My blog

I guess if you have been reading any of the posts on this blog, there are a lot of ideas being expressed and thoughts that are going through my mind. Sometimes it is a need for me to express myself, other times I try to make sense of new things that I have learned, ideas that I find important. It’s my little place where I am “thinking out loud”.

A lot of this comes back to personal development. I feel the best when I am growing and developing me. It gives me purpose and focus. My own evolution is forward movement, a place that is exciting and comforting at the same time. Writing these words is mentally stimulating, driving further thought and making the ideas concrete and real.

We all have a unique experience and perspective on the world that we live in and each and every one is fascinating. We all have stories to tell and interesting ones at that. Life is not just full of surprises, but full of intrigue and exploring its detail, getting to know more and more is inspiring and makes me thirsty for more at the same time.

That’s what I am going to continue writing on this blog as ideas come to hand!

Coaching Ice-skaters

Over the past 2 years I have been working with the kids from the RSC ice/skating club in Wiesbaden. It has been really interesting and fulfilling time, split into the summer and winter training. Really I have been finding my own way here, as I have not yet met others who are doing the kind of work that I have decided to do with them. And it has been a great experience so far. I have learned a lot from the kids as I hope they have from me.

There are many similarities to working with dancers in the process but also marked differences. I have also drawn on my experience of working with actors and singers, but also just regular amateurs. The marked difference is in the background and the values in terms of what they are trying to do. There is very little knowledge and awareness of movement outside the direct elements that they are trying to perform and as they are children, the life experience is different to an adult so an awareness of feelings and depth of performance is still in its infancy. So therefore there are two sides I have found important to work on — giving them an understanding for movement and an understanding of performance.

My immediate task in the winter months with the ice-skaters has been to work on their presentation in regards to their routines, to develop their performance quality. What has been explained to me, is that there is an amount of points that (should they complete the elements successfully) everyone gets in their competitions to do with technique, so where they can get an advantage is in the performance aspect, ie. presentation, movement quality, musicality… etc. So this is where I come in.

A lot of the following comments are general and the focus varies from child to child. I am working on the ice with the age groups 8-18 years old.

Often there is such a focus on technique that the children have almost no awareness for performance. When asked about it, It’s quite basic and rudimentary what they explain to me… that they should smile… and have tension/presence in their body. Even when the explicit intent of going through their routine with a focus on performance, instead of jumps and turns is there on occasion they will show some glimpses of presentation, that disappears after a few seconds as the next technical element comes into their mind (and the preparation for it). It’s not unusual to see them straining, as the technical elements are often at the edge of their ability and until they have mastered them (which can take the whole season) there is a sense of being overwhelmed.

Should this be the case, before it is even possible to work on presentation, some awareness exercises are necessary just to pull them back into themselves. Often as simple as getting them to breathe! Or having them open their eyes and with a soft focus take in their surroundings. The exercises bring them back into the present and allow them to be open to even talking about performance

The focus I have on the ice is coaching them one on one about performance/presentation taking about 5-10 mins for each child. It’s enough to get ideas across and give them something to work on for the next week. Because of my time constraints with other classes I teach, I only see them once a week, but I still feel my input is quite valuable. So what are the things I am looking at?

My first instinct is to ask them what the routine is about? Is it a story or a character? Is there feeling that they are trying to express? Is it inspired by the music? There are of course various answers and each individual is different, from the idea behind their routine and how it has developed over the season (as to my surprise, the routines can change quite a bit!). Most often the first response I get is blank… but after some suggestive impulses, ideas start flowing in their minds. It’s a start. It’s the macro or overarching theme that once established and “agreed upon”, can then be filled in with details.

The next part is going through the movements and defining them, fast - slow, strong - soft etc. and at the same time scripting what each movement is about. It is creating an association to each movement so that it has intent and purpose. Sometimes it’s pictures, sometimes it’s feelings, but each movement has an idea or an association. This comes back to the fact that we are always expressing something with our bodies whether we are conscious of it or not! So it is to give each movement no matter how large or small, important or not a clear image and one that fits and makes it look organic.

Something that I have also found quite valuable is looking at the moments when they are still and there is little choreography and to give them a greater presence and focus. While the technical elements can need concentration, the moments where there are more relaxed steps, there is scope to amplify the expression side of their performance.

This all does take time, but it is really worth it! For me watching and not being an expert at ice-skating, there is a huge difference in performance because though the jumps and spins are amazing, I still want to see real people instead of machines performing on the ice.

