Face of Joy Challenge 6- Permission

One of the important keys to creativity is to give ourselves the permission that we so desperately need to simply play.

Play? Yes!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

It’s essential to be willing to break through the rules and conventions we set up for ourselves

and to be willing to try new things.

We need to be able to take artistic risks and

to suspend judgement long enough to experiment with new approaches,

new techniques, new thoughts…

or to look again at the ways we have always worked and

to see if there is a hidden treasure waiting to be re-discovered, re-invented, re-created.

So, give yourself permission to play, play and play some more, then step back and see what emerges!

The other day, I was thinking about writing about permission to play as part of the

Face of Joy Challenge.

I decided that I definitely wanted to include photos of  my ‘Permission’ doll. I tried taking boring old lay-the-doll-on-a-piece-fabric and shoot, pics.  Oh, borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring………

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Besides………. the monster wrinkles in the fabric were just ridiculous.

So……… I decided to be playful, and to give the Permission doll a new place to sit.

I figured I could ignore some rules about ‘where things go’ and then shifted some furniture around in the studio.

Voila! A new place to sit and weave with my small looms.

The cupboard on that wall of the studio had always seemed to be an impediment to using that space.

I decided…. what the heck…. the cupboard is full of Christmas stuff, and only gets opened to take the Christmas stuff out, and then a month or so later, to stuff the Christmas decorations back in.

Why not ignore it, hang a loom on the doorknobs, and enjoy the space?

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The boss of the studio approves of her bench being in a new spot, and I think the Permission doll does, too….

And, one of the most delightful benefits of playing around with the stuff in my studio is that I have given myself a very pleasant place to sit and weave with my small looms.

Also, choosing to ignore the mostly unused (but useful) cupboard in the wall is an excellent metaphor about another issue that writing about ‘permission’ brought up.

I realized that I have been frustrated by the placement of this cupboard for the 15 years that we have lived in this house.

I had made a rule that I couldn’t block access to the cupboard, even though access is only  needed a few times a year.

By saying: That’s a rule that doesn’t work for me, I was able to re-claim a wasted space that I am simply revelling in now!

Ah…. those rules……… sometimes, we have to bump up against them before we even know they exist! It sounds so simple, and minor, but it was a big ‘aha’ moment for me……  so often, we define our lives by rules that we may have invented unconsciously, or have inherited from relatives, friends or ‘experts’.  If we don’t know the rule is there, it’s going to shape our spaces and shape our lives.

Playful exploration is a good way to shine a light on all kinds of corners in our lives…..

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I designed the Permission doll as a reminder that we need to give ourselves permission to be and do

who and what we are, what we love, and to approach life with joy, panache and zest.

So, go ahead and play, and give yourself permission to move things around, and to try out new things, and to ignore some of the things that might have felt like blockages.

AND…. please remember to enter the Face of Joy Challenge…..