creating with a kid

If you follow me on Instagram or frequent my blog you will know that we spend A LOT of time making art as a family and I get asked lots of questions about our process. Once in a while I like to share updates and my thoughts on "creating with a kid" here on the blog. (Please note that I am not a childhood development expert or a kids' art teacher- I am simply a mom who is an artist!)

My long time readers know I've been making art with Lucy from day one. From riding on my back while I filmed online classes to letting her create with me in the studio, it's been a priority to share the art making process with my daughter. As I have mentioned in the past it is important for both my husband and I to incorporate Lucy into as many creative projects as possible. And while it makes no difference to us if Lucy grows up to be an artist, we do want her to be a creative thinker. I believe creativity and the ability to think in a creative way is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children and while I am always evolving as an artist and mama, I am learning so much as I watch her develop her own creative voice. 

Lucy is now four and her little brain is developing and growing so fast. Gone are the days where she is dazzled by making a mess. This new stage has been challenging because I have to come up with a variety of different activities that keep her engaged, interested and inspired to get creative. 

Lately she is most interested in drawing and creating a narrative within those drawings. She will sit for long periods of time telling a story and will use drawing and painting to illustrate those stories. It is pretty darn inspiring to watch! 

We always sit and draw with each other, often working independently on our own projects at the same time. It is during this time that we talk a lot about the creative process, color, shapes and the meaning behind what we draw. 

It is during these moments that I have witnessed a big development in Lucy's creative process. She is now using reference photos for her drawings (often from books or magazines). She really enjoys drawing people and details like hair styles, unique features, eye color, eyelashes and clothing. It's really exciting especially since we've never shown or taught her how to draw specific things. 

Instead we've let her observe our own process and spent more time and energy encouraging her to observe and try to draw and interpret what she sees. It's not the easiest way to teach a kid to draw. Honestly it would have been WAY quicker to show her what do but I am of the STRONG belief that regardless of your age, some of the most profound creative discoveries happen when you are experimenting on your own without a teacher correcting or criticizing you. 

Our hands off approach, combined with lots of positive feedback has given her so much confidence to find her own voice and it is incredibly amazing to witness!

To read and see more of my experience creating with a kid check out the entire series of posts HERE