I want to speak to society’s perception to fun, which is something I have been observing, and the first thing I suggest to shift the narrative of work as fun, is introduce the word “play”, and perhaps even replace the word fun with it. Playfulness can bring us into a childlike wonder feeling, it leaves more room for us to explore, introduces a curiosity that drives us in the very little things. The importance of integrating playfulness in work (but also our every day life) is a necessary step to make our lives more pleasurable. In our society, work is often viewed as a duty, the opposite of play. It seems that work holds a prominent position in people’s lives and is frequently intertwined with their identity. For instance, when asked “what do you do?” the typical response often revolves around our occupation, it is time to rethink this. When duty occupies so much time in our life, it is easy to become tired and exhausted. 

There are many ways to make work fun, whether you are doing a job that you love, or that you don’t so much. If your job is not the most inspiring for you and you cannot see how “fun” could be a word associated with it, maybe that’s your queue to start playing. I personally love ritual and inserting beauty in my day to day; sometimes I will buy myself fresh flowers and light a candle on my desk, and work with these two additional elements. You can start by placing something that is pleasurable for you, it can be from a cup of your favourite tea to a scented candle, to a beautiful painting you made, or an object. Simply ask yourself, what brings me joy? And try to integrate that into your workspace. You can also always take small pauses and do something playful or joyful in them, an example (and hear me out here) could be to go in front of a mirror and make faces at it for a minute. You might find it ridiculous at first, but it will allow for a short time of simple play in the middle of a work day. 

If you think about it, children do not need much, they are entertained for hours by one insect carrying leaves, or clouds passing through the sky. As adults we also have access to that childlike wonder, but the narrative we are exposed to tells us we are not. Making work fun can start from something really small, especially if you are not in love with the job you are doing right now, there are ways to remember it and integrate it in the every day. 

Virginia Vigliar –
Writer

Virginia is a writer, poet, and researcher exploring social justice, ecology, feminism and art through poetic lens. Her work is aimed at softly deconditioning from the systems we inhabit, she does this through sensorial essays, workshops, and talks. Writing and ritual are at the centre of her research, to swim against the current of a fast-paced society, she creates sensorial experiences for those who read her work, infusing poetry, ritual, movement, dialogue and critical analysis. Her work also highlights the revolutionary character and power of creativity, inner knowledge, and art, focusing on deconditioning through storytelling. She is the voice behind WAVES, and her words are in Atmos Magazine, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Lissome, World of Topia, and many notebooks. 

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