Painting with Eli
Today, I painted.
I painted with Eli - a toddler from Playgroup… an absolute character, who at his core - is an artist.
I don’t think his grandma quite understood what I meant when I passionately declared, “He’s an artist!”
What I wanted to say was, Eli has the spirit of an artist! He has a gift. One which allows him to see the world in a unique way. He feels and explores things with emotion and depth. He sees things that others do not!!
He has been gifted with a creative spirit - and this is amazing!
When I paint with children, I’m inspired to learn more about their worlds.
What’s their favourite colour, what do they dream about, what do they think about their creations, what inspires them?
Eli, for example , his favourite colour is black. He didn’t remember his dream last night, but he does dream. And he titled his painting ‘An Angry Sacrifice’.
There is a darkness that often accompanies creative souls. A deepness of thought which drives the artist to explore the unseen or uncomfortable aspects of life, that which lingers beneath the surface.
These darker subject matters can spark feelings of concern or judgement, especially when associated with children. Some adults may feel the need to shut down certain creative expressions, because of the discomfort it sparks within themselves.
However, when us adults can sit with the discomfort, allowing the expression to come to fruition, something incredible can be birthed - whatever that may be.
But when we judge the darkness in a child’s artwork, when we shun them and criticise, it hurts them and it deforms them, for the darkness they express is a reflection of themselves.
Seeing this darkness can be scary, but we adults need to acknowledge that our children witness the darkness in reality, as well as the light.
When you sit with children and create - without judgement - you open up a whole new way of connecting. You shed your adult skin and find yourself closer to them. In a place where you can more clearly perceive their inner being, as they create in total harmony with the world.
After An Angry Sacrifice was complete, we collectively moved onto a piece about dinosaurs. Gradually, the painting took life and became a dinosaur war zone.
He named this one ‘Kummakka’.
This whole experience reminded me of when my class and I used to do art. Oh, how I loved our art lessons, they were a blissful thing.
Magic. They were truly magic.
We would sit down wherever we chose, we’d have our paper and our materials ready. I’d have quiet music on, my high energy boys who hated art would just chill, and be free to do so.
And, gradually the room would shift, an energy of authentic expression would take over the space, and with that - an aura of healing.
Kids who weren’t friends and didn’t normally speak, would open up to each other. Gradually, the children would start discussing more complex things about their lives. Things like family separation, what it felt like not knowing their father, how one student’s mother had died.
Just simple conversations, but ones of real meaning and consequence.
Complex topics which don’t get discussed over handball and little lunch, come to the surface when children create together. In this space children and adults alike allow themselves to open up and authenticity comes to life - in a blissful magical way.
So, if you take one thing from this post, let it be, that when you open a space for creative expression in your home, or in your classroom, you’ll be opening up something extremely special - a space of deeper knowing, a space of authentic expression and a space of true connection.
You only get one chance at your child’s childhood, so add more art to it. Create together as a family.
And feel the room begin to shift.
My artwork, titled ‘Authentic Expression’ created with Eli.
