When Less is More

It is nice to have options.  However, it can often be more rewarding to have limited options.  This fact was presented today when the clay tables were clear and there was only paint and paper set out to use.  Some of the young artists, who usually want nothing to do with paint and spend the entire class time working with clay, wandered over to try something new.  They experimented with different tools, smearing the wet metallic material across the paper... and liked it!  By having less options today, more learning was able to occur. 

Some of the parents were amazed, exclaiming their original assumption that the children would just opt out entirely, since their favorite activity wasn't available.  To their surprise, the kids had begun working on their own and continued to do so, diligently trying out this unfamiliar material and having fun with the possibilities.  When joined by their parents, the young artists continued to explore and felt even more comfortable in this new situation.

 

Becoming comfortable with the messy paint can be difficult for not only kids, but also for parents.  A great benefit of having a studio space available is the opportunity to get messy, to try these new things and not have to worry about ruining things at home or having to clean up again afterward on your own. 

The advantages of learning something from a new opportunity far outweigh the disadvantages of becoming a bit messy.  Beautiful paintings are created, new skills are developed, confidence is boosted and a wall of discomfort from the unknown is broken down.

 Sometimes we are forced to do things in life that we are not comfortable doing.  We are alone with a person we don't know or in a place of which that we've never been before.  It is odd at first, but is simply a new situations presenting new possibilities.  Just as trying a new material in art class can lead to mastering a new skill, learning the ins and outs of a new place, and meeting a new friend can also result in increased confidence and greater ability to face more and more unknowns in life, and to then reconsider them as fulfilling adventures.