Bears, Wolves and Clowns: Developing a Playful Creativity – by Jonathan Dorsett
Posted: 11 February, 19:56 by Jon Dorsett
It was a clear skied August day in the bustling Alpine resort. Holiday makers rubbed shoulders with locals in the outdoor cafes and bars that surrounded the busy market place. Fashionable young Italians paraded themselves around the square, while older jacketed men played backgammon under the shade of the olive trees by the central fountain. It was a timeless and tranquil scene, only broken by the arrival of the gleaming red open-top Lotus.
All heads turned at the sound of the thumping music that emanated from the car’s stereo as it drew up at the pedestrian crossing by one of the alfresco bars; the driver clearly looking for admiration as he proudly showed-off his handsome vehicle and his cargo of exquisitely beautiful young ladies. An almost hypnotic spell descended upon the on-looking crowd as the middle aged man behind the wheel soaked up the attention with a pompous smile and general air of self importance. The feeling of envy and awe in those watching could have remained unbroken had it not been for the clown who, by chance, was waiting at the crossing as the driver pulled up.
Seeing the arrogance and superiority of the Lotus owner, and perhaps sensing the effect his Lording-over was having on the crowd, the clown sidled up to the car, squatted down in a mimed seated position next to the driver, stretched out his arms in front of himself as if holding a steering wheel, and honked his imaginary horn before combing his fingers back through his hair as one might imagine the slick looking man next to him doing. The effect on both the onlookers and the driver was instantaneous. Envy and awe were replaced by mirth and laughter; the driver’s self-importance and attention seeking were suddenly deflated by shame and embarrassment. As the clown continued on his journey across the road and the driver sped off out of town, a lightness and feeling of joyful commonality was shared by all in the square.
What happened in that moment was a piece of transformational creativity and playful activism that turned the power dynamic between the driver and on-lookers on its head. As a friend recounted the story to me a few years ago, I was reminded about the power of creativity in unmasking the pretensions and social constructs within which we ensnare ourselves.
‘Creativity and Expression’ is one of the five key exploration areas that we explore on the Peace School programme. Creativity is a fundamental part of our being that we all share and have access to; not something confined only to those who follow artistic pursuits. Our creativity is part of what makes us human. When the bible speaks of God making us in His image, I believe a huge part of this is our creative drive and ability that we see in God Himself as creator.
Reflecting on the story of the Clown and the Lotus, three strands of creativity that we explore on Peace School come alive for me; space; playfulness; and imagination.
Circles in the Sand
Making space for the creative process to take place is an activity that cannot be underestimated. God Himself in the Genesis creation story ‘broods over the waters’ before filling the void with all that is good. Another biblical story that always reminds me of the importance of making space for creative inspiration is the account of Jesus, and the woman caught in adultery. Jesus is teaching in the temple courts when the Pharisees drag in a woman who has been caught in adultery. Levelling their question of what to do with this woman at Jesus they wait and expect him to fall into their trap by either condemning the woman to death or breaking the Law of Moses. Jesus chooses not to be drawn into a quick response; instead he bends down and writes on the ground. I imagine him, head bowed, circling his finger in the sand, all eyes upon him wondering what he is doing. In what must have seemed to onlookers like a long uncomfortable silence, Jesus takes time to reflect. Finally, having made space for inspiration to come, Jesus stands up and replies ‘If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’. Well, we know the rest of the story; one by one the men leave until there is no-one left to condemn the women, and Jesus refuses to condemn her too. Besides the remarkable way in which Jesus avoids the trap set for him and shows God’s love for this woman, what strikes me most in this story is Jesus’ use and creation of space for reflection. Mohandas Gandhi, known throughout the world for his creative responses to injustice and oppression, would withdraw for months at a time, confining himself to his room for prayer and reflection before commencing any action. It was in this space he said that inspiration for how to respond would come. In our fast paced world, where immediacy is made a virtue, making such spaces and being comfortable with the appearance of inaction is hard to maintain. The clown in the Alpine resort had already made his space through becoming a clown (a process of transformation that involves more than just the donning of face-paint and eccentric clothes), having created the medium through which to expose the games people play, he was then able to respond with spontaneity to the situation as it arose.
While becoming a clown might at first seem a step too far for many (see http://beplayful.org for tips on how to be an everyday clown), there are ways in which we can all form space for ourselves to be more creative. Julia Cameron, in her book ‘The Artists Way’, (which incidentally is invaluable to all who seek to develop their creativity not just ‘artists’), presents a tool which she calls the Morning Pages. Her suggestion is that each and every morning as you wake, write down your stream of consciousness over three A4 pages. This is a tool that seeks to clear space within oneself for the creative spirit to fill. The Morning Pages clear out the noise and distracting thoughts that can overtake us during the day and leaves space for our creativity to bubble up and burst out. When I have prioritised this practise I have found it both liberating and immensely effective. Creating such space in ourselves allows the Spirit of God to speak to us and to move us into His rhythms. It removes the clutter of daily life and allows us to hear the still small voice within. Once we are in tune with that voice, our openness to spontaneous action and our ability to see and bring into being Kingdom Glimpses are nurtured and amplified.
