Life as Performance Art

Here's Papa Callan, in earlier days. He's working construction, moving telephone poles for the phone company. Hard work. Heavy lifting.

Okay, actually, it would be hard work and heavy lifting if he actually was working for the phone company, but well, he's not.

He's playing! He 's acting! He's having fun.

I found this photo among the many things I organized from his house after we sold it this past spring. I remember talking to him on the phone the day this photograph was taken. He sounded like a little boy. He was so excited because the workers from the telephone company were across the street from his house. They had a lot of equipment and trucks and they were hoisting up these tall wooden poles. He told me that he had to get off the phone immediately and grab his camera and then run across the street and photograph this momentous occasion. I had to laugh. This was so typical of Papa Callan. I mean, who gets excited about construction guys moving telephone poles?

Well, I'll tell you who. Papa Callan. That's who!

He stayed throughout the day with the telephone crew, taking photos and asking them lots of questions. And, apparently, they were so pleased by my father's interest in their work, they asked if they could switch places and take a photo of him. Did Papa Callan refuse? Of course not! He took up the gauntlet and without hesitation, he got into character, borrowed their special gloves and posed as if he were actually moving one of those poles. 

Et voila, we have this photograph.

Creative friends--every day, ordinary events present you with an opportunity to have fun, to play act, meet new friends, and to walk in another person's shoes.

Your prompt for this week is to look for your ordinary everyday interactions--with your friend in a cafe, or with the mail delivery person, perhaps the clerk at the supermarket, your neighbor, even with the teller at the bank. Forget about business for a moment. Get into a conversation.  Get into character. And perform! 

And, for extra credit, take this creativity prompt one step further and take a picture. And this picture, can become a story. And then, this story can become a painting, a play, a dance or a song.

All this—begins with a willingness to play.

Have fun.

Love,

Jamie