Let's see what happens

In the art room, adults plan and children dive in. (Illustrations by Naava)

Now that I’m your new art teacher, I can tell you a secret: Did you know there are grownups who are afraid of making art?

People can repel off a mountain with gravitas, give a work presentation with authority and then face a blank canvas and feel sick.

I can say with certainty that all children are born artists. But the saddest part of my job is when a child tells me they are not good at art. That usually means at some point, a grown up (inadvertently, I hope) instilled a sense of fear in them, and then the child began to doubt their own creativity.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This summer a group of teachers and I led a class full of toddlers. We laid out HUGE pieces of paper on the ground outside, along with plastic containers filled with non-toxic washable paint, and paintbrushes bigger than their little feet. And then we just let them go.

I have a magic phrase I say to myself before I begin a new art project with preschool kids. I don’t say it on purpose, it just comes out. Once all the supplies are laid out, I take a deep breath and I say, “Let’s see what happens.” Whenever I catch myself saying that, that’s a sign this is going to be a good one.

When those little 1 and 2 year olds stood in front of the large sheets of paper, the other teachers and I didn’t tell them WHAT to paint, or HOW to paint. We didn’t ask them to name the colors or announce what their painting was going to be. We didn’t read them a story to inspire ideas or teach them how to mix colors. We didn’t know what would happen. We just let them walk to the art and begin.

Uncertainty about the outcome of a creative project is an uncomfortable feeling for a grown up to sit in, even an experienced artist. Not having a premeditated goal but just allowing the process to unfold, feels unsettling.

In the art room, adults plan. We walk through the steps before we start. We ask questions to make sure we are prepared for the experience. We envision. We try to live up to expectations.

Children just start.

When I work with toddlers, I know I have to work against my “grown up instincts”. I actively choose to stay in a place of unknowing so that the children can thrive. Children aren't afraid to not know. That’s when they do their best work.

What does it look like when a child is working with a grown up who is afraid of art? Often it begins when the grown up has expectations for the art project that don’t come naturally for the child. Frustrations rise.

Then a list of steps is announced that the child can’t reproduce independently. So the grown up steps in to finish it for them. Ineptitude sinks in.

Lastly the child sees a demonstration of what their art was supposed to look like. It almost never does. Now the child thinks they’re not good at art. They stop believing their efforts are valuable and start expecting grown ups to do their art for them. The child begins to lose their instincts for creativity.

If that grown up never had an art teacher give them the opportunity to express themselves freely, they likely don’t realize they’re operating from a place of fear. But fear is not forever. That’s what the art room is all about: Overcoming, trying new things, and being brave enough to live in the unknown.

This is my first suggestion for grownups who want to feel more brave in the art room with kids:

Let the child teach you how to be an artist.

Don’t do an art project for your child, do your own art project next to them. Talk out loud about your process. Mention how you are both making different choices.

Watch how the child paints and note to yourself how different that is from you. Observe how their fingers explore the material.

Cheer when they shout, “TADA!” because they’ve decided on their own that they are done.

If you see bravery fading from a child, here are my suggestions:

Try to ensure that fear and restriction and control is not their only experience with art. See what happens when they decide what they are making. Ask them to tell you the story about their drawing. My prediction is their ideas will be better than anything you or I could come up with.

Once I realized people are actually afraid of making art, it changed my approach to teaching. I don’t see it as a class about technique and skill sets, rather a class in courage.

When I am in my art studio, working by myself, my own fears still creep in. It can take a long time to overcome. But when I am in the art room teaching children, I still say, “I wonder what will happen.” The only answer I have at that moment is, I don’t know. It’s children who have taught me that is the best outcome you could hope for.