Recently, a friend gave me two new books to add to my collection of children's books. I love children's books and these two are exceptional in their message. The first one, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, is a Christopher award winner. This award is given to films, television programs or books that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Vashti, the character in the book claims she cannot draw when invited to do so by her teacher. Her teacher encourages her to "Just make a mark and see where it takes you", but she is angry! To prove she cannot draw, she puts a dot right in the middle of the page and exclaims, There! Many more pages of angry dots appeared, but soon Vashti softened and that "dot" marked the beginning of a journey to surprise and self discovery thru drawing dots.
The second book by the same author, is simply called, Ish. In this book Ramon does what makes him happy, which is drawing. One day, his older brother made a critical comment about his drawing. From then on Ramon worked hard to do it right and make it perfect, but he never succeeded. Instead his papers ended up crumpled in the trash can. His sister saw the world in a different way, and helped him see the creative process was more important than getting it right.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? I know I sure can see myself in both of these books. On the inside cover of the books it says The Dot and Ish are books that"shine a bright beam of light on the need to kindle and tend our creative flames with care." I could not agree more! We have forgotten to embrace our creative side and honor the value of creativity in our life, however it is expressed. I will often recommend that people start with crayons and a coloring book or better yet, get out their favorite medium and just start to create whatever comes to mind. We are so much in our heads, organizing and figuring things out, that we need to just break away from our thoughts. Using the creative process allows us access to inner most wisdom that can help new perspectives emerge.
Today, make some time to sit down with a box of crayons and a blank sheet of paper and just allow your hand to move on the paper. Remember there is no" right way" or "wrong way" to do it. It is important for all of us to find ways to get out what is deep inside of us and creativity is one way to that. Have fun and give it a try! If you care to post a comment we would love to hear from you!
Sandy
1 comment:
Thank you for the children's book recommendations! I am a spiritual director and often have used children's books with adults to share themes related to spirituality. I also like to color to release stress and to aid in my time of reflection. Mandalas are another wonderful tool--you can create your own or color the many designs available. Two other opportunities for creative arts I would like to mention: Every Monday (12:30-3pm) at Well Within, a nonprofit holistic wellness center located in West St Paul, we have a Textures Art Class. An artist facilitates the class to bring creative art experiences for participants expand on (call: 651-451-3113 if interested). Another opportunity for creativity is at Christos Center for Spiritual Formation on Thursday, August 16th called "Soulful Play" for those interested in connecting creativity and spirituality (call 651-653-8207 if interested). --Deb
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