Ten Things to Teach Your Kid:

Creativity comes in a lot of forms. The main thing about it is that it needs to be nurtured. Your kid should feel some confidence in trying new things with you by their side. Even if everything they draw (or write, or choreograph, etc) is pretty terrible, this confidence and willingness to try new things lends itself to so many aspects of their future lives. Everyone of the things listed below can be used in so many ways in life beyond a coloring book or sewing a skirt. Some are great reminders for us grown-ups too.

Just try it:

Assuming your kid’s creative endeavor is super dangerous, there is no harm in just trying it out. Hate it? Throw it away. Like it, keep doing it, learn about technique, watch tutorial videos.

No one in the history of time was the best at anything the first time:

I promise…even if they were pretty good, they still had a long way to go and had to learn, try, practice…rinse and repeat.

Don’t like it, try something else:

Sometimes things look really cool from a distance and when you try it it’s not so great. That happens with creative pursuits too. Just remind your kiddo that this isn’t a life long decision. If they hate painting, they never have to paint again. Easy-peasy.

Being creative does not always equal ART:

There are so many ways to be creative that are outside of the box of “art”. Encourage the big interesting ideas and if they are feasible in any way, help your kid to try to make it happen.

Do it for yourself, not anybody else:

You can ask tons and tons of artists and there are usually two camps…you have to create for yourself vs you have to create work that sells to pay your bills. Luckily, your kiddo has you to pay the bills so they can devote themselves totally to creating only for themselves…that’s usually the stuff that endures anyway.

Write it down and let it simmer:

If they have an idea but aren’t sure how to go about it…write it down so they don’t forget and then go about their day and let the idea simmer in the back of their minds…maybe in the middle of lunch it will come to them…

It’s okay to walk away and to come back later:

Trying to create something can lead to frustration…this is the middle of the project version of #6. If your kiddo is working on something and it isn’t quite working, make sure they know it is okay to take a break and go do something else. It will be there when they get back…

It’s also okay to walk away and not come back later:

If they come back. Maybe they decide that it isn’t worth it, it isn’t fun, it isn’t going to work, or they just don’t care anymore. That is totally okay too…they tried it and didn’t like it.

Done is better than perfect:

This one I stole from a design great and she is totally right…perfectionism is the enemy of art and sometimes just getting to an end point, and letting your kid know that that is alright, is the best that can be done that day…or even ever.

Who cares what it looks like if you had fun:

I think this is the main one, really. I mean seriously. Who cares what it ends up looking like, or sounding like, or feeling like so long as the kid had some fun. Right!?! Right!! Especially if your kid is really young or if the project was personal and not an assignment (and even if it was an assignment) or if it’s the first time they ever tried that type of project.