This post from November 2010 has been a favorite. I'd like to share it with you here again. I've come to the conclusion that our outlook on life can be determined by how we look at a tree - or maybe how we don't look. Have you stopped to look around at the trees and the changing colors? Have you taken a moment to notice them? Because they will only be there for just about that moment. Soon all the leaves will be on the ground and the beauty will have changed.
The tree above is outside of my studio, and this is how most people would see it. But if you look more closely you will see it something like this.
But I am convinced that the only way to truly appreciate a tree, the only way to truly experience it is to see it like a child. So first one has to lie down under the trees in the grass. One has to experience the crunch of the already fallen leaves on the grass.
And then the magical moment is when you turn your face up and look straight up into the tree thus getting the perspective of a child. I'm convinced that trees truly love children and children love trees. There is a love affair that goes on between them that gets lost somewhere in those teen years. So I dare you today to go outside and find one tree to look at with the perspective of a child. It just might change your day.
Its raining today. Everything in me wants to sit with a nice cup of tea and draw while listening to the raindrops tap dancing outside. I am not unique with this thought. I've heard it so many times from others. The rain calls us to be still, to slow down, to be calm. The birds outside are tucked away somewhere under large tree leaves or the eaves of a house. Even the dogs and cats inside are more sleepy today.
Of
course slowing down isn't what we do. We curse the rain or we choose to ignore it as we bustle around trying to get 36 hours squeezed out of 24. I've been thinking a lot lately about the rhythms of life and how we press so hard against them. It would seem to me that paying better attention to the patterns set by the Creator might be the wiser route to go. That isn't an easy task in our culture.
Our lists for "to do" are longer than our arms, and then just a few moments spent on popular social media is enough to remind you that whatever you might have gotten done today, surely you are behind what everyone else is accomplishing.
I propose that we proclaim a respite from those dreaded lists and try, at least a little bit, to listen more to the rhythms of nature. I propose at least one hour of each day be set aside to live life rather than run the list. I imagine this will be life altering and life giving. I'm going to try it. I dare you to join me.
We've talked about ways to bring creativity into our daily life by taking the time to use more soulful objects in our activities. Now let's look at ways to bring creativity into our lives and the lives of others around you on a broader scale. What are ways that we can reach out beyond our own experiences and make a difference for those around us? Studies have shown that one of the strongest things we can do to lift our own days is to make an effort to lift the days of others. I find, as a teacher, that the creativity I watch in my students is contagious. Let's look at some ideas for how we can develop creatively contagious moments.
What is it that you enjoy doing? It doesn't have to be obviously creative.
Perhaps you are a seamstress, perhaps a cook. Maybe you are an organizer or communication is your gift. Maybe you are naturally inclined toward hospitality. How can these gifts be used in a more creative way?
I know of a woman that taught sewing classes to young girls. She taught 4 at a time with 2 at the sewing machines and 2 sitting on the couch doing handwork. The teacher would sit on the couch with the ones doing handwork. As they stitched, she would talk with them about what it meant to grow up to be strong and gracious women. She found a creative solution to her own need and changed the lives of her students at the same time.
What if a gifted cook invited 3 or 4 different children (or maybe even adults) over to their kitchen once every couple of months for a cooking lesson? Many young mothers are swamped and tired from working and don't have time to teach their children and maybe don't even have time to cook. What a gift of creativity to teach them to make a great pie crust. They would never forget it.
What if a beautician invited young girls over for a day of spa treatments. We live in a time when young girls are struggling to understand what true beauty is. The spa instructions could be laced with talk about true inner beauty that reaches out to others.
I have a friend who is a very organized person and she has a heart for homeless families. Determined to find a way to help, she began working with the administration end of a ministry to homeless families. She not only uses her organizational skills to help make the ministry function, she uses her creativity for 'outside the box' ideas that help the ministry to soar. She is able to use her creativity to help the people she cares for. That is creative thinking!
