“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
―Laura Ingalls Wilder

This quote reminds me of the excitement and anticipation that always went along with Christmas when I was a child.  The joy of playing in the snow and seeing all the lights and decorations on all the houses. The evergreen scent of the Christmas tree.

When I was a kid, we did have a real tree for many years, before we purchased an artificial one.  There are a lot of fun (funny?) memories that go along with those real trees. I remember once we had made a catnip mouse as a present for our cat and placed it, wrapped, under the tree. Well, he quickly found that present and batted it right into water in the Christmas tree stand, soaking the toy and turning the wrapping paper into a soggy mush.  Another year, our Christmas tree lost all its needles the week before Christmas! My uncle stopped by on his way home from college and helped us haul it out to the trash. I think we got our artificial tree the next year!

As an artist, it is important to remember to play. To take notice of and joy in the simple things that often get overlooked in the rush to meet all our daily obligations. Reclaiming that child-like spirit of wonder helps promote creativity, which can only improve both our artwork and our overall outlook on life.

How do you ‘play’ with your art? Are there special techniques you try or subjects you choose? Have you tried a new method or medium?