“When purpose has been used to achieve purposelessness, the thing has been grasped.” — Lu Dongbin, The Secret Life of the Golden Flower
Doing what you love is not the only interpretation of work as play. For many times even doing the job/career/craft we love challenges us immeasurably. Because truth is, nothing is ever easy. And to truly enjoy being an artist requires a certain level of sufficiency; knowledge, skill and understanding are required to bring greater fulfillment. In other words, we need to get good to have more fun, and to get good at anything requires significant effort, discipline, ingenuity, and patience because passion is never enough.
What it really comes down to is a choice of creating versus reacting. That’s what work as play means. Whenever we take on a task we always have the option to choose how we deal with it emotionally and physically. To approach a difficult or mundane assignment with any preconceived notions or a deterring attitude only makes matters worse, often amplifying the problem or losing valuable time and energy in dealing with it. It’s hardly practical yet we’ve all been there and we all continue to do so more often than we like.
The other option, of course, is to choose instead a view that what’s ahead is an exciting new adventure that brings opportunity. This carries with it an entirely different energy to the situation. What could be fear and anxiety become anticipation and excitement. Work becomes play. Whether we’re preparing our work, in the midst of execution, or in the state of re-doing, we can approach it with enthusiasm and humility.
“It’s a struggle between myself and what I am doing, between myself and the canvas, between myself and discomfort. This struggle excites me and inspires me. I work until the discomfort goes away.” — Joan Miró, Artist
Of course, this is easier said than done.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” — Eric Fromm, Psychologist
Not everyone is so pragmatic or positive at every moment. The will to do battle with the situation and ourselves will always test our mettle. Can we brave it out and become solutions-oriented craftsmen? Can we behave as real professionals? Pros move forward — tackling all phases of the work process — until the task is complete.
And if we choose instead to avoid the problems that our craft present us? If we scheme for shortcuts, turn to formulas or rely too heavily on those ever so convenient tools that automation brings? What then?
“No good can ever come from deviation from the path that you were destined to follow. You will be assailed by varieties of hidden pain.” — Robert Greene, Mastery
Bad things happen. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Not only will the results be substandard after time has afforded a clearer perspective, but the whole venture becomes a total waste of time. To dishonor the work is to dishonor the self. And that’s a dangerous place to be, or worse, a dangerous kind of artist to become. Could we still call ourselves artists if we habitually shortchange the creative process for the sake of efficiency?
That’s why it’s so important to have an attitude of gratitude for having been blessed with surprising challenges; they represent opportunities to further one’s discovery of both the universe at large and the mysteries that subside within ourselves. We get to see what we’re capable of.
“… it’s through the work itself that we come to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our situation.” — Nicolas Carr, The Glass Cage
Besides, isn’t that what’s most fun (and fulfilling) about anything that we do? Tackling the unknown with the playful spirit of a child testing out the newly expanded universe? Experience has shown us that this is the only way we grow AND do better work. Our art will always reflect the exact attitude and energy that we carry into it. It cannot lie.
“No work is well and finely done unless it, too, is a form of play.” — Alan Watts, Philosopher
We all vote with our feet. If we truly dislike our situation — like a doing job that’s torture or being in a really toxic environment — then we must change it (harder) or leave it (simpler). To do anything with massive displeasure or immeasurable physical pain is not worth it. Money, guilt or societal pressures should never be the reason to stick with a bad way to spend a large portion of our days. We must do things for the right reasons. Then we focus on how we do them.
“No work of love will flourish out of guilt, fear or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.” — Alan Watts, Philosopher
We all know that the present matters the most. And to flourish in the present means a deep focus on the challenges we choose to pursue. If we’re to do anything at all, best we do it right (or at least to our fullest present capacity.) To take our work seriously — that is, to give it our fullest attention — is perhaps the best way of not taking ourselves too seriously. We subjugate our egos and serve the craft. When we serve the process, we embrace the present.