We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Hay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The evolution of The Playful Space began with struggle. The Playful Space was born as a personal creative outlet when I was battling postpartum depression after the birth of my first child in 2019. I found it extremely difficult to tap into my past creative self. I felt fearful, anxious, overwhelmed and completely lost in motherhood. As I navigated these murky waters, I continued my work as a Special Education Teacher and the stress was crippling. My therapist encouraged me to commit to 5-10 minutes of creativity a day as a form of self-care. It was as if a light switch was turned on. I began experimenting with a technique I learned and loved in college called altered book journaling. I decided to start an Instagram account to express my creativity and bolster my commitment to myself…

…then boom, I found myself in the middle of a pandemic with another baby on the way.

As I closed my classroom doors in March of 2020, I had no idea I would never return. I made the best of the stay at home orders by making time for myself, creating art & making beautiful memories playing and creating with my son before my daughter arrived. I felt a huge shift after her birth. For 8 years, I had the idea of The Playful Space in my back pocket. I asked myself: “if not now, when? With the support of my incredible husband and friends, I hosted my first creative retreat in January 2021 and now we have hosted almost 100 events since…all focused on play and creativity!

COVID to me will always be a blessing because it illuminated my purpose. What started as a private Instagram account during the darkest time of my life bloomed into a business of connecting and sharing the gift of play and creativity with others. My story comes full circle with every woman I meet. What gets me most excited about my business is witnessing women connect with each other, get out of their comfort zones and dig into their inner creative selves. It’s absolutely exhilarating.

I am constantly learning and growing alongside these women. I was confident the idea of The Playful Space would work because I use the tools I teach in my workshops with myself. I am constantly checking in with myself when I plan: “would I enjoy this?” “how would I benefit from this create + connect experience?” My intuition guides my business decisions. What feels good to me, typically feels good to my clients who are craving connection and creativity. It’s been a beautiful journey!

Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Connection, joy, creativity, and of course PLAY are the heart & soul of The Playful Space!

We offer a variety of creative offerings for women including community events, art workshops, destination retreats, corporate wellness, as well as unique opportunities for adventure, play, and movement. Hands on exploration, process art, and self-discovery are the main components of our offerings. We create, we laugh, we cry, we connect. It is our goal for women to walk away from our events feeling a little less alone & a little less burdened, which then makes room for more joy and creativity!

Our upcoming events include: Candlelight Yoga and Art Journaling, You from the Inside Out: An Art Sculpture Workshop, Pocket Positivity: A mini mixed media workshop, and a Create + Connect Retreat in Palm Springs, CA. We are excited to partner with corporate companies to mitigate burnout & unleash creativity by giving employees permission to play in the workplace.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

BE YOURSELF. This was the key to building my audience on social media. It is a basic human desire to crave connection. Your audience wants to feel connected to YOU…not your brand, your business, your offerings. Remember that you are a human first and your business is secondary.

A lesson that I love sharing is “don’t just dip your toes in, you have to cannonball”! Make a splash and watch the ripple effect. My business is satisfying a craving for connection, encouragement, and creativity. When it comes to stepping into your purpose, building a business, or just committing to something small, you just have to jump in and go for it. It’s okay to not know it all and come to every decision and experience with a beginner’s mindset. I give women permission to just jump in, be their authentic selves and build their tribes.

The same philosophy can be utilized for your social media strategy. Just jump in, do what feels good, and be yourself.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

“The Art of Aliveness” by Flora Bowley has had a powerful impact on my entrepreneurial philosophy. This important book has allowed me to hone in on the aspects of my business that I truly enjoy and help me feel connected to my inner creative self. Bowley mentions the insightful barometer “if it isn’t a full yes, it’s a hell no” as wisdom to call on when making decisions. She teaches you about rooting down and committing fully to your offerings while remaining open hearted to new opportunities. She says “we can always look for open windows in the face of closing doors”. So much of the success of my business has been me actively choosing to not allow setbacks to cloud my vision. This book has helped shift my thought patterns and clue me in to my soul’s purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theplayfulspacebakersfield.com
• Instagram: @theplayfulspace
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theplayfulspace/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-playful-space-bakersfield?osq=the+playful+space

Image Credits
Gwen Corona Photography