I have another friend who started a ministry in her church based on a creative way of using her gifts. This woman is a shopper. She can find a bargain! And she can talk people into giving her an even better bargain like no one else I know. A few years back this friend became aware of a need at the local women's shelter in the town where she lived. The women were only allowed to stay for 30 days at the shelter. Most of the time they had left home in a hurry and with only what they could carry. So when the women who had sought refuge in the shelter had completed their time they had nothing to begin setting up a new home. My friend began going regularly to garage sales and buying furniture and housewares. She then got permission to store these things in an unused room at her church. She also discovered that if she explained her mission to the garage sale owners, that often they would simply donate their items. Then as the time comes for each shelter guest, she is invited to the church to "shop" for items needed for her new household and for her children. And its all free.
Creativity can enrich both our lives and the lives of those around us. And really, what good is a gift if it can not bless those around us?
So I don't know what your gifts are. They may not look like the examples I've given. But maybe these ideas have sparked some thoughts for you. I don't know what your creativity looks like. But you can be sure, its there somewhere. My challenge to you today is to dare to look for it. Dare to give it some time to develop in you. And then to dare to step out with creative action to enrich both your life and your world.
Next time we'll look at this more from the perspective of those already living their lives as artists.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I will be teaching some local kids classes in July. The older kids, ages 11 - 15 will be working in pen and ink creating elaborate designs in black and white. I have been creating this kind of design since I was 13. So this class is a perfect age for it. We'll have lots of fun. This kind of "doodling" has become quite popular in recent years. But, actually it has been around for hundreds of years in various ancient art forms. My sister is a quilter and she says these kinds of designs are even used in quilting.
Recently as I was engaging in one of my favorite past times, blog hopping, I stumbled onto My Desert Cottage and her upcoming blog party Where Bloggers Create. I thought this seemed like such a fun idea. I love looking into the studios of other artists. I quickly added a comment that I wanted to join in. It was not until the next day that I realized my comment had come a few days after the deadline to join. But, to my surprise, Karen of My Desert Cottage added me to the party anyway. Thank you Karen. I'm so pleased to join the party.
My studio is not fancy and I do not have the freedom to rip
up carpet and go crazy with the design like I'd enjoy doing. But it is the first time I've had a whole room just for my studio. And I think the 2 full walls of second story windows makes up for any crazy decor plans I could come up with.
Some of these photos were taken a while back. So you may notice a difference in a few of them like the blue cat pillow and then a pink cat pillow. I recently created a video showing some of my studio for the Artful Gathering class that I have produced. It is quite recent and I thought fit in here quite well. So, I've included it too.
Our house was built in 1919. This is an odd little room off of the larger room. It is larger than a closet but still only about 6' x 5'. And yet, it has a window and an old air conditioning vent. hmmmmm..... The only idea I have is that it was meant to be a nursery just off the master bedroom. Any ideas? Anyone know?
I am currently in Missouri on a trip. I found an old wooden file cabinet at a thrift store that will replace these plastic drawers when I get home. I am in need of these plastic drawers in the room where I teach kid's art classes. So it works out well this way. This window blind is usually up and the cats enjoy watching the squirrels run by on the window ledges. But I had to close it in order to take the picture.
Again, had to close the blinds to get a photo. This table belonged to my big brother. When he left us to go fly fishing in Heaven, I took this table to create on. As I use it I am reminded of how supportive he always was of my art.
I keep things that I love here....my favorite dolls as a child, children's books, a doll my daughter made by hand for me when she was only 9, and a stuffed skunk given to me by my father.
And here is the video. I won't even have to tell you that I am an amateur at filming. It will be evident! : )
And now that you've been in my studio, I will enjoy visiting yours. What kind of tea will you be serving? Got any cinnamon scones?
Have you ever wished you could learn to draw? I teach drawing online through video lessons. We are having so much fun and my students are amazed at how well they are drawing and how quickly they are progressing. Come by and take a look at Wind and Honey Classes. You can do it too!
My daughter, Kate is about to graduate with a Master's in Fine Art. (Yes, we are quite proud, thank you.) Her Master's Thesis Show has been this month. It is something quite different than the traditional paintings or sculptures all lined up on display. Her studies have been in the area of ceramics and she has been especially intrigued with the interplay between fiber and clay. With that in mind, her show was an installation of a child's room. Kate is not fond of talking about the details of her work while it is in progress. So we were not quite sure what we were going to find when we arrived at the reception. (You can see many more pictures of Kate's show and pictures that show the room as a whole by clicking on the 2 links in this paragraph.)