Then from week to week it is about holding them accountable and reminding them what they are trying to express. This is tough. I liken the performance side to a muscle — if you don’t work it, it won’t develop or get stronger. It’s tough due to the size at hand of processing so much information as well as mastering the technique. And definitely in the beginning, as holding a feeling for a two minute routine where one is thinking about many other aspects takes practice and effort. It needs to be done every time, which is of course not what happens. We often have two steps forward, one step back moments where I sometimes wonder where all the work that I have done with them has gone. But then I also get big surprises, where suddenly situations where I feel I am getting nowhere, blossom to life. It’s part of the challenge and a fulfilling one at that. It’s where I learn and grow with each individual, as the concept of how I work with them stays the same, but the approach and information they need to take the next step forward varies immensely!

There is also a lot to be said for the approach that they take to their routine. In a high performance, competitive sport there is a lot of pressure to improve, develop and deliver. But there is a lot to be said for the kids who have the ability to play with their routines. Yes they are trying to perfect a routine and present the best performance possible, but in training, an approach of trying things out, finding ones own way, consciously varying slightly movements and seriously playing in a relaxed manner does wonders. Effort is needed, but the effort that grows rather than restricts. And an ability to play allows it to be!

Melbourne

Melbourne!  Well I’m here.  There is something about returning to my home town, the place where I grew up that is soothing to my soul.  It’s interesting because it’s a part of my identity and travelling here is going back to my roots.  It feels a like a pilgrimage to come back here.  These trips are also like markers.  When I first left Australia, I use to come every year in the European summer break - Melbourne winter and so it did really represent a year of my life.  These days it has been every two years and now in summer for Christmas.  It’s the middle of a European year, but it is a marker all the same. I use the time also to really reflect on where I am at, what I have achieved and where to now. There are always so many questions to answer and the time, space and support in being around my family and familiar comfortable surroundings really do help.

In being in Melbourne, there is something more that I connect with here that is much deeper than the people I see and spend time with.  It’s familiar and reassuring.  I have now lived half my life away from this country in Europe.  The experiences and adventures I have had since I moved away have built my life as it is now, but there are places, sights smells and a warmth here that I will never cease to love.  The light in summer is breathtaking and bright.  The sun thaws and warms my heart. I love the brown dry climate and the ruggedness of the Australian bush.  And then there is the space. The sense that space is limitless, unbounded and a perception of physical freedom. I always have a much better connection with space here, being able to run or move without feeling that the wall is close by.

After such a long time away and such infrequent visits of late, my connections here and friendships have suffered.  Like anything they need effort if there is to be any growth and I just haven’t been putting that effort in.  But I do really appreciate the time I spend with my family here.  I also notice that I read the body language of people easier in Australia.  It’s so familiar and tells me a lot more about how people think and feel.  It is of course what I grew up with!

There are some values in my life that are the same and also some that have changed. As I reassess many parts of my life, I realise that I have changed and evolved from certain ideals that (a big generalisation) people here find important. It’s not good or bad, just different. It is what makes me Matthew and is unique coming from my own personal experience that no-one else has had. There is more to this thought too.

Living in a country that is not the one I grew up in, there is a part of me that finds myself not being/identifying with either here or there. Yet it hasn’t really ever bothered me either. As I left I always saw the move to a new country/continent as an adventure which life in itself is anyway. And the richness of this experience has meant that I have lived more and seen more and grown by being in different places at different times. I get back to needing to connect to Australia as an anchor point and needing to visit, yet I am rarely “homesick”. Perhaps the best way to describe it is, it is like a well that now and then needs replenishing. A source of inspiration to draw on that’s there when I need it.

Coming from Melbourne, there is something too about being in a big vibrant city.  It really resonates with me.  The energy of the place that has a buzz and a life of its own.  There is also a certain anonymity when going around, as well as a sense of endless possibility.  But it is the drive that really inspires me like a vortex. A faster pace of life that sits better with my natural rhythm. It’s also something to think about!

Growing up in this country I was instilled with the belief that I could do or be anything I desired.  That anything is possible.  A growth mindset.  Somewhere along the line fixed thoughts came in that limited my imagination. Perhaps it was me taking on outside prejudice or the thoughts of others, or even just trying to conform or seek acceptance. Or perhaps not taking failure well or even a lack of desire to push further against resistance when things didn’t work the first time.  Leaving Australia didn’t reverse this change in thought process directly but it did offer new opportunities that I am forever thankful for.  And it’s never too late to go back to a growth mindset which I am doing. Ironing out limiting habitual thought processes and beliefs!

