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What is discussed here is the play
and world of a very young child around the age of about eighteen
months. This state of play does not refer to play as we would define
play as an adult. Rather it is the experience of a child in the very
early years before the child become aware of their own explorations
of life and before they learn to focus their attention into or onto
specific things.
This play is the type and kind of play that most corresponds to the
most
creative state of being. What is significantly different
between the child’s play and that of the most creative state of
being is the child’s is driven by the flow of
creative life energy
within the child without the awareness of the conscious
mind. In a
child of this age, the conscious mind has yet to develop. In the
most creative state of play the awareness of the conscious
mind is
present. It is just that one is able to
step out of mind
and
surrender
to the flow of energy that arises
This stage of life is used because of the phenomenal developmental
aspects that occur in a human at these early ages. In these early
years there is very clear evidence of a tremendous
body wisdom that
guides the growth and development of the child as it grows from a
new born infant into a self functioning human. It is this body
wisdom and the related
intuitive guidance into which we wish to
learn to consciously tap.
If we look at the development of a child early in life, this
creative state is clearly evidenced by the behavioral pattern being
displayed by the child. Since the child’s
creative life energy is
focused and directed on motor development and the use of the body in
the early few years, its conscious mental attention is not directed
or focused. This natural process of development sets up the perfect
mental state of play because the focus and attention of the child’s
being is diverted to motor development and the
mind as much as it
has developed is free to roam and explore.
At this age, a child does not think of what he or she is going to
do. Rather, they just run almost at random. They may stop and
investigate briefly that in which they come in contact, but they
often do not stay long. In contrast, as a child grows, they tend to
move purposefully toward a particular object or action of their
choice. The very younger child will be seen as almost meaninglessly
meandering or at best exploring their world. An older child will
spend longer and longer times with the object of their choice. Of
course, as we become an adult, we can learn to stay focused for
extremely long periods of time.
With the younger child, an adult needs to think for them. An adult
can not expect too much rational action from the child. Nor can the
adult expect the very small child to have a long attention span.
Only as the child grows, develops and gains experiences do they
become more mentally focused. Only in time do they learn to spend
more time in any one activity or with any one object.
It is here lies one of the key characteristics of creative play.
There is the need to become that innocent and spontaneous. The
innocent child has not yet become trapped by the developed
mind
which tends to become focused. In this world of the very young child
where they are not being constantly corrected by an adult, there is
free move at will. There are no mistakes to be experienced or can be
made. The child lives in a mistake free world. Mistakes are how the
adult judges the child’s actions when the child does not meet the
adult’s expectations.
Even if they fall and cry, they do not view their actions as a
mistake. In the child’s
mind, there is no one to judge their actions
as a mistake. There is not internal or external judgment levied or
placed on what happens. Frequently they will go back to exactly what
they were doing and taking the fall in stride as if it is only part
of the process of experiencing life.
In the child’s development, it takes about two and a half years
before the child is so focused that they go directly to what it is
they desire or fits their interest at the moment. Before that time,
there is exploration with a gradual tapering off with less and less
randomness seemly associated with their actions. Before this time
the child is at an age where it is overwhelmed and consumed with the
development of its motor skills such that it mental focus is free to
go to what catches its attention. It is also an excellent
demonstration of how diversion works in that the mind is free to
explore because so much of the child being is focused on motor
development.
It can be said that the seeming randomness and chaotic state we see
in the very young child, it is analogous to the chaotic and liquid
state of recasting a piece of iron to which referred was made in the
discussion of the “Chaos of creation.” What has been observed in the
creative process is that this random and seemingly chaotic process
is necessary. It is necessary if we are going to fully explore the
new aspect of being and to allows ourselves to become focused in a
natural way without any expectations.
In looking at this child like play, there are a few other
observations that need to be made about a child’s life and play at
this at this age.
