A Note for the Grown-Ups
“…Play triggers competition and cooperation, tenacity and joy. When people are playing, they take risks they would not ordinarily take.”
At SnarlyInk Studio, our mission is to elevate public discourse surrounding the importance + impact active imagination plays in childhood/early adolescent development.
It is our goal to intertwine technology with traditional play. Our hope is in developing various outlets to encourage creativity, we will help support childhood imagination and play our part in re-establishing healthier communities.
A Look at the Facts: What Happened to 'Us'?!
Big corporations and agencies constantly harp on the importance of ‘outside the box’ thinking. Often times within our "big kid" jobs, budgets are set aside to bring in “professionals” to teach creativity. These seminars and lectures harp on creativity, but therein lies the biggest problem; once you have found it necessary to analyze and construct a science behind creativity in attempt to further develop a strategy on best practices…rest assured your imagination is long lost. There is not one algorithmic theory in the world that can explain the powers of raw imagination: it’s mystery is it’s beauty.
So while we pay for adults to attempt to regain creative thought processes, our children’s imaginative outlets are being stripped in schools based on budget cuts, politics and ‘high educational standards.’ Art classes are eliminated, recess is being shortened, field trips are no longer funded and holidays can’t be acknowledged. We pile on state tests to collect more statistics while these creative outlets are limited or eliminated all together. What we fail to realize is that imagination is not just goofy childhood fun, it is a vital skill. By cutting down these outlets, we work to alleviate the very outlet that leads to the greater intelligence and advancements people are so desperate to develop through their testing methods.
Imaginative Play
America’s kids are playing less than any previous generation. Only one in four adolescents get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity or active play per day, with the number of younger kids only slightly higher. Because of this, they are increasingly unhappy, unhealthy and falling behind: one in three kids is obese or overweight and one in five kids has a mental illness. Moreover, kids are not developing critical 21st century skills—such as collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, resilience and empathy—that they will need to succeed as adults in the global economy.
Just as a healthy diet balances proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, a balanced “play diet” should include a mix of all kinds of play, because different types have different benefits. By embracing imagination through active play, children benefit form a number of ways:
Motor skills
Positive bonds with family/adults
Outlet for de-stressing
Focus
Healthy brain development
Emotional Development
Social Development
Language Skills
Self-esteem
Empathy
Experimentation, Innovation & “Mistakes”
Benefits of Imagination Through Adulthood
The effects of an active imagination does not only benefit the lives of children. Studies show that most creative adults had creative childhoods. These creative adults generally rise to the top of their field, no matter what it is: science, art, literature, teaching, etc.
About the Creator
Jessica is a true believer in all things imagined. During her 4 years of rough-and-tumble agency life, Jessica quickly learned to hide out in her past cage-like cubical until her corporate co-workers had finished coffee number two... Jessica broke free of this "by-the-book" culture in spirit of creating for a more appreciative audience.
Much more settled outside of the "adult world," Jessica lives in Georgia with her husband, 2 children and four dogs; Flynn, Beans, Kirby + Latte.