Flow the Pleasure of Flow

Flow The Pleasure of Flow The leisure theorist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly describes the process of producing a creative work as being in a state of "flow," or intense focus. Many people automatically assume that creativity is merely a concept associated with the arts. However, a great deal of his description of 'flow' is equally applicable to the process of creating an effectively united sports team at a parks and recreational facility as it is engaging others in the creative process of art, music, drama, or dance.

'Flow' is a concept that can be used in any sphere of life that demands attention and problem-solving skills, from driving in traffic to playing with one's children in an enriching manner. Whether participating in a hands-on craft with a group of day campers, teaching middle school children how to put on a show, or drilling older students in the skills of soccer, the ideal of flow is important for a facilitator to keep in mind when he or she is directing or supervising others.

The spirit of 'flow' may arise out of innate interest and curiosity, as can occur in a group of children who do not know that it is not 'cool' to be excited about learning, or it can be the result of sustained mental training, like the discipline it take a seasoned player to forget everything but the spirit of the game. Regardless, flow is exemplified in the ability to simply 'be,' to simply enjoy the process of doing something, not the product.

An athlete in a state of flow takes satisfaction in the movement of the body, not the possibility of victory or defeat. This is why enjoyment, not winning should be the focus of instruction. "The problem arises when people are so fixated on what they want to achieve that they cease to derive pleasure from the present" (10).

Often, the most successful athletes are not the ones who put the most pressure upon themselves to meet specific, unrealistic goals, but those who can enjoy the process of training, just as the most successful artists are those creators who enjoy putting pen or brush to paper, not those tormented souls who agonize over perfection and develop artistic blocks. If the process of creation is enjoyed, the creators will always relish returning to the studio or the playing field, to set new challenges for themselves.

Flow is more than about being in a so-called performance zone, however. Csikszentmihaly also identifies it as a state of ecstasy, a spiritual state.

Although this may sound like an extreme emotion for, say, playing a recreational game, sometimes abandoning the cares of the real world, and being completely in the present moment and mundane reality and demands of work and school can be intensely liberating, almost like achieving a positive 'runner's high.' Even simply abandoning the cares of one's life during a walk in the woods can be wonderfully engaging for senior citizens, if they can find pleasure in the moment.

Reality can be transcended with the right mindset, even if the activity appears ordinary. Achieving 'flow' may be especially important for children coming from difficult circumstances, which may need a safe space to forget about the adult demands in their lives, such as taking care of younger siblings.

Students under a great deal of pressure to achieve can benefit from having a sense of 'pure' play -- unlike school activities, recreation is not supposed to have a 'point.' It is not designed to win a scholarship or to fulfill the demands of a class. For adults, unlike the confusion of competing pulls of work and school, the clear goals of sport or producing a craft within a fixed period of time can produce great inner clarity.

The psychological benefits of flow are so great, Csikszentmihaly states that they produce a powerful answer for parents that who might insist time is to valuable to 'waste' on play. Csikszentmihaly disparages parents who are too strict and too chaotic -- rules have value (88). This is also a reminder for a recreational director who might think that kids are under too much pressure nowadays and should just be allowed to have free time -- children appreciate direction, and benefit psychologically from having a sense of mastery.

The mastery does not have to be over technical skills, although it can be, it merely need be taking one's self by surprise with the sensation of 'I didn't know I could do that,' or wonder at the beauty of nature. The self-satisfaction and sense of empowerment derived from mastery suggests that Csikszentmihaly does not believe that an activity must be easy to be pleasurable and produce flow. Quite the opposite, to create concentration, some difficulty must be involved, but the challenge must.