As an art teacher I pride myself in not only delivering the "how to" process but also taking opportunities to show the students the applicable side of art. For instance last year I had the honor of illustrating the children's book And Teddy Too with my brother who happens to be a writer. I would bring it in and show it to the students. They really enjoyed seeing a tangible example of where a passion for art could lead them.
This year I am doing something similar with The Chalkmobile only this time more interactive. Not only am I showing them one more facet in which art can be applied but I'm also inviting them to take part in a special design contest. They are able to actually submit designs for a chance to have their work featured on the actual vehicle. That's also available to absolutely anyone. You can learn more about it here.
Meanwhile, at home there's my own kids. My oldest Amber (10) often tells me how much she wants to be an artist just like me when she grows up. I feel that this is pretty common with kids to want to be what their parents are no matter what. At least at this age.... But I can't help but see an opportunity here. She spends an awful lot of her time drawing and then trying to sell her work to family members. She usually doesn't charge real money but every once in a while that's exactly what she gets.
She has come to me countless times asking if I would put her work up for sale on any of the venues I use. My initial instinct is to to say no. Not only is it not what you would traditionally see for sale in these places but also I feel the need to shelter her from some of the difficult aspects of the art world. There tends to be a a lot of rejection. As a matter of fact an artist will almost always encounter more "Nos" than "Yeses". It's simply the harsh reality of the art world.
However, I got to thinking and I started noticing the benefits of letting her try. It's much like letting them participate in any type of competitive sport. There will always be losses and defeat. That's a fact of life. It's our job as parents to be there for our kids through those times to encourage them to keep going and not give up. After all, that's where all the reward comes from. You can't ever win if you don't try. When you fail at something it presents a unique opportunity to grow and improve. Maybe now is as good of a time as ever to begin easing her into that cycle.
Who knows? Maybe she'll be the next big thing in the art world. I'm not about to sit here try to sell her as a savant but honestly speaking she is very talented. More so artistically than I was at her age. And I only see that talent growing as she does. Any money she brought in would go straight into her savings and/or be monitored and spent wisely. Which allows her to learn about making mature financial decisions earlier rather than later. That's a benefit generally not present in youth sports.
I guess the bottom line is that I can see the learning potential in her doing this. And I would rather believe in her and be wrong than not believe in her and be right.
I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this.
Until next time,
Don't hate, [ART]iculate!
No comments:
Post a Comment