You can’t swing a cat these days without seeing a quote about the joy of satisfying your inner child. Me included!!!! But who am I to poke fun? I literally spent three weeks building a tree dollhouse, perfecting the details to a degree that, no matter what I might argue, can’t possibly be put down to ‘being for my daughters’.

So yes, I’m no stranger to the joy that’s inherent in letting ourselves get creative without any limitations or expectations, much like we did when we were children (or would have if given the chance). That’s the joy of the inner child!!!

But at the same time I can’t help but also yearn for slow, relaxed activities where you can intentionally disconnect from the world, the kind that our grandmas do or did (or, because of a lack of means or smartphones, were forced to do). And I feel like whenever I look around I see others feeling the same. That, my friends, is the joy of the inner grandma!!!!

Today I had this thought and I realised that actual true joy might just lie at the confluence of the two. A space where you can experiment and try things without limitation (inner child) and also be able to switch off and disconnect through doing (inner grandma). I can’t help but think of it as a venn diagram with PLAY on one side and POTTER on the other, and the centre of it being the most joyful space to inhabit. Let me put that into very basic visuals for you:

In a world obsessed with productivity (I for one am a victim as I curate my life with 375935 trello lists), I’ve found the most joy not in ticking off to-do lists, but in letting myself play and potter. To be curious and cosy. Here’s five ways to do that:

1. Make something tiny for no reason
Disconnecting from the world and putting all your attention into a tiny, small thing is my favourite mix of child and grandma. Even better? The item is purely for fun and brings you joy. A dollhouse pillow. A miniature clay croissant. Time spent working with your hands truly is therapy, and all it takes is one tiny thing to focus on. You can learn the art of miniatures here.

2. Take the time to learn a single skill
Often we want to do everything perfectly anddddd also finish a big project in a very short amount of time. It’s like we have such unrealistic expectations of ourselves that it’s impossible to be happy. But the child and the grandma know that each skill takes time and investing time in learning helps you move forward. Instead of focusing on the end result so much, slow down and enjoy the journey. Something like embroidery is a lovely place to start (my course shows you everything you need to know), but rather than trying to do everything at once, try to perfect just one small flower to start with.

3. Bake something and don’t be afraid to get messy
The act of baking speaks both to the child and the elder inside me: scones with jam and cream or a loaf of banana bread with overripe bananas squished by hand. Sometimes baking can be stressful but once in a while it’s good to just let go and not worry about the mess!

4. Start a project with no deadline and no plan
At the start and end of our lives time is precious but in a different way from how it feels in the middle of our lives. Less rushing to get everything done and done perfectly, and more using time to do the things we love. So take a break, half an hour even, and do something without a plan. Just grab the paints or the air dry clay. Let it be messy, slow and ideally nonessential. Even if you just end up with a lump of clay at the end it’s fine! (Although, if you’re looking for some ideas I made this clay bow earlier in the week!).

5. Make something and don’t focus so much on how it looks

Freeing yourself of perfectionism is therapeutic, especially when it comes to satisfying the inner child and inner grandma. A great place to start is simply making something and not worrying so much about how it looks, just letting it be the way it will be and focusing on other things about it. Like, make a collage and focus on the sounds of the paper or make something out of clay and focus on how it feels rather than how it looks. Sounds weird but it’s such a great state of mind to play around with!

I have been loving exploring how creativity, craft and play come together to sooth and calm my mind, and I hope you’re enjoying it too!