Beth's
Ponderings
My second year of
the year-long mentorship program started with us creating a creative timeline
for our lives, from birth to now. Mine
is currently 6 pages of single-spaced typewritten notes, and growing, as I
remember more items to add. At some
point, I will get it more formally organized, and my hope is to illustrate it.
My sister, Mary,
and I were quite fortunate as we were raised in a very creative family. Actually everyone is raised creative: some
are nurtured more than others, but more often, it’s a case of creative skills
and talents not being labelled creative so people think they aren’t creative (ie
engineers are as equally creative as artists).
Yet, despite being
surrounded by creativity, and having my own creativity nurtured, certain forms
of creativity were not encouraged. For
example, I was never really encouraged to draw or paint after preschool/elementary. I had to choose between band and art starting
in Grade 6, and band won.
So, I always felt I
was missing out - and while I knew I was “creative” and a “writer,” I was never
an “artist.” I’d borrow art books from
the library, and could never figure them out (too many “rules” for my
rebellious nature?).
Then in January 2017
I did my first ever acrylic painting. More
paintings have followed, and what I have learned (by following the rules) is
that the rules don’t matter at all, because expression is way more important
than being “perfect” by someone else’s standard.
Children are true
artists, in all sense of the word. They
draw, paint, write, sing, play, create, and move for the sure JOY of doing so. Before they are taught otherwise by “well-meaning”
adults, they don’t care what their creation looks like, or if anyone likes it. They know what they want to express, and they
make sure they express that to the fullest extent that they can, in any way
they can as long as it is fun and easy.
As children, we can’t
wait to grow up and become adults, yet, as adults, we wish we could be little
kids again. Well, creativity, art,
music, and whatever form calls to you, is your chance to revisit childhood.
Beth
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