Creativity is the bridge.
Some consider art and crafts as separate forms of creativity. For me, creativity is the bridge that joins self-expression and tangible form as friends. It is bringing something from our imaginations to life. I do not consider myself a serious artist nor am I an art critic. The way I see it, “we like what we like” and that needs no other affirmation. So as an art/craft aficionado let me proceed.
Growing up I remember we always made something for Christmas together, as a family. They were not earth-shattering creations but they were fun, frugal and we saw the results which always pleased us. One year it was a large wreath made from my mother’s punch cards from where she worked. My favorite project was a Styrofoam winter wonderland diorama. It had a Santa, a sleigh, evergreen trees, reindeer, and elves pausing in a woodland scene to pick up some packages that had fallen out of Santa’s sleigh. Even though I helped to make the small packages that were heaped up in the sleigh, I still imagined the packages to be real! I was sure that somehow the empty packages had been transformed and filled with wonderful surprises that were soon to be carried away to faraway places. That’s the magic of art, imagination, believing and childhood! I highly recommend this kind of “art” play for families. It’s teamwork, problem-solving, enjoyment and healing. Art helps us reflect on our beliefs and identities. I really do believe that the little things in life add up to define us and create more joy than the sum of their parts.
How do we encourage and support art with our children? Let’s first look at how we may react to their creations. Oh yes, I have made some doozy mistakes here! When my son, Shane, was 4 years old I remember once looking at his drawing of a person with long hair and carrying a purse and asking him, “Is that me?” My son said loudly, “NO, that’s me!!” “Of course, it is”, I chimed in afterward. What a boob I felt like when I said those words and I knew instantly they were not helpful to my son. I must revisit the lesson of never assuming. I decided to be better prepared to handle the next art sharing session with my son. What can we say to children when they bring home their artwork? First, remember that their work is possibly not about us or about pleasing us. Our words can really put a limit on their creations so try to pull back the praise and interpretations and let them tell you what they have made. Show an interest and encourage the process. Ask them what they feel. If you must praise be more specific about what you like. Words like pretty and nice don’t spark further conversation. Be supportive and encouraging but be curious. Ask what they might do next. Our first job as parents and grandparents is to keep children safe but our next job is to give them a nudge to explore themselves and explore the world.
I volunteer at my local Farm to School program in Coupeville WA. Last year a 3rd grader was very unhappy with a bumblebee sketch he made in his journal. While everyone was trying to tell him his drawing was great I could tell that it wasn’t helping him. He madly scratched out his drawing and made a very angry face. This boy was becoming unhappy with himself which prompted me to remember what an artist friend who taught art to children once told me. “If you ask a group of kindergartners who is an artist, every hand will shoot up with confidence. Ask them the same question in second grade, and you will see about half of the students raise their hands. By fifth or sixth grade, only a few hands go up.” What has happened?
I’ll assume some children have been unsupported by peers and discouraged along the way. For the rest of the children, this shift in how they (negatively) perceive themselves likely happens when they start to notice that they can not make their artwork look real. Children notice their images are not accurate as to what they are seeing with their eyes. Often the needed stepping stones to have success are not taught in school and many children simply drift away from drawing and art to pursue other subjects. Sadly a little instruction in the basics of proportion, shading and learning how to “see” what is in front of us could remedy this situation. Art, like reading, has rules and vocabulary and uses the same part of the brain as mathematics. So be aware when a child becomes frustrated with their creations. Teaching some art skills could benefit them greatly by instilling confidence and pride in what they learn, organize and build. Another tool in our personal toolbox is always a good thing. Art is persistent in all cultures and holds a powerful place in the survival of communities keeping their traditions, love for life and the divine alive.
Parenting is tricky. Each of us is born with our own bag of tricks. Our children will experience many things different from ourselves. Our approach may not always be the best, but we have to keep trying. Don’t lose your sense of humor. Loving them and listening to them is worth the world to every child. And when we make a mistake, we own up and apologize.
Growing up I remember we always made something for Christmas together, as a family. They were not earth-shattering creations but they were fun, frugal and we saw the results which always pleased us. One year it was a large wreath made from my mother’s punch cards from where she worked. My favorite project was a Styrofoam winter wonderland diorama. It had a Santa, a sleigh, evergreen trees, reindeer, and elves pausing in a woodland scene to pick up some packages that had fallen out of Santa’s sleigh. Even though I helped to make the small packages that were heaped up in the sleigh, I still imagined the packages to be real! I was sure that somehow the empty packages had been transformed and filled with wonderful surprises that were soon to be carried away to faraway places. That’s the magic of art, imagination, believing and childhood! I highly recommend this kind of “art” play for families. It’s teamwork, problem-solving, enjoyment and healing. Art helps us reflect on our beliefs and identities. I really do believe that the little things in life add up to define us and create more joy than the sum of their parts.
