For Winnicott, creativity, aliveness, and feeling real—the hallmarks of a healthy individual—are accessed through play. By behaving spontaneously, in line with our instincts, we have the potential to provoke ourselves—and others—into possibility, whether it’s personal, poetic, or political.

Another hallmark of play is that it has improvisational potential. We aren’t locked into a rigid way of doing things. We are open to serendipity, to chance. We are willing to include seemingly irrelevant elements into our play. The act of play itself may be outside of “normal” activities. The result is that we stumble upon new behaviors, thoughts,