Permission to Play!  Posted
July-14-2006
What I Learned at Kids Art
Camp —
Lesson #3: Creativity Doesn't Always Need to Be Serious Business
In
June I had the privilege of helping teach a week-long kid’s
art camp for a group of 6 to 9-year-olds, my second year
apprenticing under two amazing professional women art instructors
who together have more decades of teaching experience under
their belts than I’ve been alive.
 One of the most humbling experiences of the week came for
me when the master art instructor, who is well-known in the
community for teaching art at various schools during her career
(she is a vivaciously creative 70-something), took me aside
and asked me to demonstrate my cartoony drawing lessons to
help “loosen” the kids up after a tiring hour of
drawing serious fruit and vegetable still-life.
I accepted the challenge and sat myself down at the table
in front of a blank piece of paper with the swarm of children
buzzing around me, eagerly looking over my shoulders waiting
to see what I’d do. I went with the theme of the day
and drew a cartoony apple-shaped head … with a celery
body, flexi-bendy arms and legs, a big toothy-smile, and of
course, googly eyes! And then I proceeded to admonish the kids
that there were no rules to this except to have fun and be
creative. I left them with the idea that “Whatever you
can imagine, you can draw,” and “anything is possible” before
sending them on their way.
Over the next hour I walked around the art studio and realized
what seeds my cartoony demonstration planted in nearly 20 little
creative minds. I saw masterpieces of googly-eyed fruit, smiling
ninja sharks, and surreal summer scenes — some of the
stories being acted out by the young artists as they invented
them on paper. The drawings were prolific and energetic, imaginations
were engaged, and creativity was juicy. These kids were truly
inspired!
Since that day in the studio I’ve been musing over the
unleashed creative energy that was expressed by the children
when rigid still-life models were put away and ‘permission
to play’ with their art was allowed. I wonder if we can
all benefit from less rigidity and more play in our creative
lives. What do you think? •
© 2006 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com.
All rights reserved. |
