Monday, June 1, 2009

How to Think Like a Fool #26: Make Fun

PLAY: Make Fun
Make fun of, make fun to, make fun out of, make fun with, make fun not war.

Fools don't wait to have fun, they proactively, preemptively make fun. And not in the usual places. For some people, it's easier to make fun while at a party, or playing a game, or on vacation. Fools invest their personal playfulness into the boring, the frustrating, the taxing—even taxes!

It's within the spirit of play that ideas are discovered and developed, and it's the joyful energy of fun that fuels that play.

Fun can be very personal. What's fun for you could be hell for me (cough-football-cough). You do what's fun for you and connect it with whatever you are working on, in a multitasking extravaganza. If you enjoy gargling songs, do that while looking for your lost car key.

Or you just make fun with the raw materials of your problem, nothing added but a mischievous feeling, perhaps inspired by remembering an image that brings you mirth. One of my clown/movement teachers, Sigfrido Aguilar, would instruct us to bring up a sense of cracking-up laughing, but trying to hold it back by remaining neutral in face and body, expressing it with the eyes only, to create a powerful comic stage presence.

Here's another Harpo Marx clip. If the quality is good enough on your computer, watch his eyes and face, appearing as if he were possessed by an insane imp, restraining it and channeling it as best he could.

Think: How do I make fun? How have I made fun? How can I funnel the fun into my work and life?

Tomorrow: How to Think Like a Fool #27: Do the Opposite

Previous "How to Think Like a Fool" Posts


1 comment:

Lynn said...

Hey Drew nice to find you and this blog. Making fun of taxes has oftentimes saved me. I look forward to reading more and using your tips in my work. Thanks!