Dillydally!

You have my permission

Hey, everyone, let’s proudly reclaim dillydallying as a worthwhile and noble use of time! Whoo-hoo!

Hello? Anyone?

“Don’t be silly. We’re busy.”

It won’t take much time– just try a skosh at first. Little sip. I think you’ll like it. (Also, being silly gets a thumbs-up in a picture book world, remember? If not, click here).

Seriously, dillydallying a first-rate use of time in a picture book world. Also noodling! Which, btw, IS an official jazz technique/term…let’s savor that phrase a sec…noodling is an official term… for... the high art of... messing around (ba dum tss)!

While we’re at it, let’s wholeheartedly welcome wandering, wondering, strolling, strumming, moseying, gazing, dozing, doodling, being off in La La Land, and any relations thereof. Any of the types of activities where you’re sort of … doing something but not doing something. Your shoulders are relaxed, your jaw, too.

My beloved friend Eliza Wheeler, a picture book creator nonpareil, favors futzing, putzing, frittering and puttering (aka FPFP). Exactly, Eliza! We’re on the same page! And bravo for taking self-care and silliness seriously. Click here to peek into the picture book world she’s created! Looks like a dose of FPFP hasn’t done Eliza any harm, right?! Also check out her substack piece on FPFP, here. (You’ll want to subscribe and follow her everywhere. But don’t bug her if she’s FPFP).

And just so we’re all on the same page, dillydallying is not an EVENT (like vacation) and it’s not checking out (like scrolling). Or sitting and stewing.

Okaaay,… But what exactly is the point?

There isn’t one.

What?

There isn’t a point, and THAT’s the point.

Huh?

There is no point! In a picture book world not everything has to have a point.

In a not-so-picture-book world, everything, even free time – breaks, evenings, weekends, and recess in elementary schools (RECESS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS!)– is being eyed for its potential for productivity and scrutinized for purpose. Everything has to be on point, i.e., profitable, optimized, educational, entertaining, blah blah…pfft.

Dillydallying, noodling, puttering, and their worthy mates mentioned above, are none of that. So, they get tossed aside. Who needs them and who cares, right? It’s not like tossing SCIENCE aside or something.

The bad news is – it really IS dire.

It’s dire because these “doing something but not doing something” states, aside from being healthy for you, the human (Hello downtime! Hello refreshment!), are also the states that are friendly to ideas, so ideas are more inclined to come to you when you’re in them.

The point is (MY point, not dillydally’s)– we need you happily creating for the sake of this picture book world, remember? (Click here if you need a refresher.). We need your ideas! Because all that *artificial… stuff* is getting really pushy.

By contrast, nascent, non-artificial ideas are not pushy; they sort of waft into your consciousness like bubbles– if they feel welcome. And where would you land, if you were a bubbly little idea? Yeah, not on points.

Little bubble ideas waft in while you’re dillydallying or puttering or noodling and just get you wondering about something. Then, they’ll likely hang around in the background of your mind, not doing much, waiting for a few more nascent idea buddies to waft in the next time you’re moseying, until they’re ready for their big Eureka! moment. Hopefully, you aren’t too busy to notice, because they really want to play with you. In fact, that’s their whole point (the idea’s point, not dillydally’s).

And, finally, a little Einstein story to win over the persistent workaholics. (I’m not judging; I myself am recovering.).

Einstein, you must know, was the super-genius scientist and Nobel Prize winner, with tons of out-of-the-box (i.e., creative) ideas, that shifted established scientific paradigms.

But did you know, (non-sequitur alert) that he was also a sailor? An epically terrible sailor, at that?

No doubt Einstein could have figured out this sailing thing if he wanted to. (His sailboat was one of those small ones, nothing complicated.). I guess he didn’t want to though, because he remained epically terrible– as in no improvement whatsoever– for his whole life. By all accounts, when sailing, Einstein was aimless and didn’t track where he was going. He would get all dreamy and forgetful. He would run his boat aground. He often had to be towed home.

(Who else is grinning?)

Sounds to me like someone was dillydallying! Sounds to me like someone without a point! Sounds to me like someone was regularly, (and epically terribly), “sailing” off to La La Land! And who knows? Maybe he would have had a few less paradigm-shifting ideas if not for his visits there? Ergo, maybe even SCIENCE would have suffered?

Just wondering.