Playing

It has been a very cold week throughout the UK – even in London, it was snowing constantly. The snow has caused so much disruption but I’m sure for Britain’s children it was very exciting. I remember how as a child I used to slide down the hill on a tea-tray when it snowed, while my best friend was lucky enough to have a proper toboggan.

This lovely Japanese haiku by 19th poet Kobayashi Issa sums up how I felt about snow:

道あるに  雪の中行く  童かな

Michi aruni/ Yuki no naka yuku/ Warabe kana

Although there is the road,

The child walks

In the snow.

Yes, children will always take the path of MOST resistance – simply out of joy! I think we can learn a lot from children when it comes to playing, especially with creative pursuits. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to help out my mum with a children’s SAORI workshop and was interested to see how naturally the children took to weaving. They weren’t fussed about perfection or proper technique and immediately started experimenting. Some truly beautiful, strange, and bold creations came out of the session but more importantly, every child went home with a huge smile on his or her face. What I love about SAORI weaving is tapping into my inner child, who wants to push the limits of “what’s allowed” and play. SAORI is for everyone and age doesn’t matter. What’s important is letting your raw creativity take over.

Now the weather is warming gradually and the snow has melted away. Sunnier days are on their way, and Mum and I are very excited about our summer workshops in France! More on those to come…

1 thought on “Playing”

  1. Great blog Jess! Reminded me of my childhood – a very long time ago. But some things are timeless.

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