Being at Play

We have all had times when we are feeling stuck or sad, like you just don’t know what to do next to move yourself forward. Sometimes the best way to move forward is by letting go and just doing something fun and creative! In today’s episode we will be discussing how to use the expressive arts and play to make change in your life. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailin...

In today's episode we explore how the use of creativity and improvisation can enhance your journey to mastery, no matter what your craft, by helping us to move through the blocks and plateaus that often frustrate when working to improve our skills. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing list  here . Find our other links  here .

In today's episode we explore the two little words "no" and "yes" and how saying one can protect boundaries but how never saying the other can inhibit growth. We also talk about the character benefits of saying yes to play. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing list  here . Find our other links  here .

In today’s episode, we explore the amazing power of play, flow, and expressive arts and how they can help us grow in our minds, emotions, and spirit. We’ll talk about why play makes us feel safe, why flow feels so good, and how you can train yourself to use play and flow to improve focus, creativity, and happiness. Using fun metaphors, we’ll make it simple to understand and show you how to tap int...

In today's episode we are exploring the potency of mistakes: those unexpected, surprising, and uncontrollable circumstances that can either be seen as failures or opportunities. We look at examples of some mistakes of the past to see how they were actually opportunities for innovation and growth. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing list  here . Find our other link...

In this episode, we explore the profound power of play and creativity as tools for healing and transformation. When faced with pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, play can shift our perspective, bringing us back to the present moment and opening new possibilities for growth. We discuss how play allows us to express emotions in a safe, non-threatening way and connect with deeper parts...

The value of community play and the social benefits that go along with it. In today's episode, we talk about a recent personal experience and the many benefits of communal play, including satisfying a deep human need for social bonding, trust, and communal joy which has contributed significantly to our evolution.  We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing list  here . F...

Being original by embracing the resources of courage, vulnerability, and playfulness. In today’s episode, we talk about being original, using courage, vulnerability, and playfulness. These all help us be our authentic selves so that we can create original work. Being playful and courageous and vulnerable move us forward through any doubt or fear that we may have about what we want to put out of th...

You are being challenged to create an aesthetic response to a given story. In today's episode, we have story time so that you can practice creating an aesthetic response. Listen to the story, notice your aesthetic response (bodily sensations, emotions, immediate thoughts, spiritual connection), and create some thing (drawing, movement, melody, etc.) that represents your response. Do three takes of...

How aesthetic response can deepen connection and meaning within play and art making. In today's episode, we talk about how to begin to use aesthetic response when we are either witness to or engaged in creative play. We look at the four domains of aesthetic response and the various levels of meaning they can provide. A brief exercise is provided to help you begin to apply aesthetic response to you...

Achieving high stakes performance by playing the low stakes game. In today's episode, we discuss ways to lower the stakes of creativity and performance through the use of play so that we can get out of own way in developing mastery. We look at why creating can feel like a high stakes game and how focusing on the iterative nature of the process and staying in the moment can actually create a low st...

The difference between feeling excited and feeling anxious in a given situation, and how we can choose one over the other based on the concept of cognitive appraisal. Today's episode examines the concept of cognitive appraisal and how it influences the response we have to any given situation. We discuss how we have the ability to decide whether we feel excited or anxious when faced with a challeng...

Beginning again after having put our creativity and joy on hold. In this episode, we explore how to begin again to take action on our creative dreams and joy, after having mostly put others first. We discuss the barriers to making ourselves a priority in our lives, with ideas about how to start prioritizing our own creative well-being. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our...

How to easily add play to your day no matter how busy you are. In today's episode, we discuss how to easily add play to your day no matter how busy you are. We briefly review why it is important for adults to engage in play. We discuss what activities you can choose with the benefits of each and we talk about how to easily fit episodes of play into your busy schedule. At the end of the episode, yo...

The necessity of shaping identity in the present to be able to bring about a desired future. In today's episode, we explore identities past and present and how these identities are shaped over time. We look at desired future and whether the identity we choose is capable of making the decisions that can lead us into our future. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing l...

How to move through fear when we step out of our comfort zone. In this episode, we take a look at fear when faced with the new, what barriers it creates, and how to begin to address the fear so that we can step outside of our comfort zone in order to continue to grow and develop. Using courage, confidence, stillness or calmness of mind, and love helps us to move through fear so that we can continu...

The benefit of letting go and moving forward with the connections with which we are blessed. In this episode, we discuss letting go of expectation and learning to move forward. We talk about how laughter and playfulness with those who are close to us can help us to heal. It is a reminder to remain grateful for those connections. We would love to get your feedback at our  website . Join our mailing...

The notion of serious play and the benefits of this concept. In this episode, we discuss the notion of serious play and how engaging in this type of play holds benefits for enhanced creativity as well as how we problem solve in our daily lives. We talk about how the disparate ideas of seriousness and playfulness can be synthesized to provide unique solutions and other opportunities. We would love...

The concept of beginner's mind and the elements that we can practice to achieve this mindset. In today's episode we look at the concept of beginner's mind and the elements that create this mindset when learning. We discuss seven elements of beginner's mind and the many ways to practice each in order to cultivate a process oriented, open-minded approach to trying something new or returning to the f...

Presenting the concept of resiliency including ways to build resources so that we can better move through difficulty. In today's episode, we discuss the concept of resiliency including ways to build resources so that we can better move through difficulty. We will look at six ways to enhance our ability to manage adversity in our lives, including emotional regulation, problem-solving, adaptability...

Allison interviews Trevor Dodge, an expressive arts group participant. In this episode, Trevor Dodge shares his insights into an expressive arts group experience that he participated in. He talks about his expectations, surprises, and various benefits of the experience. He also talks about ways he was able to incorporate the experience into his daily life and how it has helped him with his own cre...

Today episode explores ways to better align with the authentic self using play and the expressive arts. In today's episode, we explore steps to better align with the authentic self which include self-awareness, honesty, self-acceptance, courage, integrity, boundaries, authentic connections, all of which lead us to growth. We also discuss ways to use the expressive arts and playfulness to help us m...

Discover five keys to cultivating awareness and activities to practice these skills so that you can better engage in play. In this episode, Allison talks about awareness and its importance for adults who want to re-engage with play. She provides five keys for cultivating awareness: mindfulness, attention, curiosity, acceptance, and practice. She also suggests a variety of activities for building t...

In this episode, Allison interviews Stacey Shearing, an expressive arts group participant. In this episode, Stacey Shearing shares her insights into an expressive arts group experience that she participated in. She talks about her expectations, surprises, and the most enjoyable aspects of the experience. She also provides insights into the influence the experience has had and continues to have in...

In this episode Allison provides an introduction to the expressive arts and her journey with same. In this episode Allison introduces the expressive arts both in the context of therapy and in non-therapeutic contexts such as facilitated groups or personal practice. A brief outline of a typical session is given as well as an explanation of what is meant by intermodal expressive arts. Allison also d...