Running head: PLAY 1

The Value of Play

Justin Gamache

EDDC 620

Concordia University

Nov 19, 2016

2

PLAY

The Value of Play in the Workplace

Even though play is an important aspect to life, this play experience has grown my

spiritual growth to step outside my comfort zone, to understand the needs, and to obtain the

rewards that come with the journey. The meaning with the polar bear and the husky that looked

like the husky was going to be a meal but instead they began to go into a state of mind and

became friends. Play is a natural part of life, and should be something we all need to do more

because creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and

convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas, and takes a

consistent shift of our thinking habits that would allow us to get through projects to understand

the meaning of old and forgotten ideas.

Physical and Emotional Well-Being

The designed play experience affected my physical and emotional well-being by opening

my eyes and ears to the unknown. Currently though at the present moment my play experience is

still happening as we speak while writing this paragraph. For my two hour plus play experience,

I have chosen to listen to a 3-hour guided meditation on mastering the mind: a subconscious

journey into sleep. The first part and a half of the meditation I am listening to allowed for the

experience to occur in my subconscious mind. I will begin by explaining in-depth that my

physical and emotional well-being after this experience allowed for my body to fully relax, and

to see things from a different perspective.

This play experience has grown my spiritual growth to step outside my comfort zone, to

understand the needs, and to obtain the rewards that come with the journey. I know for a fact that

this play experience is something I currently do every day, because it helps to increase my focus

3

PLAY

abilities, and current learning to receive new knowledge and understanding of the value of play. I

believe that everyone should take the time to meditate because it truly helps to be productive able

to grapple the difficult tasks, and to grow the future that can soon be.

My physical and emotional well-being is determined to take another step, feeling

significantly lighter to efficiently achieve anything. I don’t feel any anger after this experience,

and to be fact since I have begun doing these meditations anger is obsolete. The first steps I took

in making this journey a whole allowed for realizing that everything is going to be okay, my

desire outcome is high, and my ability to visualize placing one foot in front of the other helped to

leave behind fear so that I can succeed. I am fully relaxed, calm, rested, and awake. I am so

ready, and will continue these play experiences because they leave my body living whole.

Video and Article Response

I believe play is a prime example we all should indulge in everyday to help build our

spirits up and create high productivity. You can foster play any way you feel comfortable in

doing so. For me it was simply going into a meditative state, which allowed to focus on freeing

the mind, and channeling my creative side. I am best creative right after I come out of my

meditative state, and the reason is what I concentrate on which is usually my health, life, music

(career), how I am going to improve myself, and telling myself that I am an endless being full of

incredible potential.

One factor from the article response I thought to be most meaningful is when Bronson

and Merryman (2010) stated, that “Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both

divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten

ideas” (para. 15). I agree. Creativity takes a consistent shift of our thinking habits like, how we

4

PLAY

are going to get through projects, and understand the meaning of old and forgotten ideas. Going

into the meditative state of mind this afternoon allowed for my abilities to focus divergent and

convergent thinking towards the subconscious mind.

There are two factors from the video I thought to be most meaningful, Brown (2008)

mentioned, that play is a “marvelous example of how a differential in power can be overridden

by process of nature that’s within all of us” (2:36). The meaning with the polar bear and the

husky, and looked like the husky was going to be a meal but instead they began to go into a state

of mind and became friends. I could instantly imagine what this would be like if more human

beings did this instead of fighting in wars killing each other for no real reason but to benefit a

few. Play is a natural part of life, and should be something we all need to do more of.

The third factor from the video, I thought to be most meaningful is when Brown (2008)

stated that play can be “body play” (5:34) or “object play” (6:04). I have to agree, that simply

jumping up and down or skipping in joy is an excellent to get the blood flowing, and make

creativity come alive. Object play is simply working with or manipulating objects in a creative

way that would all you to be linked to force your mind to think outside the box.

Creativity and Innovation in the Workplace

I would use the experience of body and object play in my work environment because of

the type of work I do with teaching music education. The first experience using body play would

be to allow staff and students a chance to be actively engaged in a different environment outside

of music, which would result in taking a walk outside, and run around in play. A game of tag can

help get the creative juices flowing. The second experience I would include would include in my

work environment would be object play, since students already play music instruments this

5

PLAY

would be consider as a team work play. Each student would have to listen, focus, be in time, be

in tune, use ear training, build technique, and perform together.

Other ways of play experience I would use is by allowing my students to meditate; this is

an easy way to really clear the mind, and truly open up the creative potential just by take an hour

session to meditate. Meditation is soothing to the soul and very relaxing to the body. The benefits

of this type of play would: Reduce stress, improve concentration, increase overall happiness and

acceptance, and improves creativity.

Conclusion

Indeed, while Play is an important aspect to life, this play experience has grown my

spiritual growth to step outside my comfort zone, to understand the needs, and to obtain the

rewards that come with the journey. I know for a fact that this play experience is something I

currently do every day, because it helps to increase my focus abilities, and current learning to

receive new knowledge and understanding of the value of play. I believe that everyone should

take the time to meditate because it truly helps to be productive to grapple the difficult tasks, and

to grow the future that can soon be.

6

PLAY

References

Alliance for Childhood & Kaboom! (2011). Prescription for play [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/prescriptionforplay

Bronson, P., & Merryman, A. (2010, Jul 19). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, 156. Retrieved

from

http://search.proquest.com.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/docview/607290352?accountid=10248