Tag: art

Art for kids–to me, it’s important

by Pam Harris, "blind" writer

When I was growing up, sketching and coloring were my favorite pastimes, other than reading. Sure, I played outdoors and did things like ride my bike, skate, jump rope, and other activities requiring physical exertion, but art was my favorite. I sketched people and animals, and colored them. I drew my own paper dolls, cut them out (tabs and all), and designed clothes that I drew, colored, and cut out. I made my own dollhouses using cardboard boxes, fabric scraps, and “windows” cut out from the Sears catalog showcasing curtains. If I read an illustrated book, I drew the pictures I saw in the book. Anything associated with being artsy or crafty was my go-to.

Every year I asked Santa for an art set, but for some reason he never brought me one. I wanted an easel, painting supplies, art paper, colored pastels, the works. I guess Santa didn’t want my mom to have the mess to clean up.

My love for sketching never waned. I expanded my love for art into macramé, cross-stitching, and sewing. I made clothes, Raggedy Ann dolls, purses, and more. Creating was and still is a priority.

So, when my granddaughters’ maternal grandmother and I took them to an art studio in their town with multiple activities for kids, I was enthralled. Yes, you had to pay for it. No, there wasn’t an art teacher, just free play time with a very energetic manager/owner who gave suggestions, provided materials, and moved constantly among the adults and children in the not very large space.

First, the girls picked out their own aprons to wear. Then they painted pictures seated in front of an art easel. I have the photos of them standing beside their finished work, but my subscription to this site won’t allow me to post more than one picture.

On one table, the girls could use the three primary colors–red, yellow, and blue if you’ve forgotten elementary school art–to mix colors in small wells in a tray. They learned that mixing blue and yellow produces green, mixing yellow and red produces orange, and mixing red and blue produces purple by using a large dropper to pull up the colored water before depositing into one of the wells. On one table sat plastic dinosaurs, and we used Play-Doh to make dinosaur footprints, “bury” the dinosaurs, and used tools to cut out shapes. Another activity was coloring a fish and gluing colorful bits of paper on it. Back to the easels we went, but this time the girls used the chalkboards on the backside to draw or write.

Watching them entertained for almost two hours with the various activities made me wish we had something like that in our town. A place for rainy days, a place for birthday parties, a place for…fun!

Yes, we can do those things at home. But there’s something special about doing things like that in a designated place with other children. Plus, no clean-up! No paint spills, no Play-Doh stuck to something, no bits of paper to sweep off the floor.

Sports reign supreme in my community, but not every child–as a matter of fact, not most children–have an inclination to sports. Some are drawn to music, dance, reading, writing, or art. As parents and grandparents, we can recognize their natural interests and abilities, but sometimes we drop the proverbial ball when we don’t encourage them to explore all options. If we push them into one activity and exclude the rest, the six-year-old boy who already demonstrates athletic ability may never discover he has a creative side. The six-year-old girl who is forced to take dance lessons may never discover she has a talent for golf or for making jewelry.

Visiting this art studio made the wheels in my mind start spinning. A music center for kids to try different instruments and take private lessons. An art studio similar to the one we visited. Maybe combine the two. Music on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Art on Wednesdays and Fridays. Saturday mornings and afternoons for parties.

Hours?10:00 to 1:00 and 3:00 to 5:00. Cost? I don’t know. That would depend on the overhead and cost of the space. I’m just sharing my idea. A financial expert would have to weigh in on the practical details.

But the next time you’re in Collierville and looking for something for the kids to do, go online and look for Color Me Collierville. It might be just the activity the children will love.

Our interests and hobbies: nature or nurture?

by Pam Harris, "blind" writer

A lazy, rainy morning after-breakfast, before getting dressed, before hair being brushed. The focus? Aqua Art. Paint perfect pictures using nothing more than water and a brush or finger. Allow to dry. The ink disappears, and you can do it all over again. Bluey and Bingo are perfect every time.

Remember what it was like to be focused on an activity? Remember how zoned-in you were to doing it right? Remember how much you enjoyed it?

Somehow, as we grow older, we sometimes allow the worries and problems of our lives to overshadow the simple joys of interests and hobbies. Sometimes we allow those interests and hobbies to occupy too much of our time, to the point of being obsessed or neglectful of those around us. I believe there should be a healthy balance. Having interests outside of work and family can contribute to better mental health as long as those activities aren’t taken too seriously.

I am convinced some of the interests we had as children remain with us throughout our lives. Those interests may manifest in different ways, but the fascination or joy is there.

When I observe my granddaughters, I notice their very different personalities, but I also notice their natural interests and tendencies. I will be very surprised if the oldest doesn’t become a musician or dancer or an actress in school plays–although her shyness may prevent that–and if the other doesn’t become an athlete of some sort. I can also visualize her being into activities like rock climbing, sky diving, and surfing because she is somewhat of a daredevil.

Time will tell.

When I reflect on my own childhood, the constants were (and are) art projects (especially sketching), drama (I was always in school plays), reading, dogs, horses, and, yes, Elvis. We won’t go into that. No, I didn’t want to grow up and marry him. I’m hoping to see the new movie Epic next week, so I’ll blog about the Elvis thing later.

As an adult, the art interest evolved into all kinds of arts and crafts activities. Macramé, cross-stitching, quilting, sewing, oil painting, acrylic painting, and of course, sketching. One of my favorite classes to teach at the local high school was theater arts, and one of my favorite sponsor activities was sponsoring the Drama Club and directing plays. I never “outgrew” that passion.

My husband, who grew up in a family of non-sports people, developed an interest in sports as young as first or second grade when he would actually watch parts of baseball games on television. Not because his dad was watching them or his older brother, because they didn’t watch them. It was an interest he had at a very early age. Football and basketball interests came along later, and he played adult league softball until he was 50. A basketball goal is still firmly fixed beside our driveway, and it still gets used occasionally. To this day, he watches countless sporting events on television, and to say he is a passionate University of Tennessee sports fan is an understatement. He was listening to John Ward (UT fans know that name!) as young as the age of 10. And the first Super Bowl? He watched it. He was eight or nine.

How often have we as parents tried to pique the interests of our children to what we like to do? I was the one steering our sons to sketching while my husband was the one playing baseball and basketball with them as well as coaching their Parks and Recreation teams. I was the one building cabins with Lincoln Logs while he was the one giving instruction on how to shoot a basketball and how to be a better batter.

Yet you know what they both did on their own? They both developed an interest in playing the guitar and piano. They were primarily self-taught, but they did, and do, exceptionally well. As middle-aged men, they still love to play. Not because we taught them or pushed them in that direction, but because they discovered that interest on their own.

In answer to my question in the title, I believe the majority of who we are and what we like to do is innate. Sure, environmental factors come into play. I don’t know if my sons would have had an interest in sketching if I had not encouraged it. I do believe they would have had an interest in sports because it’s the world we live in and also because they’re athletic, but the music thing? Not nurture. Nature.

My husband’s interest in sports? Nature.

My multiple interests? Nature.

I’m sure a psychologist would refute my opinion and give researched-base answers to my question, but I’m going to go along with the nature idea. To me, it’s obvious. No research needed.

Truthfully, it doesn’t matter whether it’s nature or nurture. What matters is the joy brought by pursuing our interests. So to the sports fans, fishermen, hunters, golfers, artists, seamstresses, cooks, musicians, writers, readers, and singers reading this–enjoy!