Yikes - over a month? What happened? I guess it was a combination of procrastination, nothing much to post about, and the frenzy of “back-to-school”. I had this way-too-long monologue about the out-of-control school-supply requirements out here, but I figured it doesn’t all need to be said. It is sufficient to say, that I have spent well over $200 on school supplies for 4 children - that doesn’t include backpacks and uniforms… and I’m beginning to wonder where our educational tax dollars are being spent.

What has that got to do with creativity? Not much, except that as of Tuesday, ALL my children are now in school (be patient, this IS going somewhere). I love my children dearly, but I am also loving having more of the day to myself… yay! My day now starts at 5:30 am, so I can do my Morning Pages before the chaos ensues at 6am. And I’m glad that I’ve been able to work-in some exercise time before the last two board the bus about 8:33 or so (Middle school starts 1 hour before elementary school).

So, what’s that got to do with it??? Well, I spent a lot of today and yesterday looking at art supplies on the internet - and I will very soon, after deciding which colors NOT to buy (sniff), make a purchase and hopefully (cross fingers) make myself schedule some weekly time for painting. Yes! Yes, Yes! That is one of the goals. I am purchasing encaustic supplies because the medium intrigues me so! I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited about a particular medium. I also need to purchase some sculpting/clay/wax tools for fun textural effects. (If you know anyone who is looking to sell old clay tools or even old dental instruments, please let me know.)

On to the subject at hand - Creativity Begets Creativity - literally… (sorry, maybe I should have done this in two separate posts)

This one is a freehand by Ethan (11), one of my budding artists - good job, in my opinion. He is slightly obsessed with all things knight, sword, bow & arrow, Robin Hood, castle, dragon - that type of stuff. And, Oran follows suit pretty well. It will be interesting to see how they diverge as they grow older…

This one is by Oran (9). According to Ethan, Oran did NOT trace it, but followed the directions in the drawing book. Good job, I think.

But, I LOVE this one… it was put together by Ethan and Hana, and possibly some help from Kael & Oran… Our good friends, the Schofields (note the name), came over one night for some Rock Band… Before they got here, the kids put this together:

I think it’s hilarious. It is supposed to say “SkullField” - they thought of this on their own. It is a rock band, complete with pyro-technics and an audience. I wish I had another angle of this so you could see better. One of the groupies in the front row is holding a sign - I forget what it said.

Haha! Funny, huh? It’s made mostly with pieces from a Lego “Castle” chess set, and probably a few pieces from other random Lego sets. We love Lego.

I have awesome kids.

Creativity Question: Do you allow your imagination any playtime?

I know as adults, we tend to focus on the practical, the ever-mounting tasks at hand, that pile of laundry, those bills, the project for work…. etc. It is difficult to hang those worries in the coat closet, shut the door, and let our imaginations wander. How do kids do it? They are so free of worry. They don’t care if it’s the silliest idea in the world, or if it’s not physically possible, they’ll imagine it. They aren’t weighed down with words like, “practical”, “reasonable” or “impossible”. I love it. There is much to learn from them.

Personally, I am working on this - I need to allow myself some completely impractical and time-wasting creative exploration - and free my imagination for a little while. Creativity begets creativity, after all.