Balancing Work And Play With Your Creative Partners

All Work And No Play Makes For A Dull Experience

Being in a band is fun, but it’s also work. A lot of work. So much work that it can turn into a job.. (shudders). There’s nothing wrong with that though. As long as you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, as the saying goes, however with work there needs to be play. Balance is crucial because play inspires work very often, and they feed into each other.

“Come Out And Play…”

Encouraging play time with collaborators is a great way to detach from the brain, and also a wonderful way to grow together. Seeing each other in an environment where you are engaged in activities that have nothing to do with work, or even if it does, but in a more passive way, helps you not only get to know each other more, but it is a terrific stimulant for new and inspired creativity. With my collaborators, I like to go to concerts, do nature excursions, see movies, and even go to events and gatherings where we aren’t going to be so inclined to promote or network. It’s good to be removed from the grind of spreading the gospel of your project endeavors.

Those That Play Together Stay Together

Cultivating a work and play dynamic keeps things fresh. Sharing in enriching experiences creates positive memories, and in turn chemically within the body, nice bursts of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins which makes for good feels. The absence of feel good chemicals leaves the body with an imbalance comprised of adrenaline (perhaps from performing, or creative conflict - even the good kind), as well as cortisol. The magic rush that comes from a high energy set, or recording session though rooted in a positive experience, is still in the neighborhood of fight or flight responses. The butterflies one gets before walking on stage, or the hyper focus of diving into a solo can be intense on the body, and so it is important as a group (or even as an individual) to decompress and offer a chance to absorb and reflect on the experience, and this is what the play time is for. To exit fight or flight and enter relaxation. Comedy shows are GREAT for bonding, as laughter is one of the most powerful forms of medicine even on the best or worst of days. A trip to a spa is another beautiful way to really melt into a space of bliss. These activities, as well as countless others, can often be affordable, and just so beneficial, and hey.. Guess what.. They can also be tax deductible is labeled as “research”,,or “business outings for wellness and staff appreciation”. So the benefits are vast.

Stop And Smell The Roses

A gardener does not only perform the chores of gardening; they must also stop and enjoy the beauty of their labors. A garden is just one example of a beautiful creation, but the same can be said of music, painting, writing, and so on. Disengaging from the “work” is critical, stop once in a while and enjoy looking at your creations, and what a delight to work with others in this regard. To have more hands on the creation is to celebrate diversity of approaches, ideas, talents, skills, and imagination, and that offers an opportunity to learn and grow, just like those roses that we are encouraged to stop and smell. Appreciate the gifts of your collaborators and sit back together and enjoy with delight that which you have together manifested. Gardening, for example is not all work; tilling soil weeding, watering, and planting - stop and pick some of the flowers, make an arrangement, gift some of them to others, run through the paths you’ve created and feel exhilarated by the sensations you experience, and do it together.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Maintaining a sense of balance between work and play is a sacred practice. It keeps the energy moving and inspired. Both can be equally dedicated to, and really, they should be. Life is meant to live - we aren’t worker drones that punch in and out every day from the cradle to the grave. Often, the first thing we learn how to do is to play; to crawl around exploring, meeting other beings also new on their journey, be it in a playground, or in a park. We swing on swings, and go down slides, and most importantly, while doing this we don’t analyze or judge or measure the experiences, we just do them because it feels good to do so. It’s all about the thrill of chasing butterflies, not for capture and study, but just to see if we can catch up. Kids fully focus on their playtime. Now when we grow up, we are taught to focus on our work, be it school work, housework, career work, and it’s a sad truth that playtime becomes “inappropriate” in the eyes of bosses, and teachers. Resist!! Just don’t get fired, or fail your tests. Instead, do the homework or job task, and upon its completion, reward yourself for a job well done. See a movie, go get some ice cream, lay on the beach, or whatever takes you back to that place of childhood memories and feelings. Roll all of this back to a collaborative situation, and make it something that you remind each other of and to do. I often encourage my collaborators to just come and chill sometimes, for the sake of it, and they do the same, and that is a very healthy dynamic. Pay attention to children in a park sometimes, and inevitably you’ll hear a little voice say “C’mon Joey!! Go down the slide with me!!”, or “Can Susie come out to play?”. THIS. This is what we need to maintain as adults, and this is how we achieve a life well lived, because we will not have wasted it sitting at a desk in a room with little sunlight and stale air.. The thought of that is awful.. Time is too valuable and far too precious. Play.. play… play...and work in equal measure.

Have Fun, Kids

With this I leave you to go and work or play, whatever it is you have going on. If you are working, or collaborating, then do it - but then do something fun. If you are playing, then be sure to work when you are done. It’s pretty easy to balance IF the time to do so is made priority, and that’s because it IS a priority. It’s your life dammit.. Don’t waste it.

Till next time,

Be well and have fun,