I just stumbled across Kelly Lasserre’s art blog. Her work is fun and pleasant. Some is cute, some quirky, some just is what it is. It has a delightful childlike quality.
Which reminds me of when I was young, trying my own hand at drawing, and how plagued I was by the little voice in my head that constantly demanded straighter lines, more perfect circles and, later, more life-like renderings of people and trees and things. It’s a voice I’m still plagued by, which is why I only rarely try my hand at artistic work. I focus too much on the technical side of my work, and not enough on the creative.
The vast majority of children suffer from this same lack of confidence. They put pen to paper and create art but fail to recognize it as such. Papers are crumpled up, tossed in the garbage, and our children go on to become lawyers, engineers, and hot dog vendors. And pimps and presidents.
No revelations this morning, I suppose. But I am thankful for people like Kelly.
2 responses to “Art & The Nebbish”
Watching my two girls growing up, I have to say that some big change just happened as my younger one went from 7-8 years old. It used to be that she thought anything she drew was fabulous – this was an attitude I encouraged especially since I share the same voice you have inside your head.
But now, she seems to getting more cautious. “Mommy, can you draw the eyes? Mine don’t come out good.” “I need a ruler to make my lines straighter.”
I guess we each are our own worst critics!
I think it has something to do with being 8 years old. When I was eight I wrote some self-criticisms in a small notebook, and when my niece was eight she expressed some of the identical ones about herself.
Being an artist seems to be primarily the nerve to call whatever you do “art”. As such, it’s mainly self-confidence, or a good fake.
With enough self-confidence, anything can find a following. Proof? The “poet” McGonagall.