I am back from another long road stint and this time hopefully a while so I can get back to a routine and hopefully some writing.

On my flight back from New York I watched a CNN interview with @RickyGervais who really killed it. It’s hard not to appreciate his gift for humor. He was talking about his new love for Twitter (he thought it was stupid for a long while). Last night I read this interview he gave and it was really on point:

I’ve already discovered the best thing about Twitter too. Playing. Just mucking about for the hell of it. Although, I could technically count that as work. “Monging” about should be tax deductible for me.

Let me explain. Scientific studies of creativity have basically concluded that it can’t be taught, as it is a “facility” rather than a learned skill.Putting it very crudely, creativity is the ability to play. And, to be able to turn that facility on and off when necessary. This makes perfect sense to me. Everything I’ve ever written, created or discovered artistically has come out of playing.

Stephen Nachmanovitch said that, “Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of one’s chosen form”. Basically mucking about with the stuff you have in front of you. Experimenting with it, seeing what happens, and keeping the stuff you like I guess.

Bingo!

I continue to have so many ‘small world’ experiences since I started blogging in late 2005 and they have been accelerated by Twitter, Facebook, Stocktwits and Instagram. A lot of what I have always loved is the blank canvas of it all and the increasing ease of which I can just ‘play’. That is the part my kids get and are now embracing.

I took my son to a Lakers game on Friday and my pal Joe snapped a quick Instagram of Max and I with two LA Cheerleaders. I sent it to Facebook so some friends would see it and within a minute or so, @shirls who I have only met a few times leaves a comment that she knows the cheerleader, Shoshana, on my right.

Who would make this up?

So I walk back over to Shoshana and show her the picture with Shirley’s comment. From an Instagram to an invite to a cheerleaders locker room (if Max could close) from an simple Instagram photo.

Now Shirley and I have only met a few times and the last time was at Sundance. Ellen and I were completely snow soaked and hiding out at a Pizza restaurant. I was wearing a Stocktwits shirt and noticed by another entrepreneur who mentioned to Shirley that I was there and she came to say hi. Ten minutes later Shirley had us being outfitted at the Timberland ‘pop up store’ built for the event. Magic.

A last example from this weekend happened for Rachel and Instagram. Rachel got to meet and chat with @Werner the CTO of $AMZN last year on a canal ride in Amsterdam during The Next Web conference. Last night I snapped a picture of her entitled ‘New World Problems‘ as she was standing in front of the Apple Store calling Amazon customer support to return her broken Kindle. At one point I hear her dropping Werner’s name to the customer support person. Cracked me up. Cooler though was the comment that Werner left on her photo that just brought back good memories for her and though she might not appreciate how cool and small this new world is, I sure do.

The only way all this magic happens is to use the products and as Ricky says, have a little fun.