About the Book.
For two decades, Cas Holman has been designing objects and spaces for play and exploring the role of play in design, work, and our culture. As a design professor, consultant, and play expert, she has worked with companies like Nike, Google, Disney Imagineering, and LEGO to help them utilize the power of play to bring about phenomenal workplace shifts. She has worked to design and bring play spaces to communities at the border of Mexico and Texas, has created a custom play feature (Rigamajig) for the High Line Park in New York City, designed groundbreaking toys, and so much more. She knows the power of play and sees its benefits in the lives around her every day.
As a play expert and designer, Holman was constantly asked about adults. Why don’t we play anymore? Where does that playful spirit go? She believes that adults need play in our lives, but not as we view play for children. We need to re-learn how to free play. Since free play for adults has less to do with the activities we engage in than with our mindset, we need to find ways to shift perspective. Many of the ideas and techniques Holman uses in her work can help hone a playful approach to everyday life. They remind us to see the world with curiosity, to not worry so much about being taken seriously, and to remember that success comes in many shapes and sizes.