Freedom to process pain: One of the more important characteristic of
the child at this age is that the child is normally, unless
controlled by a parent or care giver, free to cry when they are hurt
and feel
pain. Whether they fall and bruise themselves, or are
annoyed that they are not permitted to get what they want, or they
get frustrated at not being able to do something, they are free to
cry about it. And cry they will. They are free to process what they
feel as they feel it. However, once the pain and hurt is processed
they go on about their life. In this state of play, the child cries
when they feel like crying to process and remove the pain and
discomfort they feel about life. As we grow up we lose this ability
to cry for “adults don’t cry (at least like a child freely cries),”Yet we never learn something equivalent and as effective for
processing the pain that we feel.
Free to focus on what is: A second thing is that when a child enters
a given playroom, what is in the environment greatly determines on
what the child ultimately ends up focusing their attention. What
needs to be understood is that given a different room, although
pattern of exploration can be expected to be the same, the final
object of focus will based on the selection that is available in the
room.
This seems obvious, but it is very important from another
perspective. That on what we focus on in any given environment
reflects what is internal to us, not what is in the environment. We
tend to make do with what is available to us and we choose that
which best fits the focus that we generate because of what we have
available to us in the environment.
If we try a little experiment with ourselves and others, we will
find this is true. Just choose some different setting and see to
what we are drawn. Then
pull the string on why we drawn to what we
were drawn as opposed to something else in the environment. We can
also do this with others. We can see to what they are drawn and why.
In doing this, what we will see is how what we are drawn to reflects
our inner beliefs, understanding and patterns of choice. We will
also see what we choose is not necessarily what we would like but
rather the best we can do given what we have choose from.
Freedom and enthusiasm to explore: What also needs to be realized is
that if we do not become aware that we can change our environment,
we are always be making do with what is available in to our current
environment. It can probably be generally said that the approach to
life of an a child between one and two can be characterized as an
innocence in their approach to what they do and a willingness to
try. There is an
enthusiasm for life and what they do such that if
that enthusiasm is not present we being to wonder if the child is
sick or is having some problem. There is a trust within the child
because fear is not yet known or understood. Additionally, the
memories are not present that bind the expression of the child’s
current being.
Free to speak our truth: In play children talk when the have
something to say and they freely say it. They are quiet when the
have nothing to say. They speak their truth as they know it freely
and willingly without any judgments. Again as we grow we lose our
ability to talk freely. We are told to think before we speak. We are
taught to engage the analytical and controlling
mind before we
express ourselves and if what we think will not get the approval we
seek, we dismiss or even deny what we think and feel. We eventually
give up our preferred way of feeling, thinking and speaking in favor
of an acceptable way of feeling, thinking and speaking. We
especially learn a way that will not cause us to suffer any form of
punishment or cause anger on the part of our caretakers.
Can be alone and with ourselves: When a child in this early state of
play and they are by themselves, the child does not feel alone for
they are willing to play and be by themselves. They are not afraid
of being alone in this play. If they want a playmate or to be picked
up and feel being held, they come and ask for to play or they ask to
be picked up in one way or another.
True to who we are in the moment: In many ways you can say that in
this child like state of play one is completely true to the truth
that is their being as it exist in the moment of time. There are no
mental judgments, opinions or other types of influence from the
mind on one’s actions. The child is completely true to who and what
they are and what they are feeling in the moment.
In learning from the play of this the young child, the first big
hurtle that needs to be faced as an adult is what are the external
influences and/or internal judgments, biases and expectations that
we carry that does not allows to enter this state of play were we
are free to sample what is before us and allowing our own nature to
determine the next item to be experienced. To be in a realm where
you are truly free to create one needs to: (1) be free to explore
the unknown;(2) have freedom from
mistakes; (3) have no expectations
as to the outcome as to what we are drawn to or what the final from
looks like; (4) to be able to
surrender
to the flow and allow the
next important step arise to meet us; and (5) we have
internal satisfaction in the process. This realm where this is all possible
is like the playful state of a very young child as described above.
Related topics
Loss of creative play
Adult creative state of play
Creative states and the most creative state
Creative play - The key characteristic of the Source of Creation
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