12/27: How “Play” leads to Trust and Voice
Me, 2025. A little selfie before a sparring match at practice
When I was in College, I joined the boxing team my senior year, and one of my favorite drills was something we called, “Cuban Boxing.” The rules were simple: tap your opponents shoulder, and dodge your opponent’s hand. No one gets hit in the face (intentionally).
I can’t tell you how many times I would experiment with a fake or a new combo, or switching my stance in order to tap my opponents shoulder. It was fun! and more importantly: I didn’t feel the pressure of getting hit. It created time for me to experiment and “Play” but learn how to attack and defend in ways that were effective for me.
Now, is fighting in the same category as being creative? Sometimes it can feel like that especially when you’re juggling multiple clients, working on multiple projects, trying new techniques, making sure you’re making enough to eat and pay off your student loans. However, play—especially during the preparation phase—is so crucial to our development as creatives.
This week I had the pleasure of doing a quick couples shoot with Zoe and Jake, two peers who I had actually met during my time at Penn State! After catching up over some dinner and a quick climbing session, the sun was setting over the Washington Monument, and I knew our window for a sunset shoot was closing.
I started working through poses. “Stand across from each other and start telling each other about your favorite part of today.” and the two talked about the funny moments they had together, but you could tell something about the camera caused a bit of hesitation which is completely normal! But I find it when subjects are comfortable, that’s when the real magic happens.
Example image from Pinterest
During my preparation, I came across pictures and stills from movies with quotes on them. I then thought about how we as people express love when in motion.
Another example image from Pinterest
How do we look at another person when walking hand-in-hand? How do we laugh when your partner does something silly?
I had an idea I wanted to “play” around with.
I told the two,
“I need y’all to run around for me. Chase each other, laugh, hold hands, skip around, and I’m going to follow you.”
Mind you, we’re at the National Mall. There’s runners nearby training for the next 5K, and there’s politicians and lobbyists who just got out of the Capital. Even the tourists nearby who had their phones to capture the Washington monument also had the pleasure of the three of us running around in the foreground on the cool grass.
Talking to each other became so much easier. Ignoring the camera and focusing on each other was more manageable. In an instant, 45 minutes was over, and I already knew the vision I needed to take to the edit.
2025, Quote from “Es Bronzés Font Du Ski”
In an instant, Zoe and Jake were laughing and smiling as I ran nearby. The camera was going, we were having fun, and when they were catching their breath they were already so much more comfortable for their next set of poses.
2025, Quote from “Cleo From 5-7”
Talking to each other became so much easier. Ignoring the camera and focusing on each other was more manageable. In an instant, 45 minutes was over, and I already knew the vision I needed to take to the edit.
See, spontaneity totally has its place, but arguably it’s organized “play” that allows us as artists to try new things, to find our voice even with our clients. Without preparation, I wouldn’t have thought about the quotes and brainstormed ways to find those organic moments that tell the story of the couples I’m capturing. Without giving my clients the freedom to play, it would’ve been harder to achieve having those organic moments and build trust in me to capture them in an amazing light.
So, this week, give yourself the opportunity to have “organized play.” Consume some inspiration, and brainstorm a few ways you can implement it into your art, or work with clients. It could be something as simple as developing a look book using a theme from a movie, creating a playlist to write to a specific idea you’ve had stuck in your mind, it could be replicating an art piece with your own flair. Let yourself try something that you saw previously.