Though my home is somewhere else, over 16k km away, visiting this place reminds me that I will forever, as in the haunting words of Peter Allen’s song “still call Australia home” .

Speaking with an Authentic Voice

These thoughts come from a couple of months ago doing another exercise out of the “Leadership step by step” book by Joshua Sprodek.

Speaking with an authentic voice. What is that? The idea of the exercise is to say whatever comes into ones head unfiltered. The same words that I was talking about on my post on my inner monologue. It is to express the thoughts that are my inner monologue, honest and raw, verbally.

I’ve been experimenting with this idea over time and it has had quite an effect. There are definitely times and places where one needs to be more guarded or thoughtful, but in all it does help to connect with people and breaks down barriers to communication.

I must admit, I have always wanted to work out ways to break down social barriers or just fears of being unable to connect with someone simply because I don’t know what to say.

To start off expressing an authentic voice, begin by talking to oneself in one’s own space where nobody can hear, just to practice expressing these thoughts. Then after a little practice starting with people one knows or trusts.

Speaking in an authentic voice actually has a profound effect. I feel like I am being myself more and perhaps others also sense this. I do express my opinions more often and it can cause offence. It does create sometimes some difficulties, but it also has a vortex sense of pulling people closer due to the honesty of expression in saying what is perhaps obvious, honestly and a certain amount of vulnerability that it fosters.

I have noticed that it’s not a great thing to do when I am highly emotional, which ironically is what I feel I need to do when I am in that state. It’s more a time to hold back a little until I find a sense of calm to sort my thoughts.

But in everyday situations it helps me to strike up conversations and be more open to others.

I do want to add something about my situation. I live in a country where the language is not my first language. As well as I can speak it and I would consider myself fluent enough to be understood on any idea I express, there are barriers due to my vocabulary or different social norms or also just the way that German people interact, the level of openness and connection.

Interestingly enough as I moved away from Australia and started speaking different languages I seemed to build connections with others quite quickly. And some of this I put down to only knowing a limited amount of words and therefore, pretty much always saying anything that came into my head. It was always very direct and concise, yet authentic at the same time!

Presence

As a performer I ask myself what is presence? How is it that some people command a room and others just blend in? What is it that attracts an audience to some dancers/performers and not others?

There is a power in presence. There are performers who when I see them just attract my attention. Sometimes it’s their physicality, sometimes it’s their expression, but it is always their presence in the moment and the vitality that they exude that makes me want to watch them.

I remember as a child watching older, retired dancers perform pantomime and being absolutely enthralled. Their stagecraft was amazing, perfected through years of experience and passion, and an innate sense of expression. The performance was riveting and I was on the edge of my seat hanging off every moment. One of the dancers, Colin Peasley, taught me on occasion and he was possibly the first teacher who focused on performance rather than pure technique. The wisdom that stood out was, “every movement has a text, saying or story. Make up a text for yourself and say it as you perform!” Wise words from a true performer!

I also remember seeing some male dancers enter the stage and lighting up the auditorium with their presence. Steven Heathcote springs to mind. This type of performance is still the most inspiring moments I've had watching dance. There is something electric about the moment that is switched on and alive. A passion expressed fully and authentically. An energy filling up the room and demanding attention. As an observer, in the moment there was no thought of technique or form, just an excitement about what they were going to do next.

Sadly presence is often missing in todays performances. I have many theories as to why. Perhaps it is not just one reason but a complex series of reasons. Or maybe it is just my perception!

• There is an extreme focus on technique and as I have learned and experienced myself both as a dancer and a teacher, focusing too much on the form leaves us with no mental capacity to focus on the feeling of a movement - where expression and presence lie.

• In schools and training, there is a perception that presence is a natural thing that you either have or don’t. “Natural performer” is such a throwaway line that says perhaps more about the teacher than the student. I believe in a growth mindset that anything can be taught / learned. It is perhaps less quantifiable - presence and expression than form and therefore difficult to measure. Also perhaps each individual has their own individual approach or need meaning that there are many ways to get there, but not all students need the same information or take the same path to improve.

• Dance has changed immensely and continues to evolve as an art form. Back 30 years ago it was much more of a presentation with direct focus to the audience. Now the philosophy is one of observation where the audience is in the room and the performer is being observed. It is presentation vs embodiment as expression. In presentation one could direct a dancer to smile, look out into the audience and capture peoples attention through their focus. Nowadays performance as embodiment means the dancer needs to feel the emotion and intensify it to bring the audience into their world. Sucking an audience in rather than reaching out.

