Our friend Matt reached out to us with some amazing words about what it means to make art with your kids, and we wanted to share them with you. Reach out to us in the comments about what it’s like making art with your kids!
Most parents enjoy participating in their child’s life. Some parents coach sports, others are their child’s number one fan (or cheerleader), and others do art with them. I fall into the third category: do art. Doing art with my children is an emotional time machine. A lofty premise, I know, but stay with me here.
I’ve never been much of a painter, and I can’t draw a straight line to save my life. But guess what? Neither can my children—at least at this point. So when we sit down to paint or to mold play-doh, we are all learning together. I may know a few more rules than them, such as drying the brush after wetting it, and not sticking your whole hand in the paint. But for the most part we are all on the same level. I’m learning, they’re learning, we’re learning.
There is something about seeing red and blue mix to purple for the first time that is revelatory. The first thought that pops into my head is, “Oh I didn’t know they did that.” But I did know, I just never experienced it. I was a child again, seeing magic unfold. It brought me back to the first time I put a rhyme on paper and said it aloud. It just felt right and everything in my being wanted to not only do it again, but to learn more about it. My curiosity piqued. I was young again. No longer jaded or cynical, I was a child, playing with children.
This is what Do Art is. Do Art is the experience, the magic, and the connection to what is most important to all of us: our relationships with one another.
