We Are All Born Artists

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I'm truly blessed.  My family and friends know that I love to read and get creative inspiration from a wide range of sources.  My mentee (and friend) Marium, recently gifted me with two books.  "In Pursuit of Inspiration," by Rae Dunn was provocative from cover to cover.  She believes, as do I, that "we are all born artists."  Consider this quote.  "Children need no artistic instruction.  When you put a crayon in a two-year old's hand, they instinctively begin to draw.  There is no hesitation, no inhibition, no resistance."  How true!  

I often use an exercise in a facilitation session where I give the participants a sheet of paper and a large tip marker.  Each sheet is different and has one amorphous shape on it.  I ask them to draw something on the paper that uses the shape and tells the group something about them.  It's amazing how many of the people struggle with drawing it "right."  Given the same exercise, kindergartners would have to be held in check. They'd giggle, laugh, chat, and smile as they drew their world, hardly able to keep the excitement to themselves.  There'd be no hesitation, inhabitation or resistance.

Further quoting from Ms. Dunn, "as we grow older, parts of our innate creativity fade.  We develop inhibitions and become guarded; for some it is out of humiliation; for others it might be about comparing ourselves to a fictitious standard and not living up to expectations."  

Thanks, Marium, for mentoring the "mentor," for reminding me to get back in touch with my enthusiastic two-year-old inner artist.  Ms. Dunn gives us some great tips for how to activate it.
  • Draw from the inside out; from an emotion, or a feeling.
  • Draw what you are drawn to.
  • Draw like nobody will ever see what you drew.
  • Draw every day.


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