I’m trying to theorise as to what it is that creates presence. As the word states, it is being present in the moment and alive when entering the stage. By being here in the now we enter a state of flow and fully connected with the role that is being performed. That requires awareness of the present moment and full engagement with its feel. There is also something to be said about filling up the stage with ones presence, projecting energy into the room and expanding to be passively aware of the audience.

By focusing on the feeling or text of what one is trying to express it changes the dynamic of the movement being performed. The greater the intensity, the greater the expression.

There is also a form of spontaneity to presence. It’s being there in the moment, flexible, engaging with the energy of the space and being able to react. Actually this all can be summarised broadly as play. Presence is the ability to play with the moment and movement, experiment and keeping it alive.

Emotional pain...

It’s getting deeper and darker here! Thought I would write about pain and suffering… it’s a feeling that is tough and one I totally want to avoid, but it does come up in my life and has it’s place. It’s a tension in my gut, stress in my heart and a general closing in of the world around me. My awareness is so limited and I jump into survival mode. I catch myself not breathing and need to consciously take a deep breath to get myself going again. Feeling hurt is a struggle. It’s emotional pain. I find myself physically curled up whether seated or lying down. I find myself in a place of inertia, hardly moving. It takes effort but does help to stretch myself out and rise up… following the breath. Small steps to get my energy flowing again.

Verbally, emotional pain is a really hard to thing to express and when I try I seem to get run over by emotions. A lot of the things I say are extreme and hurtful whether to me or others. There is something instinctive about wanting to hurt others, as if that would be a way to feel better. Because I’m hurting, I am going to make you hurt too. Perhaps it does help for a moment releasing energy in a fight response, though it creates pain for others. So in that sense it’s “valid” but can be very destructive. I think from hurt is the place where I have done most damage to my relationships. My ability to listen to someone else is gone and I only want to put across my own point of view. I can laugh now at conversations I have had where I have tried to express my thoughts and another has tried to express theirs. I often know what they are saying and realise it has nothing to do with what I am saying, yet I can’t bring myself to listen or respond because what I have to say seems so important in the moment! The pain talking and playing havoc with my communication skills?

It’s interesting the way pain plays out because we have the three responses - fight, flight or freeze… Freezing will most likely traumatise us. Fighting is pretty destructive, so flight is perhaps the best option. What I am thinking of here is emotionally stressful situations where, though my life is not in danger and such a response would be necessary, my body is reacting as if such a situation existed… it doesn’t know the difference. And so I have this instinctive nervous reaction. Perhaps the pain I am talking about areare two different things… one is the exact moment of the “shock” or trigger causing the pain and then second is the pain that exists and later needs to be healed. A broad arc at least?

As I sit and think of pain, I can activate the fight response by boxing like a prize fighter in the air. It feels good and well, I always win! It can get really intensive, but at the same time it brings a char grin to my face. I’m sure if I looked in the mirror my eyes would be twinkling!

I’ve also experimented with my daughter in activating the flight response. She use to struggle with a fear of separating in the mornings at kindergarten. She’d hold me tight and never want to let me go. By getting her to run and wiggle her legs in the air for a few moments (simulating flight/running away) she calmed and was fine.

I can remember too, myself, after arguments having to remove myself from the situation and walk. Get out in the fresh air - anyway other than here, to shout and scream for myself to let the energy go.

Another time I can remember my son being so frustrated at his homework that he broke down crying and couldn’t process a word. It’s interesting because he freezes pretty much and becomes physically stuck. I’m not really sure what happens next. It seems if he sits there crying, he can’t continue, but if he runs out and slams the door etc. he’ll calm down and be able to refocus.

What I find interesting is the physical process and how much it helps. I’m always amazed at the body, how much is instinctive and how powerful it is to self heal. It’s intensity of emotion and physicality - another way of expressing ourselves. Extreme situations, yet intensity seems to bring out more of us!

Good and Bad Stress

As someone who likes to be “easy going”, I am coming to terms with the idea of good and bad stress. These are a summary of some of the ideas that I find inspiring from Todd Hargrove’s book “Playing With Movement”.

Stress occurs whether we like it or not, but not all of it is bad for us. Actually stress is a stimulant helping us to grow. The idea that we can live without stress and just flow and be at ease, sounds great, but is actually utopic.

What’s bad stress? Stress that is prolonged, uncomfortable and beyond our control that in the end leave us weaker, depleting our energy even to the extent of being overwhelming.