Polar Play
Playfulness, it seems to me, is another much underrated and neglected part of our creativity and humanity. Once we reach adolescence, (and sadly in many cases before), play is discouraged as a childish enterprise and a distracting pastime. Yet what could be more within the character of God than to experience the joy and freedom found in playful behaviour? I believe that play is an elemental feature of being human and part of our God given creativity to be used as co-conspirators with Him in the transformation and restoration of His creation.
The relatively new study of Play Theory explores the role play has in building relationships, developing our social understanding and ability, and cultivating in us the tools and resources to navigate our way through the world. Play as children helps to form and shape the way we later function, in fact play deprivation can have profound consequences in later life. Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the American National Institute of Play (NIfP), was drawn into the study of play through his discovery of its absence in childhood as one of the common links within a group of homicidal young men he was studying. But play is not only an essential nutrient required for us to grow, play as adults is equally important for building relationships, for developing community and fostering a feeling of belonging (Sports, both supporting and playing in a team, being a prime example). Play, it seems, is the creative glue that binds us together in relationships.
Play can also be a potent tool for conflict transformation. The odd bit of humour sensitively used to diffuse tense situations; the breaking down of barriers through a shared joke; the recognition of our common humanity in seeing children playing together in the midst of parents who hold onto prejudice and entrenched positions about ‘the other’. One of my favourite stories of conflict transformation through play, as told on the NIfP website (www.nifplay.org), is perhaps unexpectedly not on the level of nations, not on the level of communities, not even on a relationship between humans, but about an encounter between a polar bear and a husky dog in the snowy wilds of Manitoba, Canada.
The scientists had been tracking the massive bear for a number of weeks, filming and photographing its behaviour and watching his every move. The sea was late freezing that October depriving the bear of his regular quarry of fresh seal. It had been nearly four months since he had last eaten, and it is not unknown for a hungry polar bear in such a situation to attack and kill a husky dog. This was an unfortunate fact that Hudson the husky dog, now tied up outside his master’s cabin, didn’t know as the polar bear came charging out of the featureless snowy surrounds directly towards him.
With a ravenous look in his eyes the bear advanced, but to the on-looking scientists amazement, instead of baring his teeth and haunching up in defensiveness, Hudson bowed his head in a playful manner and began wagging his tail with joyful abandon. What happened next was even more remarkable. The polar bear, who only moments before had looked as though he was going to rip the poor dog apart, slowed to a lolloping gait before wandered up to the dog. Upon reaching his former prey, the bear and dog began to sniff each other and then, (this was what truly amazed the scientists), began to role around playfully fighting in the snow until for 20 minutes until they both collapsed with pleasurable exhaustion. Over the next few weeks the bear returned for further playful sessions with his new found friend until the ice on the bay formed and he was able to head off to hunt seals once more.
This story presents playfulness to us as a universal language, which translates not only between people groups, but even across species groups. In his wonderful blog exploring play (http://beplayful.org) former Peace School participant David Masters takes lessons from a neighbour’s cat in playful living, noting how she lives in the moment, follows her spirit, and lives true to herself.
Playfulness is a value to cherish and cultivate. It opens the door to relationships, invites trust, and is the great leveller in a world in which competition and the struggle for power often appear to triumph.
Feeding your creative wolf
Imagination is the essence of creativity; the ability to see, think and act differently; the capacity to make connections between previously unconnected things; and the skill to bring into being something that previously didn’t exist. All too often we shut ourselves off to possibilities through the limiting of our imagination.
In his book ‘What would you do?’ influential Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder explores the question often presented to people who take a position of non-violence – What would you do if someone attacked your spouse/ child/ parent/ friend/ etc? The question he says is designed to trap us into a polarised view of either letting the person be killed or resorting to violence. This is a false dichotomy created by a lack of imagination to see the situation any differently. It assumes a mechanistic outcome, the lack of the ability for anyone of the actors in the situation (attacker, victim or onlooker) to think or behave differently. It shuts down choices and leaves no room for the miraculous; for God to work in the situation. Most depressing of all the question exposes the fact that the stories the majority of us have to draw on mostly end in either violence or tragedy. Yoder counters this by presenting alternative stories, where through imagination ordinary people have navigated their way through potentially violent situations with positive results for all involved.
Being able to imagine a different world is not a rare gift; it is the product of nurturing our imagination through alternative stories and refusing to see things as presented to us by those who have a vested interest in the status quo. I recently heard a story, attributed to Cherokee Native Americans, that tells of a boy who is troubled by his feelings of anger. The boy confides in his grandfather, who admits to sometimes having similar feelings, but that he also often has happy feelings too. The grandfather explains that it is as if there are two wolves battling within him. One wolf is angry, aggressive and acts out of fear, always wanting to fight. The other wolf is happy, playful and always wants to make friends. But the two wolves are always battling within. ‘Which one wins Grandfather?’ the boy asks, to which the old man replies ‘The one I feed’.
