Mindfulness of Play does not always happen in stillness. Sometimes it happens while our hands are busy creating.

When I picked up a collection of old Tinkertoys, I was immediately transported back to childhood. I remembered the smooth texture of the wooden pieces, the satisfying snap as they fit together, and the quiet joy of building without a plan. For a little while, I was not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. I was simply present. That experience became Sewing Susan, recently accepted into the International Society of Experimental Artists’ Innovations 2026, presented in partnership with the Tubac Center of the Arts in Tubac, Arizona.

Sewing Susan is more than an assemblage of vintage sewing tools and Tinkertoys. It is a reminder that mindfulness often begins with curiosity. Children naturally understand this. They become completely absorbed in what they are making, unconcerned with whether it is useful, successful, or even finished. Their attention rests entirely on the experience itself. As I worked on Sewing Susan, I realized I was holding two moments at once. One belonged to my childhood, when Tinkertoys invited endless possibilities. The other belonged to the present, where those same pieces became part of a new creative journey. The past and present quietly met in the act of making.

Mindfulness of Play guided me as I listened to what the materials suggested rather than forcing ideas or chasing an outcome. One piece led to another. Vintage sewing tools joined the conversation. The sculpture unfolded naturally, one intuitive choice at a time. Mindfulness asks us to be fully present with what is happening right now. Creative practice offers one way of entering that state. When we slow down enough to notice texture, shape, balance, and possibility, we become participants in the present moment instead of simply observers rushing through it. Sewing Susan reminds me that mindfulness is not always found through meditation or silence. Sometimes it appears in the simple act of making something with our hands. Sometimes it begins with a childhood toy. Sometimes it arrives when we stop trying to control the outcome and simply enjoy the process.

Mindfulness of Play gently returns us to curiosity, presence, and the joy of discovery. Perhaps that is one of creativity’s greatest gifts: it brings us back to the present moment, one piece at a time.