That’s right, I said it! Your kids aren’t as talented as you think they are. They are way more creative than you can ever expect but thinking your 10-year-old wants to paint the Mona Lisa is going to kill any joy they have for painting. You can parent your little artist however you want but take it from a professional artist, just let them be free
to enjoy the art making process.
Art is not supposed to be perfect the first go round, we figure it out along the way. The question is always “What am I looking at?”. I’m guilty of it too but the answer to that question is “You’re looking at art mom.” And we can be glad that our kids are making unique art because that means their imaginations are alive!
"THEY ARE WAY MORE CREATIVE THAN YOU CAN EVER EXPECT..."
Compliment them on their crafts and encourage them to keep doing it. This will stir up a joy in them that will make them passionate about art for the rest of their lives. Praise them for their brushstrokes, get them stoked about colour mixing and say you like the odd shaped blob they squeezed their Play Doh into. Be thankful that their work doesn’t look like the art you’ve seen in the museums because that’s already been done!
It’s easy to make a child never pick up a pencil to draw again with one wrong word. This is not advice about gentle parenting. Children are very sensitive about their artistic abilities, but they respond very well to positive affirmations. Skill increases as they make, your job is just to get them excited about making.
"BE THANKFUL THAT THEIR WORK DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE ART YOU'VE SEEN IN MUSEUMS...!"
