Preserve the Artful Child
Before my fabulous current career as a spreadsheet jockey in a cube farm (my version of an actor waiting tables) in a well-respected investment bank, I taught fine art, theory and history from pre-school to grad school. Each day I ran around from educational venue to educational venue blanketing my students and my world with a passionate coverlet of artistic practice and exploration. And I loved it. Age, background, experience had no bearing on how I taught the process of exploration, envisaging, evolution and execution of endeavors creative. In fact, I had a special fondness for teaching those that viewed themselves as non-artists above and beyond those with a penchant for creativity. Often I was told by many of these self-avowed “creative vacuums” that they were unable to draw or create anything and no one would be able to prove them otherwise. Well, this is just the sort of challenge I love and it is my strenuous belief that everyone has the ability to be creative whether gifted with innate talent or not, for as children we are prone to create.
Don’t believe me? Take a young child, oh say age three or four, and put an open pot of paint and a sheet of paper in front of her. Watch the child as she sticks a curious finger into the gooey substance and mushes it about between her fingers. Eventually, paint infused fingers become the brush with which to create images on paper (or any surface for that matter). These images are more impulse than anything else, but nonetheless a powerful predecessor of what is to come for this wee being, the artful child. That is if these impulses are allowed to seed, take root and grow…
What could prevent this artful child from blossoming and in turn transforming into the adult who states vehemently that they are not able to create anything and are unable to learn this practice? In most cases, the hampering of childhood creative discovery is perpetrated upon children of a young age by the unknowing, yet well-intentioned adult companion. It doesn’t take much more than a phrase or gesture to shut down the formerly open senses of a young child in discovery mode.
How can you as a parent or guardian of a young child foster her creative impulse as opposed to stifling it? Do not interrogate the artful child about her creation. Questions such as the examples below usually result at best, in a child defending her creation and at worst feeling inadequate about her personal expression:
“What is that?”
“What is this supposed to be?”
Instead attempt to be inquisitive while simultaneously engaging your child in a dialog that promotes learning and discovery. Try some the invitations to dialog below:
“Tell me about this.”
“Tell me a story about this [painting, sculpture, etc.]?”
You will be amazed by the responses you’ll receive from your child regarding her creative expressions when employing a more open method of dialog. And here’s the best part, you will be preventing a future adult from having to utter this statement, “I cannot draw or create anything and you cannot prove me otherwise.”
Oh yeah? Just watch me!
February 8th, 2006 at 9:33 am
Lovely post thanks - My daughter is a frenetic craftster (she is 5) and my son is not (yet) but I hope he does become one - ahem, but only if he wants to! ;)
February 8th, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Great advice and great post! thanks for sharing :)
February 8th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Thanks for such a wonderful post. My daughter is 2 and a half and I love seeing her painting freely and she totally inspires me (I have a fear of ‘the blank canvas’!). I have heard of some pre-school teachers making the kids put the arms and legs in the ‘correct’ places when drawing people and other such things. This may be ‘right’ in some sense but I strongly feel it is better for a child to develop in his or her own way and be free to express themselves creatively in any way they want.
February 8th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Great post! Another response I use for my children is to describe what I see, rather than praising it emptily. For example, “I see you chose red here, and blue there. And what a strong brushstroke that is!”
February 8th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
thanks for this - very well said! funny how just the simplest re-wording of a question or phrase makes all the difference in how it’s interpreted… certainly seems to be a recurring theme in my learning to parent!
February 9th, 2006 at 2:31 am
I totally agree. My daughter is 17 months and loves to ‘create’ and I am constantly reminding myself that even though it looks like a mess to me, it is her creation and I need to give her the time and space to explore.
I read an interesting article about what to say to encourage creativity (among other things) - http://www.alfiekohn.org/articles.htm#null - read the one called ‘5 reasons to stop saying good job’.
February 9th, 2006 at 5:29 am
What a great post - it really opened my mind up to something I had not previously given much thought.
Also, just wanted to say that you hit home - I too am a spreadsheet jockey in the cube farm at a well-respected (and thoroughly creativity discouraging) private equity firm. I’m slowly but steadily working on a way to match up my career and my passions, but for now, a girl’s gotta pay the mortgage…
February 9th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Wonderful post- I find it hard to think of questions to ask sometimes- I’ll try to keep yours in mind. thanks!
February 13th, 2006 at 11:32 am
it is amazing how many people have been taught that creativity is a waste, even reading books…while i do not come from an artistic family, i was lucky that they always let me be creative when i was a kid. it does make me wonder how many people have amazing artists inside of them that will never be let out.
February 24th, 2006 at 5:00 am
My 8 year old daughter is a wonderful artist. She rarely judges her own work but is on alert to what other people like. She is mighty sensitive, like most of us.
Before she started preschool she was in the habbit of filling the whole page with beautiful colors. After about a month of school she started coming home with just a stroke or two on the big white paper. I asked why she had changed her style. She said, “The teachers said I had to leave room on the paper for my name.” It can be as simple as that.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:26 am
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