A Secret Play Date

Every Tuesday.

Today, I'm traveling.

So I need to be creative about my Play Date.

Sometimes when I know that I'll be traveling on a Tuesday, I Play-Date on Monday, write it up, and post it in advance.

This time I didn't, and I was thinking it would be an obstacle.

Now I'm realizing that I have options, lots of them.

Play-Dating on the go.

• I could find a way to make a game out of packing and readying. Maybe pack things that will delight me when I completely forget and unpack later?

• Like looking for clues in my big collage pieces, I could look for clues in the things I see on our way.

• I could take pictures.

• I could be especially and secretly curious about everything.

• I could look for an element of play in everything we do today.

There are probably dozens of other ways I haven't though of yet, but I will.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Join me?

Pick a project or a piece of a project.

Maybe it's something that's stalled. Maybe it's something that's been just a gleam in your eye until now.

Take one hour out of your Tuesday to work on it, but not in the traditional way.

We're going to mess around with tactile materials to shift ourselves and our projects. With no special supplies, just whatever's at hand.

If you have art or craft supplies, that's great. But you could also use highlighters, dry-erase markers, wite-out, aluminum foil, food coloring, ketchup ... you see where I'm going with this. 

Why?

Because switching gears from writing or crunching numbers or formatting a web page can help energize you, help spark new ideas or solutions.

Secret Play Date is a space you can just drop into for an hour, open all day Tuesday.

Part co-working space, part art studio, part secret hide-out.

You can make a Post-It mosaic.

You can make washes of color that describe how you feel about that business plan.

Work on your marketing plan. Your sales copy. Your next event. Your talk.

Why is it secret?

Well, you might work in an office. An office or studio where they would not quite get this. So maybe you sneak off for an hour to a coffee shop with a fistful of colored Sharpies and a glue stick.

At the same time, you're part of a secret band of people who like to inject a little fun into serious business, who like to do a little something with their hands besides tap a keyboard, and who like trying new things to get their creative juices flowing.

We're all doing it on the same day. We're all rooting for each other.

Then what?

In the comments, you can check in to let us know how you're doing, and give a yay for the people who are joining in.

You can use this as a format if you like, but you don't have to.

What I'm working on today:

How I'm going to work on it today:

How it's going:

You can post to the smArts & Culture wall on Facebook.

You could post it on twitter with the #secretplaydate hashtag.

You don't have to share, though.

You could note it in your journal, or whisper it to the cat, and still feel the glow of being part of a group that does things a little differently for an hour every Tuesday.

(If you need some ideas, or inspiration, the DIY Kit can help!)

Is there something you're working on that could use a little Play-Dating today?