Cultivate Your Inner 8-Year-Old

In praise of tapping into a state of play.

When I tell people that I’m getting into wood burning, they’ll either give me a weird look or say something like, “Cool! I had a wood burner when I was a kid!” And I’m like, “WHAT?! Wood burning does not seem like a safe activity for children!” And they’re like, “Wellllll, it was the 70s or 80s or my crazy uncle had one.”

What?!

I don’t know where I was, but I missed the wood burning train when I was a kid and am now just discovering it thanks to my friend Amanda who was like, “I got a wood burner! Wanna try it?!” And obviously I said, “Heck yeah! Let’s burn some wood!”

How it started! I recommend having a tester piece of wood nearby. I used a scrap piece of 2x4.

And let me tell you, this old-school handy craft is not just for a bygone era of loosie-goosey child safety standards! It’s so tactilely satisfying! I love the way the wood presses in as it darkens.

I experimented with adding an acrylic paint color pops!

I have a theory as to why wood burning has been so fun for me so far: It’s pure play. I’m not trying to achieve anything. I’m just experimenting with the materials directly in front of me and seeing what happens! It feels so different than digital drawing or even drawing with pen on paper. I’m actively modifying the wood with extreme heat! There is smoke! The whole experience puts me right into a flow state.

Here is the finished cardinal. I gave this one to my Mom. :)

Things have escalated quickly over here, so I’ll likely be sharing more wood burning experiments with you in the coming weeks. If you feel silly about some activity you’re interested in doing, I recommend asking, “Does this feel like play?” If the answer is yes, trying giving it more time and attention. Your inner 8-year-old will thank you, and adult you is sure to feel more loved as well.

I experimented with adding watercolor and the results were interesting! I’m fascinated by how the rings resisted the paint.

In the spirit of play, I used one of my watercolor backgrounds from my March watercolor experiments for today’s art print for paid subscribers! I scanned it in and added the “PLAY!” digitally. Print it out and put it wherever you need a reminder to play.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me to connect with you every week. In case you missed it, last week I shared some new sparkly stickers in my post Sleep, Snacks, & Sunshine.

Paid subscribers, keep scrolling for a printable version of today’s art print Play!