RIGHT OR WRONG – GOOD OR BAD – EITHER THIS OR THAT. Our brains are constantly trying to make sense of this world and what we see. The most efficient solution is to place people, ourselves, or outcomes into one or the other category. Yet, being efficient in this limiting way, may not always be the best choice. We are uncomfortable with questions that present two possible choices, when neither seems right. Yet our children learn very early to evaluate their abilities into good, bad, right, wrong, talented or not talented categories. Once they’ve judged themselves to be “less than” we see a stop to their thinking and to their progress in art.
How is the way we view choices connected to art and creativity? Creativity is born of the idea that there is always one more solution that hasn’t yet been put on the table. Our worldly influences use fear to manipulate by telling us that there is a limited number of resources and a limited number of options. Most of humanity, trained in limited thinking, become used to seeing situations in terms of “their slice of the pie”, while the creative thinkers see that there are innumerable pies to pull from.
Creative thinking is critical thinking; it’s the ability to see many options and solutions. While your children make art, you will be presented with many opportunities to teach them to find new solutions, to work through the “this is bad” or the “mistake” moments. They will learn to withhold judgment of their art in the beginning stages. They will learn that there are many choices to be made while making art and their own choices will be different from those that others made for their art. They will learn perseverance when they continue to come up with creative solutions as problems arise in their art. As children grow in the freedom of thought that creativity brings to their art and to their lives, they will find that thinking beyond two options is a natural process for living.
Encourage your child to imagine ways that the effect of what they perceive as a mistake can be lessened. Creative thinkers don’t stop when they make a perceived mistake, but think of art as a process of making that is continually in a state of change. A mistake is an opportunity to make another choice.
Encourage your child to see himself outside of the immediate situation and look at the “bigger picture.” Creative thinkers are less subject to peer pressure when the influencer presents them with the “you’re either with me or against me” argument.
Encourage your child to make more thoughtful choices and to ponder an idea until a reasonable solution comes. Don’t rush your child or do the work for him. Creative thinkers don’t see the world in terms of a slice of the pie or inside the box (the box representing the limitations set by others.) They think beyond the pie or outside the box using influences, thought, and knowledge as tools for thinking.
Encourage your child to follow her intuition in directions that have served her well in the past. Creative thinkers don’t follow the majority just because they are the majority.
Encourage your children to make art that allows them to make choices. Creative thinkers need to occasionally express their won ideas through pictures.
Brenda Ellis is author and illustrator of the ARTistic Pursuits art program for children, which has become a staple in the homeschool community for 20 years. Her combined experience as a homeschool mom and classroom art teacher of twenty years has been used to help families get a great art education at home. You can contact Brenda by email at: alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com