Seeking out alternative stories and feeding our imagination for a better world should be a key concern for us as shalom activists. Peace School’s central ‘Exploration Area’ around which the other four connect is ‘Story and Narrative’. Stories inform, nurture and express our worldview, and are the way in which we can best communicate our limited understanding of the complexity of creation.
But stories on their own aren’t enough. To truly nurture our imaginations and creativity we need to practise. We need to wake up and reactivate those parts of our brain which too often become dulled or are cut off by the rigorous monotony of our everyday worries. We need to develop disciples of imagination that constantly challenge us to see; think and act differently. Edward de Bono, the guru of creative thinking in business, has developed numerous tools and games to develop the imagination (see ‘Serious Creativity’ or ‘How to Have Creative Ideas’ for examples). While these games may appear simple and not particularly revolutionary, regular practice of them (like that of Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages) does see results in the ability to be creative.
De Bono’s tools and others like them are like a gym workout for the imagination. The more we use them, the more readily we are able to draw on the developed strength when it is needed. Our Italian clown was able to see and act differently to others in the market square because of the nurturing of his own creative spirit. While the importance of making spaces for creativity remains, the ability to see spaces for action where they already exist comes from the cultivating of the imagination.
Creativity: an ethic for shalom activism
In peacemaking circles there is inevitably a seriousness and earnestness that goes with tackling issues that daily bring pain and suffering into so many people’s lives. That seriousness and earnestness should be rightly valued. But my experience is that for many people the seriousness translates into anger towards those they oppose, into depression and the inability to act, or conformity to the expectations of those they fight against. Fostering our creativity and playfulness can allow us to break all expectations, to keep joy and hope alive in the face of adversity, and to affect change that can be transformative for all ‘sides’ of a conflict. As is often the case, it is in turning to Jesus that we see this enacted out most effectively.
North American Liberation theologian Walter Wink, brings out Jesus’ creative approach when he explains his teachings in Matthew 5:38-41.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.
The default positions when faced with injustice and oppression are too often fight or flight. What Jesus is suggesting here is what Wink describes as his Third Way.
The first example is a teaching to slaves upon receiving a backhanded slap from their master. In a right-handed culture, (as 1st century Palestine was), by offering the other cheek the slave is inviting an open handed strike; an action that would indicate an equality between the parties. This is a dangerous but creative act by the slave to assert their personhood and the injustice of slavery. In the second example the person is being pursued for a debt to the very shirt on his back. If someone was being sued for this it was likely he had nothing else left to give (for the majority of people only wore two garments of clothing). Jesus says to hand over your coat also, leaving this person naked before the court. Biblically the shame of nakedness falls on the observers not on the one who is naked; therefore again non-violently exposing the inhumanity in the pursuant’s actions. The final example is based on the injustice of the Roman law under which a Roman solider was able to force a subjugated civilian to carry their pack for a mile; if found to be forcing anyone further than a mile the solider would face disciplinary action. Going the second mile therefore shifted the power dynamic in a form of playful civil disobedience compelling the solider to plead for the return of his backpack.
Jesus’ examples all embody the imaginative twisting of the given situation to expose the injustice being perpetrated; whether by the brave act of turning the other cheek; the relatively playful act of cheerfully going the second mile; or the shrewd use of the courtroom space for a piece of transformational theatre. Jesus gives us these creative stories as a way to inspire us to action for shalom in the situations of oppression that we face.
Translating these teachings into our own realities may seem an impossible task, but starting with the little things, we can each bring transformation into our lives and the lives of those around us. In a story that combines imagination, playfulness and the creative use of space, a friend inspired the following response from one student when teaching on the Matthew 5 passage to a group in Northern Ireland. Following the teaching this student started to question himself on where he felt the most oppressed in his life. He realised that it was on a Monday morning in his office at work. His office was one of these open plan affairs where each staff member had a pod of their own and the manager sat in his glass walled office keeping watch. First thing each Monday the manager would come out of his office and tour around each desk giving the staff members an in-your-face grilling about meeting their weekly requirements and achieving their sales targets. He knew everyone else in the office felt equally as humiliated and oppressed by this practice, but nobody felt able to do anything about it.
As usual he went into work the following Monday aware of what was coming but unsure what to do about it. At 9am the manager came out of his office and started working his way around the room giving his regular individual pep talks to each staff member at their desk. Eventually his boss reached him and started with his demands for higher sales and better performance.
In a moment of creative inspiration the student lent forward and landed a great big smacker of a kiss on his boss’s lips. With drawn breath, for a moment the entire room went silent. Then, while the boss remained stopped in his tracks, the whole roomful of staff burst into side-splitting laughter. The boss, caught off guard, quickly retreated to his office. It was a dangerous, playful, imaginative act that while spontaneous was the result of having the space for reflection and the inspiration from Jesus’ teachings. The Monday morning pep talks never occurred again.
Called to be Peacemakers Steps on the Journey: Becoming a Peacemaker – by Joff Williams