You NEED to read this book ! 🙂
For those that don’t know, I am in the Concurrent Education program here at Brock with a major in Drama and last weekend I was honoured to be part of a workshop here at Brock that was run by Stephen Nachmanovitch, the author of Free Play: the Power of Imporvisation in Life and the Arts.
Free Play is a book that I had to read in my first year Drama in Education class and let me tell you, I am not an avid reader but this book is one that I could NOT put down and I would recommend it to anyone. Have you ever read a book, article or journal for a class and highlighted the important parts? Well I wanted to highlight this entire book. Free Play is about the importance of play, what creates spontaneous creation within us, why we create and what we learn when we do.  During the workshop Nachmanovitch facilitated, this is exactly what we did; we didn’t think, we just did and I think that is so important because as Nachmanovitch says, “ spontaneous creation comes from our deepest being and is immaculately and originally ourselves” (p.10).
Stephen Nachmanovich facilitating a workshop
To be able to spend a morning with Stephen Nachmanovitch was an altering experience not only for myself but also for my future career as an educator. One thing I think Brock should pride itself on is how they focus on giving their students the experience they need in their careers. The idea of Both Side of the Brain encourages students to work academically but also creatively, gaining experience and pursuing what you  love because that will make you a more well-rounded person.
There is a quote from Free Play I want to leave you all with that has really inspired me and taught me to keep playing and I hope it will inspire you as well: “Play enables us to rearrange our capacities and our very identity so that they can be used in unforeseen ways” (p. 43)
