Just Do It Your Way, Have Fun With It
I was teaching a class of K-2nd graders. The lesson plan was to draw and paint a vase of flowers. I had set vases with flowers on the table and talked about using the still life for inspiration. The question “may I draw flowers from my head?” was asked. I said “yes” and that the still life on the table may help you see new ideas for the shapes of things. I suggested that the painting may be abstract and merely resemble the examples on the table in some way. After a drawing warm up, pencils, crayons, and watercolor supplies were set out including straws for blowing the paint if desired. The class took off with this idea except for one child. For this story I will call him Jesse. He said something along the lines of “I don’t want to do flowers, can we do insects again?” I encouraged him to stay with the topic this time and may have asked “how can I help you get started?”
Meanwhile, other students were drawing or coloring certain details, and painting. Some were using the straw blowing technique to make flowers and others blending watercolors for the background. Ideas I had not imagined were taking place. Fortunately I mostly observed the flow of creativity, and wished I could take pictures of some of the artwork. I was working as an artist in residence and would not be able to take pictures this time.
I checked back with Jesse and he had outlined a small flower with pencil and colored it yellow. The rest of the page was blank. It looked constricted. Again he said “can I do something else.” In a moment of clarity I could see that he was stuck on a concept of “how this piece of work “should be.” Perhaps it was a picture he had in his head or an idea of how he thought someone else expected it to turn out. What struck me most about my clairvoyant observation is that this idea of how “it should be” was limiting his amazing ability to create what he wanted in his unique way. Finally, I said something like “just do it your way, have fun with it, and yes, paint whatever you want.” I can’t remember if I said the next part out loud or telepathically. I do remember looking at him and communicating to let go of expectations. I could see that expressing himself his way would far exceed his expectations of what “he should do”. In that moment something changed. I gave him a new piece of paper. The next time I checked on his process he had completed a beautiful representation of a flower and vase still life that filled the page in a style that showed his talent for drawing. He had let go of whatever was stopping his creation. It was like a breakthrough for me to help him with an issue I stumble on myself.
I have become stuck and unable to move also when I let concepts of perfection rule. I noticed recently during a meditation that when letting go of my so called “perfect pictures” many things begin to happen. I had the perception of moving out a definition that had been placed on me, like a box over my head. As I used my grounding and other spiritual techniques to let go of expectations the box was lifted. I began to relax, and see myself as I am, what I am learning and what I want to change.