I walked in and saw the bed she had grown up on and I remembered that as sweet as those times were, she was grown up now to live her own life. And as I noticed the happy delightful scene in "The Dream" set just outside of the bedroom, I smiled and was reminded of the many times we read The Velveteen Rabbit and how very alive Kate's stuffed friends always were (probably still are as they grumble about being crowded in those packing boxes in the closet). Taking in the room as a whole, I was impressed by how very much work it had been. As we were complimented repeatedly on Kate's skill and artistry by those that were in a position to know, I joked about hanging a sign around my neck that said, "Yes, I am her mother!" I looked around at the separate pieces made with such creativity and I was reminded of the innocence of childhood and how precious that is.
After the initial "cuteness" had sunk in, I began to notice other things, the spring coming up out of the chair with torn upholstery, the broken shoes, the less than perfect forms of the stuffed friends. The beautiful, yet very heavy quilt made of clay tiles hand crocheted together. A depth in the work started to emerge showing that life, even childhood, has both the good, the smiles, and the comfort as well as the torn hopes, the stains, and the weight of brokenness.
The more I thought about this the more profound I found it. Like the clothes made of clay as thin as the fabric had once been, we are at times quite fragile and in need of special and extra gentle care. Kate covered the white fabric on the corner chair with clay that covered all the stains from its previous life. But as the clay dried, the stains reappeared showing that in life, stains must be removed rather than simply covered up. That is something we are unable to do for ourselves. We don't have a stain remover strong enough that we can remove the stains of life that are on our souls by ourselves.
I was intrigued with the process Kate had for creating the stuffed friends and the pillows. After searching and saving them at thrift stores, she saturated the fabric with clay, and like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, she threw them into the oven. As they were fired, the fabric, the stuffing, and all that we knew them to be before was burned up forever. They were no more. What was left was a new self - the clay, hardened and in the perfect form of the object it had covered. Where it had once been worn and dirty, it was now clean, solid, and strong. It had been made new.
The Poet would quickly remind me that this analogy doesn't fit completely. And I see that. But I just couldn't help but be reminded that this is what Easter is all about. We are less than we were created to be. The brokenness and tears of life have distorted us from how we would like to imagine life. We are worn out and have tried to cover our stains, just to have them resurface. That is the message, the hope, of Easter. If we will cover and saturate ourselves with the One who died and rose again, all that is less within us is removed. And we are made new again to live new and stronger lives. He is our hope.
I've come to the conclusion that our outlook on life can be determined by how we look at a tree - or maybe how we don't look. Have you stopped to look around at the trees and the changing colors? Have you taken a moment to notice them? Because they will only be there for just about that moment. Soon all the leaves will be on the ground and the beauty will have changed.
The tree above is outside of my studio, and this is how most people would see it. But if you look more closely you will see it something like this.
But I am convinced that the only way to truly appreciate a tree, the only way to truly experience it is to see it like a child. So first one has to lie down under the trees in the grass. One has to experience the crunch of the already fallen leaves on the grass.
And then the magical moment is when you turn your face up and look straight up into the tree thus getting the perspective of a child. I'm convinced that trees truly love children and children love trees. There is a love affair that goes on between them that gets lost somewhere in those teen years. So I dare you today to go outside and find one tree to look at with the perspective of a child. It just might change your day.
In keeping with the theme of children's art in the last few posts, I've created an original collage for the Crowabout Challenge. This is for week 87. We'll just ignore the fact that I'm 2 weeks late. This collage is entitled Through the Window and it is meant to make one ponder the creative thoughts in the imagination of a child. I've always remembered fondly a quote from the old Muppet Babies cartoons. Gonzo said "Who knows what weirdness lurks in the minds of kids." LOL! That would definitely have been true at my house.
