Finding the Play in Work, and the Work in Play: A Journey of Joy and Purpose

This picture brings up something I've been thinking about a lot and marinating over. The message has been kind of ruminating around me and it's begging to come forward this week. 

The picture is of a bouquet of flowers, peonies actually, in a vase. The vase sits on the earth or on the ground and underneath where the bouquet of flowers sits are all the flowers deep roots. The two seem as if they should be separate, but they are connected.

As an artist  or creative person and someone who is spiritual I have always struggled on which direction to go towards, fully. The spiritual world is exciting to me because there is an endless supply of questions, curiosity, things to learn places and areas to grow. 

It reminds me of the first time I went snorkeling. It was in Aruba, and it was like looking at an entire other world under the water. Functional, beautiful, orchestrated, thriving. Then I started to think about how what I was exploring in that moment, was just a pin drop of the vast ocean itself. A massive world to explore that was known to me but existed right in front of me. That is how I feel about the spiritual world.

As a kid I was told I never played with dolls much, I drew. I drew people's faces, their eyes. Which is still my go to doodle. I wanted to be an actress. It felt like a calling more than a fantasy. Looking back now, I see it as an access point to explore humanity in a very hands on way. I wrote. I danced. I sang. I played music. I explored my creative expression. Those elements of myself are how and who I defined myself as. At least in one aspect. 

I now realize, and am exploring here with you this week that Spirit, art, intuition, and healing are all different avenues to same destination, evolution. Evolution of the Self, the Soul, humanity, earth, and connection. 

Avenues to shift in emotion or perspective. Avenues to inspire insight to another’s plight or journey. Avenues to a leveling up to the higher/ best version of Self. Somehow shifting to the realization that art, spirituality and healing are not separate paths in life but different avenues with the same destination, make the journey more fulfilling. More purposeful. 

An artist’s life is never consistent.  I've had 1 million side jobs. I mean you name it I’ve done it. Everything from selling water, to trucks, to jewelry, waiting tables, being a horrible secretary, I've done it all all to support my artist child-self.  Keep the life line going to the part of me that loves to play explore be curious and learn. When I found yoga, and that I could teach yoga and have my spiritual work as something that I could do alongside being an artist, it was exciting to me because these two curiosities I loved exploring, could be the  paths that nurtured each other. But there always a piece missing or it's like, I didn't have the full picture and there was this feeling of wanting more, which to be fair is part of the process of learning, exploring and being curious. My spiritual life didn't feel fulfilled when I wasn't exploring creativity and expressing myself and without and element of spirit in my art it always felt a bit hollow. 

Art is spiritual. This isn't a newsflash. And if you continue your life as an artist you know that the flow and zen you enter in creation is spiritual. So that element of this message is not a surprise, the element that has been marinating in me this week, is the healing. Yes there is art therapy which is obviously meant to heal, but I'm talking more about the act of expression artistically, creatively is not just healing to the creator but also to the audience and is a way in which spirit works through you. Through the act of creating. Through the act of joy. 

But how and why are they healing? What is the secret? What is it?  Which is the right path to take? Am I on the right path? Are you on the right path? The message is all that I've stated previous doesn't matter- what truly matters is this: find joy in your work and make it purposeful. 

My daughter is in third grade. The 3rd grade is when, in my observation, kids begin to really explore social politics and work. Also school becomes a little harder and less all about just playing and fun, but gets more “real”. Another mom and I were talking about this the other day, and how this is when the big life lesson begins. The trick to find the play in the work and the work in the play. It starts here-in the third grade. That lifelong lesson of finding the play in math, English, where is the fun in history, in an arts, in social studies, in your taxes, in home repair, in spreadsheets, in traffic and in all the things. Finding the play in the work becomes the journey, all through high school, after college and life.  That isn't the focus of our society though so, all through school people are telling you how to work. And that work is hard. I believe the mission is and what I feel this message is coming forward to say today is: find joy in the work, and work in the joy.  

Yes you have to pay bills when you become an adult. There are things we have to do that are hard at first glance to find the joy. Listen, I've found joy in someone unnecessarily flicking me off in traffic. Because it was unexpected and the person was so intense as they were teaching me a lesson flipping the bird and driving away. I've also let traffic get to me and have gotten pissed myself. But I will say that the former felt better and I had a lot better day. 

An artist's life is not usually linear. There are ups and downs which requires some spiritual softening. Especially in a society that values a hard and fast trajectory of success. No matter what your chosen path or path you are on, it's hard to try and find the work in that joy and the joy in at work.  It requires 1) Faith, that there is joy in whatever you are doing somewhere - you just have to find it and 2) the energy to explore. 

There is a yogic story that my teacher told me long ago. I'm sure I will butcher it, but the gist of it is: Out in the mountains there were several yogis who had lived there, practiced and prayed to connect to God asking god for gifts etc, day in day out for what seemed life forever. The one day they saw a young boy come to the mountains and make a crude offering and prayer. The young boy did this day in day out for several weeks. The older yogis judged him for 'doing everything wrong' - but after a short amount of time, God granted his wish. The older yogis were so furious and challenged god. Why did you grant the prayers and wishes of this boy who had no idea what he was doing, but have not yet responded to us who have been praying diligently for years! What God had said was, 'it's what it's not it's not what he did it's how he did it he did it. He prayed with pure love pure joy he didn't get distracted by his mind or the intricacies of what exactly he was doing. He brought his whole heart to his offering. He brought his whole curiosity. He brought his whole joy. That is what matters'

Find the play in the work in the work in the play in everything, that's a goal. How can you find the play or joy in the most monotonous moments of your day? How can you find work or devotional structure in your offering of play to the universe today? What happens to you, when you explore this? If you live with joyful curiosity, what happens? 

 

Big buckets of love 

Meghan