Born to be Creative.

 

This is my youngest grand daughter at serious-play, a.k.a. making art. 

Here she is making hand prints using orange and green paint. Orange for the palms and green for the fingers. I find this so enchanting.

Okay yes, that's probably because she's my grand daughter and I love her. But, more than this, I think it's a beautiful example of how art is so natural to all of us. My grand daughter doesn’t know a thing about color theory and yet she has chosen green and orange--secondary colors that are so very different and yet so very compatible together.

But then, there's her hand print. Her signature. Isn't it what we all aim to do when we make any kind of art? We want to say --I was here. This is me. this is proof that I lived in this time and place. And look, I made something for you--proof of my having been here. This practice is as ancient as the cave dwellers painting stick figures chasing the wildebeest.

Creative friends--you were born to make art. You don't have to do anything except to shrug off the messages that you are now a grown-up and can't play or be silly.

Or make finger prints. Or dance around and do the shim-sham-shimmie.

Here's my creative prompt for you this week:

Stand up. Yes, right now. This minute. Next, I want you to raise your arms above your head and wave them in the air. Now, shake your feet. Move your body back and forth as if you're a willow tree swaying in the breeze.

And for extra credit, pretend you're a turkey and sing gobble-gobble-gobble.

There you have it. Your assignment. Do this at least three times a day for a week and then report back to me.

No, you probably won't report back to me. And that’s okay. 

Just have fun.