thursdays with the little artists

Children approach art with such freedom & playfulness. For them drawing, writing & painting are play activities, similar to Connect Four or chasing bubbles in the park.  All you have to do is provide them with the proper art tools along with a safe affirming space for them to tap into their creativity, and before you know it, they are creating, their imaginations are soaring & finding absolute joy every step of the process.  

It is great! I absolutely love how children approach art & I'm incredibly thankful I get to experience it every Thursday afternoon as I engage in creative play with After School art class I teach. This week we created acrostic poems inspired by "SUMMER" & created multi-colored watercolor sunbeams to mount our poems on, it was delightful & fun. It was life-giving to watch their creativity go to work, as they pulled from the art skills the have developed & freely expressed themselves both on the paper. I especially enjoyed watching a couple of the artists push past the rules & boundaries that had been set, creating some fabulous artwork beyond anything I had imagine when planning the experience.  

Each week I am inspired by their boldness...their courage, their willingness to try something new & ability to claim their identity as an artist, as they embrace their creative potential with spontaneity & lots of giggles. Gosh I hope they don't lose those their courage, freedom & happiness. I pray they hold onto it forever. It is beautiful. They are beautiful. I anticipate with great joy the beauty & goodness these little humans will continue to add to the world. They've definitely poured so much beauty & goodness into my life.

Here are some photographs of the creative process from Thursday. Next week I will share a couple of pieces of the finished artwork. 

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