Minnebar 17
Minneapolis, MN May 2023
Unlocking Creativity Through Play: My MinneBar 17 Session in Minneapolis
Last year, I had the opportunity to present at MinneBar 17 in Minneapolis to an engaged group of about 50 attendees. My Saturday session, "Unlocking Creativity Through Play," invited participants to explore how playful approaches can transform both our personal and professional lives.
Rediscovering Play as Adults
We began by examining what play truly is—not just a childhood activity, but a fundamental state of being that fosters creativity, connection, and problem-solving throughout our lives. Drawing from Dr. Stuart Brown's research, we discussed how play isn't simply "having fun" but rather a mindset that enables us to approach challenges with fresh perspective.
The session highlighted Brown's attributes of play, showing how apparently purposeless activities often lead to our most innovative solutions. When we enter a play state, we become fully immersed, lose self-consciousness, and access deeper creativity—qualities valuable in both our professional work and personal relationships.
Breaking Through Self-Imposed Limitations
One particularly revealing exercise demonstrated how the mental constraints we place on ourselves often restrict our creative potential. Participants first tackled a problem using their typical thinking patterns. Then, after introducing elements of playfulness and removing self-imposed rules, the same groups generated significantly more ideas in the identical timeframe.
This simple yet powerful demonstration showed how approaching challenges with playfulness unlocks greater creative capacity. The weekend setting allowed participants to be more relaxed and open to embracing this playful mindset.
Understanding Our Play Personalities
We explored Dr. Brown's play archetypes, helping attendees recognize their natural play preferences. This self-awareness provided insight into not just how they approach work challenges, but also how they might find more fulfillment in their personal lives through intentionally incorporating their preferred play styles.
LEGO Serious Play: Making Thinking Visible
The highlight was demonstrating LEGO Serious Play methodology. I shared its origins and evolution into a powerful tool used by organizations worldwide for problem-solving and communication.
The classic LEGO duck exercise with three volunteers revealed how the same simple instructions resulted in completely different models, each with its own story. This illustrated the method's core strength: making diverse perspectives visible through metaphor and physical construction.
Impact Beyond the Workplace
What made this MinneBar session special was its focus on applying these concepts beyond just work environments. Participants discussed how they could use these playful approaches to improve family communication, personal creative projects, and even address life challenges.
The Saturday timing created a unique atmosphere where participants could reflect on integrating play across all aspects of their lives, not just their professional identities. Many commented that the session gave them permission to embrace playfulness as a legitimate approach to both personal and professional growth.
The Takeaway
Play isn't just about making work more enjoyable or having fun on weekends—it's about accessing deeper levels of creativity, connection, and problem-solving in everything we do. By reconnecting with our playful nature, we can transform how we approach challenges in every area of our lives.
If you're interested in exploring how play can enhance both your personal and professional experiences, reach out to learn more about workshops and sessions tailored to your specific context.
This post is part of my speaking series. For more information about booking me for your event or workshop, visit my speaking page.