And good stress? Challenges that are shorter in nature and within our control. Also experiences and tasks with adversity that is not overwhelming. They need a bit of will power and effort to resolve, but think doing a workout or taking a test, solving a puzzle or being socially vulnerable by speaking in front of a large audience. These all have an element of stress that through the process are actually beneficial. The stress is part of the challenge allowing us to grow.

There is obviously a difference between how people react to different stressors and the amount they can take. Bad stress for one person may be good stress for another and not necessarily seen in a competitive nature. Think how alcohol relaxes some people and makes others obnoxious…

There is too, a point where our systems get overloaded by stress. The metaphor of a bucket is great for describing stress and what/how much we can handle (resilience)… the bigger the bucket, the more we can take before it is full and we are overwhelmed. So small bits at a time are needed to be added to the bucket then released through sleep, play, relaxation, light exercise etc… daily, eventually through experience, growing the buckets size.

We are after all organisms that are continually evolving and changing and adapting. Our bodies and minds are muscles that we need to exercise. Since the physical body is pretty efficient, energy is directed into functions that are required. So when we don’t do something for a long time, the body sends energy to places where it is needed instead. Think going for a run… if we hadn’t been on one in a while, the muscles to execute such a feat would not be in the shape required. By then training for a few weeks with a gradual increase in effort, energy is directed to grow the muscles needed to develop this function. The body is truly fascinating in how efficiently it uses energy and how it works.

Another analogy to do with organisms and stress is how Gardners prune trees. They cut them back in winter so that they grow healthier and stronger in summer. Or non-fatal failure tends to lead to us growing and coming back even stronger (and / or wiser from the experience). So being subjected to limited / controlled amounts of stress is actually a good thing and something that we need.

Nassim Taleb coined the term “Anti-fragile” in his book to describe things which grow stronger from adversity, seeing it as the opposite of fragile - things which break from adversity. There is a certain flexibility to them that allows growth and change, rather than a fixed ideal or a permanent state of balance that eventually becomes brittle.

So I’m going out to make sure that I have some healthy stress in my life! Exercise, discussions of ideas with people of different view points, striking up conversations with strangers, challenging myself to learn new ideas… I’ll have to think of some more.

And definitely less of the bad stressors… lack of sleep, unhealthy diet (sugar!), social media…

More on body mind ideas

I’ve been working some more on the thoughts presented previously in this blog to do with movement exercises and connecting with oneself. It’s still in its infancy and is really only a theory, but it’s the basis of something that I think is worth spending some time working on. It’s grown through the desire to get to these emotions and work on new ways to develop exercises. For some reason, once one has a philosophy or a concept, it seems easier to fill in the details.

Most of the information I have gained through different ideas from books that I have read. They aren’t necessarily mine. What I am searching for is a way to put them together that is useable or to find a blueprint that I can work off to explore.

Physical activity to address the body, which my field - dance is a part of, is of such importance here. The flow down from the physical into the rest of our being is powerful. As I think of people who have dis-ease in their bodies and how that affects the rest of their being, it shows how reliant we are to our health. At the other end, chronic thoughts continued over time can build and build into something that affects our body and in doing so our whole being. It’s a theory of an interconnected system that is constantly flowing from one part to the next.

Where I want to take this, is using mindfulness to create awareness of where one is, then through basic exercises (coming from the dance/movement side myself) to engage a trickle down flow from the physical body to the rest of ones being.

Maybe this is just the basics of Dance Therapy! I will do some investigating…!

Though the more I think about it, it does sound a lot like dance therapy, it’s not my intention to be a therapist or to conduct therapy sessions. It is my intention to find a flow or a tool that enables us to be our better selves. For me personally, it is about structuring my classes in a better/more effective manner. That is why I am exploring!

Stage as a moral institution - Schiller

The world is an ever evolving and changing place, facing new challenges the tried and tested stay the same and ring evermore true. Schiller’s text The Stage as a Moral Institution has not lost its touch.

“Never discuss politics or religion in polite company” was always the mantra as I was growing up. I never understood why, though if you look at todays debates, perhaps we can see. The amazing amounts of disinformation, opinions presented as facts and spin means we are caught in a web not knowing what is real. Healthy skepticism is perhaps the only way to take all news stories. The speed with which social media spreads information has meant that nothing is checked or even thought about before being spread. There is a general lack of ethics and nothing to really hold people to account (at least in the short term). Perhaps the reason for passion and extremities and culture wars in todays political world is a result of the lack of moral underpinning that has come as religion is in many parts losing its influence.

