Kids Create

Many folks have asked me how my career evolved from being a Financial Advisor to being a homeschool Mom to my current life as an artist, designer and instructor... One word.....Children. Not just my own but, kids in general. I love watching art as it unfolds through the eyes of a child. I am constantly amazed by the wonderous creativity and fantastic worlds kids create. I have posted on this before. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that today's society is doing the next generation a HUGE disservice by cutting art and music in the schools and leaving it out of the curriculum. Just like exercise helps maintain muscle strength and a healthy weight, art and music tickle and stretch the innovation and creativity parts of the brain (parts that are now atrophying and wasting away due to lack of use). How can we possible expect children to be able to be innovative, out of the box thinkers when we have shunned the thoughts and imagination right out of them. We force kids to memorize and study for a multiple guess test rather than equip them with the ability to "MacGyver" their way out of an interesting perplexity..... Life is not a multiple choice exam- it is an essay question with many twists and turns and unique situations.

Today, I was honored to watch first, second and third graders create incredible renditions of Thanksgiving images out of aluminum metal sheeting to grace the covers of their Journals of Thanksgiving. These were not kitted classes with "child-safe" who-zits and what-zits. They used the real stuff, metal that could cut them, tools that were the real deal and not child size watered down versions and, they had to follow difficult sequences and directions. They made wonderful things, things of value and things they were proud of because they knew that they had to work for it. Doing the tough stuff builds more than the ability to concentrate- it builds character, determination and a sense of accomplishment. Learning a new artform ( something that perhaps may not generate the desired results on the first try out of the box) or mastering a musical instrument (which takes more than a hour lesson to become proficient) are vitally important..... just a thought.