This collage began as an original digital collage printed with archival pigment inks. It was then hand embellished with a variety of artist colored pencils. And then mounted permanently on a gallery wrapped canvas painted with acrylic paint. It may be found in my 1000Markets Shop.
On another note, I've been gathering a few treasures from sales lately. I thought I would share. I bought this suitcase from Aunt Agnes (as her niece running the sale called her). The others have come from various sources.
Isn't this pin cushion sweet?
There was nothing in the thread box. But I thought the box itself had enough character to stand on its own.
Dancing Swans all in a row.
I bought the photograph of this woman framed. It is not a print but an actual photograph in 11 x 14 size. Is this woman anyone famous? Should I be recognizing her? I'd love to share her with you for art purposes. But would love even more to know something about her. Feel free to download her and please share your work with me if you do something creative with her.
As promised, here are more examples of art created by my students last week. The artists that created these birds and lemurs are 6 and 8 year olds. Aren't they fun!
Now! If these kids can make such fun, expressive, and creative art, then SO CAN YOU! Just let go and have fun!
Sorry about the lapse in these post about teaching children to be creative. The flu has crept into my house and I've been playing nurse.
Freedom is one of the most important gifts you can give your child to encourage creativity. I have already spoken about allowing them to create without being hindered by your expectations. One way you can encourage freedom is by making them an art box. This is something they can get into whenever they choose and do what ever project they want. When my daughter was 5 I fixed a little child-sized table for her by my worktable. She had a box full of supplies to choose whatever she might be inspired by that day. She would work for long periods along side me. And rather than feeling neglected by my work time, she felt we were partners in that time. Her box was filled mostly with supplies I decided I did not need. She had scraps of pretty papers, old buttons, wooden shapes, old greeting cards, tiny papier mache boxes, and more. Then of course, there was the standard pencils, markers, glue sticks, and of course glitter. Yes, you heard me. I said glitter. I know it makes a mess. That's ok. You will live. That's why you have a vacuum sweeper. But we did save paint for more supervised times. But even that changed when she was older.
The last item I want to emphasis is to give your child quality supplies. I don't mean that you should buy professional supplies for children. But you should provide them with supplies that will help them find success. Those paint brushes with stiff nylon bristles that come with children's paint are horrible and pretty impossible for accomplishing anything except stirring glue. Or you could use the end of the handle for creating dots. The buttons that my daughter used were from my stash of vintage buttons. But I gave her the ones I knew I would never use. Shop at garage sales or thrift stores or the bargain bins at craft stores. This doesn't have to be an expensive thing. Learn to recycle. For instance, those wavy cardboard bands that come on tea and coffee -- way cool paper! Cut it into shapes, paint, and glue away. You can get outdated books of wallpaper for free from your paintstore. When I teach children's classes we use Prang colored pencils. They are by far not the quality of Prismacolor. But they will blend a bit and cover pretty well. Most other children's colored pencils are more of a frustration to the budding artist.
Here is a picture of a collage created by one of my students. In this project as a class we first drew the elephants - freehand. Then the kids took various papers of their choice and created an environment for their elephant. They had the freedom to place their elephant anywhere they wanted - a jungle, sitting on their couch, eating at the table, playing in the swimming pool. My only rule for animal art is that they can not put them in a cage or on a chain. The artist that created this piece is 8 years old. I especially like her Weeping Willow tree.
Here are a few more ideas for you before I end this series.
*Let your kids make the card before they go to a birthday party.
*Or they could make a calender for grandparents. They can draw a picture for each month of the year and you can print them with the calender pages.
* They will really feel special if you take one of their drawings and use the special printer paper, make an iron on for their tshirt of their own art.
Please do not copy or download this student's art. It is her art and not mine to let you copy. Thank you for respecting that.
I am an artist / instructor specializing in illustrative pencil art.
My art focuses on the delights of life, mostly on the relationship between children and animals. I teach online drawing lessons through a video format that allows interaction between the students and the teacher.
I have been married to the Poet for over 35 years. He is a gem and we have 2 adult children who are artists in their own right.
Having said all of that, in the end, I am really just a pencil artist "drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes." It is my prayer that my images and my words would inspire you to hope and to know the Author of hope.
