wildflower Field and don't decide exactly what you're doing until you get here.

Because the memory might not be:

“Look at the beautiful thing we made.”

It might be:

“Remember when yours went completely wrong and we couldn't stop laughing?”

Those are the moments that stick.

The Wildflower Method isn't about becoming more serious about yourself

Actually, I think sometimes it's the opposite.

Yes, there are deeper parts.

Reflection.

Journaling.

Mindfulness.

Connection.

Energy work.

Horses.

Retreats.

There are times for going inward.

But reconnecting with yourself can also mean reconnecting with:

joy.

Curiosity.

Silliness.

Playfulness.

The version of you who didn't need everything to have a purpose.

That's why Create belongs in the method.

Not simply because creativity can be reflective.

Because creativity can also be FUN.

Your invitation: Do something useless

That's your Wildflower challenge.

Find fifteen minutes this week.

And do something that has absolutely no productive purpose.

Make something.

Colour.

Paint.

Cut things up.

Arrange flowers.

Try a Wildflower Lesson.

Dance.

Doodle.

Make a ridiculous collage.

Get your hands dirty.

Don't sell it.

Don't post it.

Don't improve it.

Don't ask whether it was worthwhile.

Just notice:

Did I enjoy myself?

If the answer is yes...

that's enough.

And when The Wildflower Field opens its gates, I hope you come and play with us.

Bring Mum.

Bring your daughter.

Bring your girlfriends.

Bring the children.

Or come alone.

Have coffee at Gather & Graze.

Wander through the flowers.

See what's happening at the Creative Bar.

Try something you've never done before.

Make something wonky.

Laugh.

Stay longer than you planned.

Because perhaps grown-ups don't need to grow out of play.

Maybe we simply need somewhere that gives us permission to begin again.

Follow The Wildflower Field and explore our Wildflower Lessons for little invitations to create, experiment and play — then watch for upcoming Field Days, creative experiences and Gatherings where you can come and play in person.

Gather • Create • Connect

You don't have to be good at it. You just have to let yourself play.

Find fifteen minutes and do something with no productive purpose.

Make, colour, paint, arrange flowers or try a Wildflower Lesson. Ask only: “Did I enjoy myself?”

TRY A WILDFLOWER LESSON →