Just yesterday, Anna said she wanted to create something and headed to the art room for inspiration. She grabbed a few random containers and started dumping their contents out on the floor. As much as I tried to keep from saying anything, I finally said, “do you think we really need to dump all of this into a pile?”
“Of course we do, mama. This is how you do art. You have to make a mess to figure out what you want to do. Its the how that makes it art.”
It’s the how that makes it art. She is so right. It’s not the what. It’s not the thing you create, but the process you use to get there, the how. Allowing our children the freedom to create in the ways that are most natural for them is so important. It lets them find their rhythm, their natural flow as an artist.
For Anna, her process involves amassing a host of interesting materials and then brainstorming ways in which she can use them. Tinkering. Today, she created a guitar out of a box and colored rubber bands. Tomorrow she might disassemble the guitar, paint the wooden box, and glue feathers all over it. Who knows. But one thing is for sure, there will be a pile of creativity on the floor when all is said and done. The how. What does your how look like?
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