"I doubt that imagination can be suppressed. If you truly eradicated it in a child, he would grow up to be an eggplant." Ursula LeGuin
I've been thinking lately, for obvious reasons, about how to raise my daughter to embrace and trust her creativity. I didn't pursue creativity much growing up (my parents have other talents), but I really want my daughter to experiment with that kind of learning and expression. Certainly she's too young for a piano and too small to hold a paintbrush, but she loves when we play music and sing to her ... so maybe she's tapping into her creative soul already. I'm looking forward to exploring our imaginations together, but it does require an acceptance of messiness that I might have to work on.
On another subject, if you've never read LeGuin, you're missing out. Do it. The Earthsea Series is fun. She also has a great writing book called The Wave in the Mind.
And yet another note, I don't think eggplants are boring at all.
Happy 6 month birthday RileyRoo!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yay! I am so excited you are blogging.
ReplyDeleteI am reading =)
I'm excited too... another thing I'd love to do together after I move is explore this concept of imagination...and if it helps you can come make my house really messy...for some reason I didn't get the gene that is concerned by that in the least (good and bad).
ReplyDeleteRiley will be banging on the piano and wielding a paint brush in no time at all...I can't believe she's already 6 months!
That's good you didn't get that gene! And of course I'd love to hang out and be imaginative together, but, to be fair, we should take turns making messes out of each other's homes :)
ReplyDeleteIt's just that if my daughter wanted to be a pink fairy, I would probably say yes but be thinking more about the clean up aspect than her pure enjoyment of being a pink fairy ... kind sad huh? It's just that I hate cleaning (maybe that's why our place is always in a bit of disarray!).
I read LeGuin at your urging and I typically don't like that genre but I found it very beautiful and profound, I'll definitely read more at some point.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. She was the reasons I actually started liking fantasy. Before that, I was strictly a realistic and historical fiction girl. I was probably the only middle schooler who came into the library asking for historical fiction :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder about Ursula. It will go on the new library list. Also (as I struggle with messes and creativity myself) I thought you might like to check out this blog....I like her suggestions for begining art supplies and whatnot, although Ro is still much more interested in music than art!
ReplyDeleteartfulparent.typepad.com
Thanks for the suggestion Axon. I'll check it out.
ReplyDelete