11 October 2007

From My Journal ...

Last week I watched a 6-year-old DRAW, and she was just FEARLESS. She turned out drawing after drawing w/o worrying about how good they were -- and they were good! -- or about proper composition. She just drew with JOY and ABANDON. It was happy to watch her, but it begs the question -- What am I afraid of? Why is the perception of quality more important than the JOY I experience? Where did this notion come from -- that I had to be "GOOD" to do art? Suzi reminds me -- this ART JOURNAL reminds me -- of what it is like to draw & paint for the sheer pleasure of it. Just splashing colors on paper, playing with crayons and rubber stamps with no DESIGN in mind, just throwing them on paper because it's FUN. JOY, I tell -- that's what my life is missing, what I need more of. And I think I'll find it on the colors on the page, the smell of paint as it dries, ribbons flowing from the cover and FEARLESS ART rather than "GOOD" ART.

Oh, to be six again!

1 comment:

Jill said...

I was thinking about this very thing when I was coming back from the store this morning. I had told Suzi, in an email exchange, that she told us what we needed to her. It's permission to do art. Suzi says anyone can make art. I thought about that. We all took art in elementary, middle and possibly high school, right? Do you know of anyone who "flunked" art? No. I don't think that person exists. Art is freedom and expression.