The true artists...Children!

Photograph with kind permission from 'Action for Children' 

Chidren's artwork never ceases to amaze and overwhelm me. These little artists are so inventive, incredibly creative and always thinking outside the box. You never hear a young child say "Oh I can't draw' on the contrary, drawing and creating is normally as much a part of a young childs daily life, as sleeping and eating. If you ask a young child to draw any widely known animal or object, there seems to be no limits or constraints on what they feel confident in drawing, no cries of " Oh I'm not very good at drawing people" or "I can't possibly draw a giraffe". They have the amazing ability to imagine, picture and draw with immediacy, their own view and interpretation of the subject matter, without a need of visual reference, but instead with a sense of freedom and unique expression. 

During Book Week I visited a school and spent time in every class from Reception - Year 6. It was a lovely day and the children were fantastic, asking such great questions. As it was Book Week I started off in each class by asking 'who thinks they would like to create a book one day?' in the reception, year 1 & 2 classes I think nearly every childs hand shot up in the air, but sadly as the age group of the children got older in the following classes, the fewer the hands appeared. Until in year 6 only a small handful of hands went up, we'd somehow lost them! So what happens to us when we're growing up, why and how do a lot of us lose this natural sense and need to create. Teaching is a lot more creative than when I was at school, which is so lovely to see, so is it simply as with anything where the pressures of time constricts, that we simply get out of the practice and lose our confidence in creating. Or is it that we become too self aware and creatively inhibited, or does creativity somehow become undervalued and takes a back seat? Who knows, but whatever it is, it's a shame and I for one wish I could regain that sense of artistic confidence and freedom you have as a young child.

With that in mind, this is why projects such as the collaboration between 'Action for Children' and 'Seven Stories' is so wonderful to see. The images you see here are all taken from a fantastic exhibition at Seven Stories earlier this year to celebrate 'Caring Sharing Gentle Words' where children along with their families and carers, created wonderful artwork during workshops across the UK. The art was inspired through storytelling of a small selection of picture books, which raised different subjects to be explored. It is a project that expresses the bonding between children, parents and carers when incorporating books into a daily routine and the creativity that is explored through this. If you haven't already visited Seven Stories I can highly recommend it, it is the most magical place for a child and will bring out the child in any adult! www.sevenstories.org.uk