How do we encourage and support art with our children? Let’s first look at how we may react to their creations. Oh yes, I have made some doozy mistakes here! When my son, Shane, was 4 years old I remember once looking at his drawing of a person with long hair and carrying a purse and asking him, “Is that me?” My son said loudly, “NO, that’s me!!” “Of course, it is”, I chimed in afterward. What a boob I felt like when I said those words and I knew instantly they were not helpful to my son. I must revisit the lesson of never assuming. I decided to be better prepared to handle the next art sharing session with my son. What can we say to children when they bring home their artwork? First, remember that their work is possibly not about us or about pleasing us. Our words can really put a limit on their creations so try to pull back the praise and interpretations and let them tell you what they have made. Show an interest and encourage the process. Ask them what they feel. If you must praise be more specific about what you like. Words like pretty and nice don’t spark further conversation. Be supportive and encouraging but be curious. Ask what they might do next. Our first job as parents and grandparents is to keep children safe but our next job is to give them a nudge to explore themselves and explore the world.
I volunteer at my local Farm to School program in Coupeville WA. Last year a 3rd grader was very unhappy with a bumblebee sketch he made in his journal. While everyone was trying to tell him his drawing was great I could tell that it wasn’t helping him. He madly scratched out his drawing and made a very angry face. This boy was becoming unhappy with himself which prompted me to remember what an artist friend who taught art to children once told me. “If you ask a group of kindergartners who is an artist, every hand will shoot up with confidence. Ask them the same question in second grade, and you will see about half of the students raise their hands. By fifth or sixth grade, only a few hands go up.” What has happened?
I’ll assume some children have been unsupported by peers and discouraged along the way. For the rest of the children, this shift in how they (negatively) perceive themselves likely happens when they start to notice that they can not make their artwork look real. Children notice their images are not accurate as to what they are seeing with their eyes. Often the needed stepping stones to have success are not taught in school and many children simply drift away from drawing and art to pursue other subjects. Sadly a little instruction in the basics of proportion, shading and learning how to “see” what is in front of us could remedy this situation. Art, like reading, has rules and vocabulary and uses the same part of the brain as mathematics. So be aware when a child becomes frustrated with their creations. Teaching some art skills could benefit them greatly by instilling confidence and pride in what they learn, organize and build. Another tool in our personal toolbox is always a good thing. Art is persistent in all cultures and holds a powerful place in the survival of communities keeping their traditions, love for life and the divine alive.
Parenting is tricky. Each of us is born with our own bag of tricks. Our children will experience many things different from ourselves. Our approach may not always be the best, but we have to keep trying. Don’t lose your sense of humor. Loving them and listening to them is worth the world to every child. And when we make a mistake, we own up and apologize.
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Now let’s get into the kitchen. Food is art in a big way. Of course, the Culinary Arts involve the preparation and presentation of the food but the subject is much larger than just that! It includes the work of a butcher, chemistry, growing food, thermodynamics, nutrition, food safety, history, physiology and the making of food (like milling). We do love food and we never cease to explore new ways to enjoy it and have fun with it. We started on our culinary road roughly two million years ago! Even cavemen could not resist drawing with vegetable dyes. Oh god of the hunt me wantum MEAT! Their stories are important and interesting. While the cavemen depicted their celebrations and challenges with whatever skill level they mastered, they could not convey their real feelings to us. I wonder what they thought when they first discovered how the meat tasted cooked? Maybe “Yummy?!” The use of fire to cook certainly ignited the culinary arts by purifying food and making it more palatable. Many artists have represented food showing, perhaps, that their love for food was not solely restricted to the kitchen but also on canvas. With the domestication of livestock and the advancement of agriculture and cooking tools (earthenware and stoneware pottery), food was elevated to a new height. In early times only kings and aristocrats could afford chefs. Later, inns and hotels were able to afford chefs. Today most of us have a few special dishes under our belt that we cherish and feel proud of. I like to think that we can all be, to some extent, chefs.
While some of us don’t need to be reminded to eat we can all use healthy food encouragement! Focus on making the veggies center stage by setting the stage for a win! Most people seem to think vegetables play second fiddle to all the other meal accoutrements. I am determined to help change those minds. |
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Who can resist a beautifully set table or a fancy dish? Our signature is demonstrated, in a recipe, by dipping into our creativity and being artful. In the last issue I approached the subject of garnishes and table setting, today I’m going to talk about a few fun veggie arts and crafts. One fun thing is to make veggie puzzles. I made these puzzles by recycling some children’s building blocks. I painted a whole vegetable on one side, and on the other, how the vegetable looks inside. Better yet, have your own grand-kids make these puzzles! Have the kids draw veggie pictures first. Then either glue these pictures onto wooden blocks or onto some cardboard. Viola, a fun afternoon art project. On the backside of the puzzle, you could even take the project a bit further and add some fun facts and personal observations about the vegetable. Other veggie projects could be making vegetable prints or a vegetable mosaic. Why veggies? Do you have to ask? We need our children to know them and to love them. I don’t believe one health expert in the world today would say eat fewer vegetables! I believe surrounding ourselves with veggies brings us one step closer to making friends with them. Growing veggies, cooking veggies, carving veggies, or turning veggies into art or science experiments will all help with the mission. Eat well make art. Lead by example grandparents, roll up your sleeves and get busy in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy the Sweet Tattie Oven Fries recipe from my cookbook. You can actually use a paintbrush in this recipe! As always, Dalai and I wish you a happy tasty cooking adventure and...we wish we could be here with you.
Heide Horeth and Dalai
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