I’m on vacation this week and I’ve been thinking a lot about play and creative outlets as I spend a week of unstructured time with my kids. My almost 4 year old connects with his sense of power with light sabers (“laser beans”) and cooking at his pretend restaurant (EggHam, now open in locations around SoCal). What is my version of play? How do I hone my creativity as an adult?

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time in the forested yard behind the house on the cusp of rural and suburban Maryland. Swinging in a hammock and pretending I was a self sufficient homesteader was my jam. I enjoyed writing and photography as my creative outlets. Cooking was an interest too though I would be an adult before I realized it was a creative outlet. Hiking and play outdoors is a definitive source of play throughout my life. I was always drawn to pottery though it took me 30 more years to take a class.

When I applied to business school, I recall reflecting, forlorn, on an essay question about hobbies. In my career pursuits, I had neglected to realize play would have any professional relevance. I think I wrote about music and the impact of my degree in music performance on my life perspective. But the truth is it had been over 15 years since playing the flute had felt like play or a creative outlet; the burnout from a double degree program had already set in. I cherished music and my ability to create with it but I did not feel like it made me creative.

I am reflecting on all this as I read the gift of imperfection by brene brown and am reminded of the importance of play and creativity to create and fuel motivation and connection. In our “no time for downtime” culture I was swept up in the belief that play is for my kids and creativity for people with more time or “creatives.” But we’ve been wrong. As humans we are replenished when we create; those of us with email-heavy computer jobs are lacking in creative endeavors without some extra effort. Responding to 59 emails a day is hardly fulfilling in a primal kind of way though it may check the to-do list boxes.

Writing certainly is a creative outlet for me. I am an excellent fort-maker with my kids, if I do say so myself. And maybe it’s time to get back in the pottery studio again or find the joy in making music again.