I grew up Catholic due to my Italian Heritage, though I was never a devout believer. I do appreciate the spirituality of a church and the energy that is present as one enters. The stillness and the space, the moment in time for reflection is very powerful. There is a lot to say for the morality and standards religion kept people to and how todays world seems to be lost due to the lack of beliefs. That said, the amount of damage done in the name of religion is probably proportionate…. so in the world at the moment we seem to be transitioning to being a-religious, somehow losing our values and decency. Of course this is a great generalisation and it is perhaps, that the most immoral people are usually the loudest.

Why do I bring this theme up? More culture theory! I have been reading another text by Schiller The Stage as a Moral Institution (English) (German - the text is slightly longer as it is from a speech. The English version starts at the asterisk about 5 paragraphs in). Schiller’s theory is that the stage is / can be the bridge between Politics and Religion.

This text needs to be given some context. At this time in Germany there were not so many permanent theatres and those that were permanent, were a part of the courts of the aristocracy. There was of course no other forms of artistic entertainment (thinking film, television, radio etc. here). It was also a time where there was a transition from theatre being for the court and becoming also a medium for regular people.

In the text we again find Schiller’s triads, Politics, Religion and Theatre or Laws, Morals and Higher Service or Head, Heart and Imagination/Creativity. The text itself is beautifully written, poetic. It is an appeal to our better selves. What it does show is how art, especially theatre, can be of value to society in such a way that news and opinion cannot. We can laugh at ourselves when presented in satire or cry at the tragedy of a depressing story, yet because they are just that - stories, they can say things that real life cannot. We can approach their message with a sense of perspective as it is “just a play” or a piece of theatre. It’s not life, but it can mirror what is happening in life around us and get us to think deeply about the points where politics and morals meet.

Many directors and producers are presenting pieces (theatre and film) about problems in society as well as creating satire to do with current events. Theatre hasn’t lost its power over the 250 years since Schiller wrote his text. Engaging with a piece of theatre or film gets us out of the instant gratification of social media and today’s ever quicker pace, slowing things down and putting us in a place where a message is well thought out, presented and developed in a thoughtful manner. Just the effort to produce a piece of theatre dance or film takes a lot of thought. It is an immersion in the idea or concept presented and explored. Yes, it can also be seen as an opinion yet a well thought out opinion. There is also a lot of “skin in the game”.

Skin in the game is a concept where a person has significant risk in an endeavour thereby making them vulnerable to the result. It is considered an honourable thing, as no-one desires to lose their own “skin” by producing something that is of low quality.

Here is another comparison to the instantaneous nature of social media, versus the time and effort invested to create a piece of art. By necessity, theatre and film can take up to several months to produce is a big investment of time, energy and usually money, meaning that there is a desire to create something of value.

Play and Learning

I am combining here the thoughts on play and learning. To truly learn something we need to understand it fully. To do this we need to play with the idea or thing. Knowing what it is and what it isn’t, how it functions, it’s strengths and weaknesses as well as its purpose is one of the best ways to truly know something. It’s the natural way that children learn (think experimenting with walking - balance, falling, etc.). It’s also learning through experience which is one of the most effective ways of creating a lasting lesson that can easily be recalled or used.

I’ve been searching out more ideas surrounding play and in doing so I found a book by Todd Hargrove called “Playing With Movement” (a book about exercise). He categorises play as:

Play is:

• intrinsically motivating

• not too stressful

• exploratory

• creative

• tinkering

• involves risk

So if I learn an idea, I need to use play to fully explore it. Find out how it works and be motivated to even take the time to do it. If I really know what it is, then I should also be able to fully explain it (see “A thought on learning” post) as well as knowing how to use or apply it.

Todd Hargrove also brought up some interesting comparisons between play and work. His thought is that we need a combination of both to produce the best results. Just lifting weights in a gym will only develop certain muscles, just as only practicing a sport without training will not give us an edge either. A child will learn to walk by themselves, but encouragement or other forms of help (holding a hand, placing two object close by to move between, etc.) will speed up the process and can still be enjoyable as long as the right atmosphere is there. There is alway room for a combination of both.

Social interaction also helps to motivate us as well. Encouragement from others, gets us to push further and take risks. Healthy competition can also help us strive to improve. Being part of a functioning team can help to motivate us to be our best, as there is a greater purpose involved than that of our own personal gain. Groups also provide social accountability and camaraderie that can motivate too. It’s not always necessary but it can help.