Over the years since Sonshine Art began, about 5 years ago, I've had lots of conversations and comments based around this misconception:
"I wish I could do what you're doing with my kids but I'm not artistic at all."
I have mentioned this in many social media posts and emails but I think it deserves a blog post.
My answer to this has always been and will always be two-fold:
Everyone is creative. Absolutely everyone.
You do not need to be an artist to encourage creativity.
I am an artist AND I nurture my sons' creativity.
But in the years when my sons were little and before I was back to being a practising artist, I still made time to teach and encourage their exploration of creativity.
I have had a bank of creative ideas to share with my sons thanks to my upbringing with parents who respected creativity as a worthwhile endeavour and having an art education background. But it wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't, because it doesn't matter what the artwork looks like at the end.
The point is not the result.
The point isn't even really about learning new skills, though that is a wonderful benefit.
The point is how fantastic creative activities are at giving those we care for the opportunity to experience the empowerment of choice.
Our need as humans to have some control over our lives is vital for our mental health.
Young children or those with high level care needs have so much of their life decided for them. Please don't underestimate how impactful it is to give them opportunities to make their own choices.
You may just see a choice of paint colour, which paintbrush to use or where to put a mark on a page…
But for them, they've been given the chance to make a decision and that allows them to feel proud of themselves.
Even very young children and people with severe disabilities can and should make their own choices. They don't need to be verbal, or communicate with sign language or an AAC device, they don't need to be able to hold a pencil or brush on their own; they can still make choices. You will know the one you care for best, and as you go through the ideas I share here in my blogs I'm sure you'll find your own ways to accommodate the challenges that come up.
As an example, I set up a creative play activity for my 2 boys a while ago; it involved paint, shaving foam, paper and scrapers. One of my children LOVED the mess of it, was not bothered at all by the sensation of paint or foam on his skin and generally just got stuck in. My other son was sensory avoidant (he is a lot less so now) and could not abide the feeling of the foam or the look of his skin being stained by paint. So for that activity he got involved with all the stages of the play but with adjustments like hand-over-hand, extra long mixing tools to keep his hands away from the paint and foam and when it came to scraping the paper I did the scraping while he held the paper. With those adjustments he really enjoyed it.
Another example is our painting sessions; when our eldest first started painting in earnest he was still quite under-confident when it came to making choices. To start with I would set him up with the surface (paper, card or canvas) already set up, I would offer only one or two painting tools and only 3 colours to choose from. This was because an abundance of choice was overwhelming for him. With only 2 or 3 things to choose from, choices are easier. (This was the same with choices in what to wear, what to eat, what to play with etc...) As he's progressed in years and as an artist he is now able and happy to choose from a large selection of options, and it's because I started everything very simply that he's been able to develop his confidence in making choices.
Another example is something I used to do with our youngest when he was in a phase of lacking in confidence. When he was presented with a blank page he would not know what to do or how to start and so we would often start to fill the page by taking it in turns to make a mark. I would make a wavy line, he would add a dot, I would do a circle and he's draw a zig-zag and so on, until he got into the groove and was happy to carry on and explore mark making.
It's so important to put no pressure on what they're actually creating. I say again; it's not about the result. It's about all the benefits that come with the process of creativity. Each time we engage we learn something new and we gain more confidence to try it again or try something new. It's about staying curious, keeping it light and letting the choices be theirs; wherever they lead.
These adjustments are so important because they show the one you care for that their needs are understood and their contributions are valuable.
Most creative activities can be made accessible to cater to the needs of the one you care for.
AND to the carer - that's YOU!
I have made countless adjustments to creative activities to suit each of my children and indeed myself as I am sensory sensitive as well!
There is so much about play-led and child-led parenting that aids development.
fine motor skills
boosts imagination,
improves social, play, communication and observation skills
sparks curiosity
develops hand-eye coordination
improves focus and attention
supports emotional regulation
turn-taking
stress-relief
fun!
creates opportunities for connection
and - most importantly - empowerment
Art for autonomy.
Creativity for confidence and self-discovery.
Be a facilitator.
You don't have to be an artist.
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