A drive-by chalking hits my heart hard.

In my corporate workshops, I’m always preaching the benefits of PLAY. Experts say spontaneity and self-expression are important for nurturing creativity and even compassion. Play also helps mitigate burnout — which I think we can all appreciate right about now.

Yet, it’s an element of our lives that disappears once we hit adolescence —  “a time when obsessing over how other people see us and what they might think becomes the norm.”

So how do we reclaim our practice of play? Well, we can start by learning from Ada, the young artist who left her mark on a basketball court last week in Westlake Village, California. (Pic #1) I nearly tripped over her work on my way to an exercise class, and I just had to stop, and savor this little gem.

There it was — right under my feet — a Stegosaurus carefully drawn in bright pinks and sky blue — in a form that oozed fearlessness and playfulness. I pictured Ada watching her older brother play ball, and suddenly reaching for her colored box of chalks. She never questioned whether her chalking would be good or not — she Just drew.

I was so inspired by her Steg, I broke out my favorite pencils and started sketching little monsters of my own. So while I have never even met my mysterious muse, Ada’s art is doing its job….sparking more fresh new work by simply “pressing play.”